The stolen data includes Social Security numbers, names, addresses and internet history from across the country.
A data breach revealed that sensitive online information about at least 2.9 billion Americans may have been stolen by hackers.
The hackers are primarily looking to make money from this stolen information, as most of it is sold on the dark web to various shady groups and individuals.
“Plus, they’re trying to get access to any information they can,” said Douglas Whitman, information security officer at Midland University. “They’re looking for your date of birth, your address, your Social Security number — anything they can use to open a line of credit in your name, maybe access your bank account information, or just try to squeeze as much money out of you as possible.”
Whitman is committed to doing the best that Midland College can to keep your data safe and out of the wrong hands.
Hackers usually target big data groups to try to make as much money as possible.
However, anyone can be a target depending on their internet history.
“The primary way cybercriminals get access to people’s information is by people visiting malicious sites that load malware onto their devices,” Whitman said. “Once you enter your username and password and enter your credentials, the cybercriminal has access to that and can steal your information.”
Social Security numbers are a double-edged sword.
For the average American, they’re incredibly useful in nearly every aspect of life, but hackers can exploit that reliance.
“One of the problems in America is that we use the Social Security number almost exclusively, with the exception of driver’s license numbers. That’s never going to change. Driver’s license and Social Security numbers are the same,” Whitman said. “The Social Security number is used for all major account information, credit reports, background checks, student information, everything.”
There are several ways to protect yourself and prevent your data from being stolen in the future.
“Use multi-factor authentication. A lot of websites, like banks, have a feature that you can set up using something like Google Authenticator or Duo that says, ‘When you try to log in, send a text message to this number,'” Whitman says. “A password manager is probably one of the best ways to protect yourself and verify your identity.” [along with] “Credit ID Monitoring”
If you believe or discover that your information has been stolen, there are several ways you can report the issue or fix it yourself.
“You can subscribe to your annual credit report through many of the major credit bureaus, and you can also put a freeze on your credit, which I recommend for just about everyone,” Whitman says. “With all of the major credit bureaus, this is super easy — it takes less than five minutes per bureau, and you can lift the freeze whenever you’re ready.”
Other ways to protect your data include changing your passwords regularly and keeping your antivirus software up to date.
