Data Breaches: Why You Need to Use a Data Breach Check Tool

See if Your Personal Information is loose on the Internet.

Data breaches are in the news all the time, from major networks to every online news outlet. The numbers of records hackers steal is always staggering…3 million, 15 million, 140 million! Worst of all, breaches keep happening!

In our article on data breaches it says, “a data breach occurs when cybercriminals hack into organizations’ databases and steal sensitive information.”

We look at data breach news differently. WhatIsMyIPAddress.com looks at how news of a data breach affects the customers of that attacked company.

We wonder how it affects you—perhaps you’re a customer of the company—and we want you to know what you should do.

We care because hackers steal information that’s very personal to you. Those records include home address, email address, Social Security number, credit card numbers. Often, the stolen records include date of birthday, your driver license number and more.

Here’s an important point to remember about data breaches:

Data breaches happen all the time! A report of one data breach should remind you that there were probably a dozen or more in the past week.

Here a few stats to back up that exact point. *

• A hacking attack occurs every 39 seconds. A single computer could be under attack more regularly than once every minute.
• 36% of US companies reported a data breach within the last year. The global figure was slightly lower at 30%. Again, this could be higher due to the potential for still undetected breaches.
• There were 635 data breaches in the U.S. reported in 2018. There have been more than 9,000 data breaches from 2005 to 2017.   

Those are eye-opening numbers and alarming, but you can’t just look at those numbers and say “wow.”

Whenever you hear about a data breach, it should remind you—encourage you—to take action. 

Here’s what you need to do when you hear of another data breach:

1. Check ASAP if you have accounts involved in the specific data breach.
2. If so, change the password on that account right away.
3. Check the account statement for any unusual transactions.

Here’s what everyone should do.

Don’t wait for news of another data breach to take action. Use the free Data Breach Check tool at whatismyipaddress.com. And do it now.

Do You Have Sensitive Information Floating Around the Internet Due to a Data Breach?

_{*Resources: comparitech.com/blog/vpn-privacy/data-breach-statistics-facts/privacyrights.org/data-breaches}