PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Millions of AT&T customers learned over the weekend that hackers have: They are likely planning to steal your personal data and sell it on the dark web..
This is a major data breach affecting both current and former customers, but unfortunately, this breach is just the latest in a series of cyberattacks. And no matter how big or small, they can lead to identity theft and major headaches for consumers.
KDKA-TV's Megan Schiller spoke with two cybersecurity experts about what we can learn from this latest breach.
“If you think about it, a company has two jobs: One has to run its core business, and two has to take care of cybersecurity. Hackers have one job to do. That’s just hacking,” Dean Draco said. , CEO of Eagle Eye Networks.
According to Draco, the first mistake people make is using the same, often easy-to-guess password for everything. He said the following are proven security tips:
“I encourage all my friends, relatives, cousins, nephews, employees, and random people I meet to lock their credit reports and log on to the three major credit bureaus. , you can lock your credit report too, otherwise someone could open an account pretending to be you and cause a lot of drama in your life,'' Draco said.
A data breach like the one we just saw for AT&T customers could allow hackers to disseminate or sell your personal data, and once criminals have one password, they can quickly transfer it to all your passwords. This is a problem because it tries against your account.
“If your password is compromised, it basically exposes all your accounts for people to access, so it's definitely a bad idea,” said Aime Wei, CEO of Stellar Cyber. Please use a different password and be sure to use a strong password.”
Stellar Cyber's Aimei Wei recommends password storage apps like LastPass that not only track your passwords, but also require you to change them regularly. By creating a password that is difficult to crack, he adds another layer of protection.
“Make sure to use multiple steps for authentication. For example… after you enter your password, you are asked to enter a code from your mobile phone,” Wei said.
And Draco can save the day by adding a second step, like a text message code or another app.
“But there's also the possibility of so-called authenticator apps. I highly recommend all of these because they protect you even if someone gets your password,” Draco said. I did.
