Data Breaches

A data breach occurs when unauthorised individuals access, copy, or expose personal information stored by a company. Common causes include phishing attacks on employees, unpatched software vulnerabilities, weak or reused passwords, insider threats, and misconfigured cloud storage. Once inside, attackers typically spend weeks quietly harvesting data before detection.

Change your password for the affected service and any other account where you reused that password. Enable two-factor authentication. Monitor your bank and credit card statements for unusual activity. Consider placing a free credit freeze with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. If your Social Security number was exposed, file an identity theft report at IdentityTheft.gov.

In the US, notification timelines vary by state — typically 30 to 90 days after a breach is confirmed. Under GDPR in Europe, companies must notify regulators within 72 hours. Many states require individual notification "in the most expedient time possible." Companies often delay notification while investigating, so public reports sometimes come before individual emails.

Yes. A credit freeze (also called a security freeze) prevents new accounts from being opened in your name without your explicit unfreeze. It is completely free at all three major bureaus, does not affect your credit score, and does not impact existing accounts or credit cards. Unfreeze temporarily when you need to apply for credit, then refreeze immediately.

Visit HaveIBeenPwned.com (run by security researcher Troy Hunt) and enter your email address. It cross-references your email against hundreds of known breach databases. If you appear in results, it shows which breaches and what data was exposed. Set up free alerts to be notified of future breaches involving your email.