Personal Data Security

Personal Data Security
Personal Data Security
Cyber Issues

Protecting your personal data is an important, but oftentimes difficult task considering that we conduct a majority of our life online.

Every time we pay a bill online, sign up for a new e-service, buy a new pair of shoes online, or simply peruse the Internet, we are placing an enormous amount of faith in the websites we visit and hope that their security measures are top notch and that the personal data that we may enter on their websites is being handled properly. If our personal data is mishandled or if a company’s website is vulnerable to a cyber attack, the collateral damages are endless.

Javelin Strategy & Research conducted a study of the impact of personal identity theft and fraud on Americans during 2014 and the results were stunning. First, they concluded that cyber criminals and fraudsters stole approximately $16 billion from approximately 12.7 million American consumers in 2014. That’s approximately $1,300 from every victim. The report also determined that in 2014, there was a new victim of identity theft and fraud every two seconds. The other very interesting conclusion that came about from the study is that students were the most impacted by identity theft and fraud. They were also the least likely to admit that they were concerned about their identity being stolen and were the least likely to detect that fraud occurred, which also makes them an easy target.

Featured Personal Data Security

Identity Theft Identity Theft Identity theft is an all too common occurrence in today's digital age. Almost anyone can fall victim to an identity thief. It's important to take preventative steps to protect your personal information like signign up for credit monitoring or some other identity theft protection software. Check out this article for more information about what is ...
What to do if your email is hacked What to do if your email is hacked Was your email hacked? Even though technology is always evolving, a recent 2016 study found that many of our email clients failed to identify a phishing or infected email that was sitting in our inbox. These types of emails leave our personal data vulnerable. Read here about what you can do if your email is ...

At the close of the report, Javelin Strategy & Research provided a number of tips to protect your personal identity from theft and fraud. These tips are reinforced in the below articles as well.

  • 1Sign up for a credit monitoring service. These companies and services will alert you of new accounts opened under your name or Social Security number and will advise you of any suspicious activity.
  • 2Enable alerts on your credit card and bank accounts so that you are warned whenever larger or suspicious purchases are made.
  • 3Make sure all of your passwords are considered strong and are secure and change them frequently. There are a lot of third party services out that that can help you manage your passwords.
  • 4And finally, be smart about the websites you use and the types of information you provide websites. If the website is not secured, then it’s probably best not to provide any of your personal information.

Take a look at the articles below for more information on how you can protect your personal identity from theft and fraud.

4 Tips for Consumers After the Equifax Data Breach 4 Tips for Consumers After the Equifax Data Breach

Following Equifax’s announcement earlier this month that data from 143 million people – almost half the U.S. population – had been compromised in a security breach, consumers across the country are undoubtedly concerned about the long-term impact of the attack. Whether your information was breached or not, there are steps you can take to safeguard ...

Is Your Credit Report Safe? For Half the Country, Maybe Not Is Your Credit Report Safe? For Half the Country, Maybe Not

Major credit reporting bureau Equifax announced in early September that personal data for 143 million people – nearly half the U.S. population – had been exposed in a monstrous security breach. Since that announcement, the company has come under fire from Congress, consumers and attorney generals throughout the country for its poor attention to detail ...

How Safe Are Websites? How Safe Are Websites?

There is no rule or law that a live website be secure and, in fact, most of the websites that we visit online, in a day, are not secured, which means that any information you provide while using that website may be vulnerable. There are a number of ways to determine whether a website has ...

Have You Been Hacked?

Check to see if your personal data was compromised.

*Cyber breach data provided by Have I Been Pwned
Have You Been Hacked?
How to Remediate After Data Breach Occurs How to Remediate After Data Breach Occurs

Cyber data breaches and threats are a common occurrence these days. It doesn't matter whether you are a large corporation or a small business, it's important to have a plan of action on how to remediate the damage should you be a victim to a cyber security issue.

Data Security Breaches Data Security Breaches

Over the last ten years, an increasing number of high-profile brands, businesses and media figures have been the victims – or unwitting aides – in data breaches around the world. Major retailer Target came under fire in 2015 when it was revealed that a substantial data breach had affected 40 million customers. In December 2015, ...

Financial Information Breach Financial Information Breach

When you’re bidding on eBay for the perfect pair of vintage 1950s heels, ordering bulk diapers from Amazon or sending in your final car payment on BB&T’s website, chances are you trust these and similar merchants with your financial information. Online checkout makes it easy to buy goods or make payments with a few simple ...

Credit Card Breach Credit Card Breach

If you appreciate the benefits of online shopping, you’re not alone, as for the 2015 holiday season, revenue topped $83 billion, 11 percent more than  2014. Who doesn’t appreciate the comfort and speed that online shopping provides? But like every other modern convenience, with the good comes the bad. Whether for online shopping, paying bills ...

Personal Data Theft Personal Data Theft

Personal data theft occurs when an unauthorized third party gains access to personal information about another party such as their name, address, telephone number, date of birth and Social Security number. Unfortunately, nobody is safe from personal data theft. The FTC published its findings of the number of people, per age group, that filed complaints ...

Password Theft Password Theft

Password theft is a common occurrence in today’s digital age and is often the precursor to much more serious crimes like identity theft and fraud. It is important to not only pick very strong and complicated passwords that have nothing to do with your personal life, but it is also important to change your passwords ...