adminData breaches are a common occurrence these days – Identity Theft Resource Center reports a record of 1,093 data breaches in 2016 with social security numbers released in 52 percent of those and credit and debit card details in 13.2 percent. Those are top-of-mind concerns but usernames, email addresses, and passwords make up critical information that hackers captured in those breaches.
Protecting your online identity could be as simple as changing up your username. While many protect their passwords with vigil, they’re much more casual about usernames, which cyber criminials can use to harvest details about private information.
“Cyber criminals use a technique called Doxing, essentially combing the web for snippets of information about a person to build a full profile they can use to execute crimes like identity theft, scams or other targeted attacks,” says an article in IT Portal.
To help manage usernames and passwords you can use a password keeper. Look for one that explicitly states it uses AES256 bit encryption or stronger to protect your content. Read more about about protecting your username in the full article here.
Look to LEVERAGE Member Security Center for comprehensive protection in keeping your credit union members’ information secure.
