While the specifics may differ, every data breach compromises sensitive information from individuals, which increases the risk of identity theft. At Blackhawk Community Credit Union, we strive to ensure your peace of mind and protecting your account is our highest priority. To safeguard your information and finances, explore our essential tips on how to respond if you’ve been impacted by a data breach.
National Data Breach from last December
Nationalpublicdata.com acknowledged a data breach happened in December 2023. The breach has exposed names, emails, phone numbers, and SSNs.
According to this article, NationalPublicData.com Hack Exposes a Nation’s Data – Krebs on Security,
- 2.9 billion rows of records were exposed
- 272M unique SSNs were included
- 137M unique email addresses were included
What is a data breach?
In recent years, the frequency of data breaches has surged, largely due to the rise of online data and advanced hacking tools. These breaches occur when sensitive information is accessed or used without authorization, causing damage to both consumers and businesses.
What to do after a data breach?
Usually, you will be contacted if your data has been breached. In the meantime, monitor your accounts for suspicious activity even if you are not notified that your data has been compromised. Here at BHCCU we have notified our staff to be on high alert for fraudulent account openings and other high-risk transactions. We recommend our members freeze their credit files.
Check out our Identity Theft Checklist for tips on what to do and who to contact regarding freezing your credit, filing an Identity Theft Report, and all other security inquires.