Becoming a victim of a cybersecurity attack is all too common. The recent cybersecurity incident Freeport recently experienced is just one of thousands of cyber attacks that occur yearly.
Recognizing that these types of cybersecurity incidents unfortunately are becoming more widespread means everyone should take precautions to defend against cybersecurity attacks and theft of personal data.
Below are a series of cybersecurity best practices recommended by experts to help you protect yourself:
Be vigilant for incidents of fraud or identity theft by reviewing your financial account statements, health insurance benefit statements and healthcare billing statements for any unauthorized activity. Notify your financial institution if you suspect any unauthorized activity.
If you see a discrepancy when reviewing your financial account statements, contact your bank immediately and ask them to lock your account.
Be cautious of suspicious emails, phone calls, phishing attempts, or unsolicited communications that ask for personal information.
Do not click on links from unknown senders and inspect links carefully.
Use strong, unique passwords for each account and change them frequently. Use two-factor or multi-factor authentication where available.
Check your credit report for unauthorized activity. You may obtain a copy of your credit report free of charge once every 12 months from each of the three nationwide credit reporting companies. To order your annual free credit report, visit www.annualcreditreport.com or call toll free at 1-877-322-8228.
Consider placing a fraud alert on your credit report and/or implementing a credit or security freeze on your credit file.
You can review more information on cybersecurity best practices and protecting yourself from identity theft on the Federal Trade Commission’s identity theft website (www.identitytheft.gov), as well as the list of “4 Things You Can Do To Keep Yourself Cyber Safe” from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (https://www.cisa.gov/news-events/news/4-things-you-can-do-keep-yourself-cyber-safe).