Cyber-Attackers Want Your Personal Data

If you use a password manager that creates unique passwords, you can ensure that if one site gets breached, your stolen password won't give hackers access to your accounts on other sites. A good password manager can also help you administer all your login information, making it easy to create and use unique passwords.

After a cyberattack, monitoring tools can alert you to which of your stolen credentials are out on the dark web, giving you a running start at limiting the damage the thieves can do. Here's how to use two free monitoring tools, one is Google's Password Checkup to see which of your email addresses and passwords are compromised so you can take action.

View your digital footprint. Bitdefender provides a dashboard with its Digital Identity Protection subscription that shows where your personal information has appeared online. It also pinpoints data breaches where your info has been leaked in the past, notifies you when your personal info appears in breaches going forward and provides recommended steps to secure your data. It also tells you whether your info is on the dark web and lets you know if someone appears to be impersonating you on social media.

To take a more active hand in watching for fraud, sign up with a credit monitoring service that constantly monitors your credit report on major credit bureaus and alerts when it detects unusual activity. With a monitoring service, you can set fraud alerts that notify you if someone is trying to use your identity to create credit. A credit reporting service like LifeLock can cost $9 to $26 a month -- or you could use a free service like the one from Credit Karma

Cybersecurity for Dummies

Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Joseph Steinberg (Author), BJ Harrison (Narrator), Tantor Audio (Publisher)

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