How to Protect Your Personal Data After a Breach
If you’ve ever received a data breach notification, you’re not alone. A 2024 survey by US News found that 44% of respondents had been alerted multiple times about their personal information being exposed.
When data breaches occur, stolen information often ends up on the dark web, where cybercriminals buy and sell it for scams, identity theft, and other malicious activities. However, breaches aren’t the only way your data can be compromised. If you’ve clicked on a phishing link, shared personal details in a social media quiz, or had malware on your device, your information could already be in the hands of hackers.
1. Understand How Cybercriminals Use Stolen Data
Cybercriminals use stolen data for various scams, including identity theft and account takeovers. With advances in AI-powered cybercrime, hackers no longer rely on broad phishing attacks. Instead, they can buy “fullz” data packages—dossiers containing banking credentials, medical records, addresses, and social security numbers.
These detailed data sets enable cybercriminals to create highly personalized scams, such as impersonating a friend, family member, or romantic partner in fraud schemes. While direct attacks on individuals are still uncommon, hackers often target large groups using this stolen information.
2. Check If Your Data Is on the Dark Web
To see if your data has been compromised, use a dark web scanner—a tool offered by many password managers and data protection services. These tools search for leaked credentials, email addresses, and passwords associated with your accounts.
Although removing your data from the dark web is difficult, knowing what’s been exposed can help you take action, such as changing passwords and enabling multi-factor authentication.
3. Reduce Your Online Exposure with Data Removal Services
You don’t need to be invincible, just harder to catch than the next person. The less personal information you leave online, the less appealing you are to cybercriminals.
A significant amount of data exposure comes from data brokers, companies that collect and sell personal information. While removing yourself from these databases manually is possible, it’s a time-consuming process. Instead, consider using a personal data removal service, which automates the process and regularly monitors data broker sites for your information.
4. Strengthen Your Device Security
Hackers don’t just steal login credentials—they also attempt to gain access to your devices. A compromised computer, smartphone, or smart home device can give cybercriminals access to private files, banking information, and personal messages.
To stay secure:
✔ Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on all important accounts.
✔ Use a password manager to generate and store unique passwords.
✔ Keep your firewall and antivirus software active and updated.
✔ Use a VPN when connecting to public Wi-Fi.
✔ Avoid clicking suspicious links in emails and messages.
✔ Regularly install software updates for your operating system and smart devices.
✔ Consider identity theft protection software, like Norton 360 with LifeLock, which includes VPN access and dark web monitoring.
By following these steps, you can minimize your risk and take control of your digital security.
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