A Word About Recent Public Data Breaches … Summer Friday

Recently a Milwaukee security firm publicly released a stunning estimate of possible data breaches.  The news was picked up in this New York Times article and the blaze was on.

Estimated Over a Billion Passwords Hacked

The stunning number seems to be what has caught many, including myself by surprise. No matter the accuracy of this research a few continued steps will help prevent your information falling into the wrong hands. (Recall we have spoken of this before here , here, and here.)

1. Change Passwords Frequently
2. Do not keep the same password on all accounts
3. Keep a strong password i.e. include a symbol
4. Email confidential information carefully
5. Skip words like “password” or “username” in your email

BREAK IN: After multiple calls to IT providers and protectors, most financial institutions are monitoring 24/7 for possible breaches or attempted breaches. A common theme rose to the surface, DO NOT HAVE THE SAME PASSWORD ON MULTIPLE ACCOUNTS … Sorry to deliver that information, if you are like me, this further complicates an already memory stressed log in  … Oh well, better safe than sorry … 

MIX UP THOSE PASSWORDS.

There is no way to be 100% protected. If the FBI or NASA can be broken into, it is not possible to guarantee safety. However following the above steps will help reduce your possible exposure, especially for your banking information or any money controlling related account.

On a positive note, the firm releasing the estimated breach along with several other tech contacts we have touched base with noted the most likely use of this information was for spam and more spam.

Here is a neat chart of  todays interconnectivity

Have a Great Friday and a Super Summer Weekend…

John A. Kvale CFA, CFP