Have You Been Hacked?
One of the best ways to check if your email address(es) or passwords have been breached is to go to Have I Been Pwned? and type in your information. When you input your email address, for example, it will tell you how many times it’s been released and which breaches were at fault.
What To Do Now
If you found out your email address(es) or passwords have in fact been breached, now’s the time to beef up security. Change all passwords and add two-factor authentication where possible. See some breaches for sites you don’t even use anymore? Delete your accounts with them. This will keep your information from being exposed unnecessarily down the line.
Keep Yourself from Getting Hacked in the Future
Now that you see how easy it is for someone to get your information as well as that of your loved ones, keep it from happening again in the future! Regularly change passwords, check to see if your information has been leaked, and keep an eye out for any suspicious activity on your online accounts.
If we lived in a perfect world, we would feel perfectly comfortable giving our personal information to a trusted entity online. And although most companies do have the best intentions when it comes to protecting their customers’ information, it’s nearly impossible to protect from all hacks. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to take the initiative and protect your and your loved ones’ information from the start.