2016 was a big year for well-known companies owning up to being hacked. So should I be worried, how can I check if my account has been hacked and what can I do about it?

Should I be worried?

Over past years many Internet services were involved in data breaches where user accounts, passwords and sensitive data has been stolen. There is a possibility that your account information is one of them, used on “black market” for illegal purposes or just sending you spam emails!

How can I check?

A nice guy from Microsoft, Troy Hunt created a free website called “Have I been Pwned“. Just enter your email address, and the site will search through breached information that is freely available on the internet if you know where to look! Above you can see my personal email address was found in leaked information from Dropbox, Last.fm and LinkedIn.

What should I do?

If your account is compromised on one of internet services – please log in, check your personal information (are they correct?) and change your password immediately. Ask yourself a question – is my data and information adequately protected if my password is the only protection? Maybe is a time for second layer authentication?

Why you should be using Two-Factor Authentication in your business today You know the story, always use a unique password, a complex one, never write them down or share them. The problem being we’re human and modern life just seems to consist of usernames and passwords.

So in summary…

• Check out the website https://haveibeenpwned.com
• Change your password
• Add two-factor authentication
• Check your account activity
• Add second email address or mobile number for password recovery
• Delete the account if you don’t use it anymore!

Greg Senior Engineer at Dunedin IT   If you like to find out more about IT Security for your business, please contact David or Jamie on 0131 225 2215 or info@dunedinit.co.uk