You may have recently heard in the news about a data breach involving Social Security numbers. Here is an overview of what we know and the steps you can take to mitigate the risk of your personal information being compromised.
What we know:
- A group of hackers claims to have stolen 2.9 billion records of personal data from National Public Data, a company that provides public records for background checks.
- The stolen records, which include names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, were reportedly sold on the dark web for $3.5 million.
- Preliminary expert analysis of the breached data suggests a mix of partial, incorrect, and some legitimate information.
What you should know:
- Although this breach has garnered significant attention, much of the data was likely already circulating on the dark web from previous breaches.
- Experts anticipate an increase in fraud and identity theft as a result of this breach.
What you should do:
To protect yourself from identity theft and fraud, consider the following steps:
- Use a free tool to check if your Social Security number was compromised in this breach.
- Place a credit freeze with the three major credit agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.
- Regularly check your credit reports for unauthorized activity.
- Enable account alerts for your bank, investment, and Social Security accounts.
- Set up multifactor authentication (MFA) for online accounts, prioritizing those that could cause you financial or personal harm.
- Revisit your password practices, and avoid reusing passwords, especially for important accounts.
- Note: USC offers 1Password Personal to all faculty and staff.