An old data breach is still a data breach, and you probably still need to watch out for it when it comes to Facebook, a website that most people have used at some point. As you have probably heard a previous data breach Half a billion Facebook users are hit again after a hacker released a wealth of personal information that was removed from the hacked accounts. And even though the real hack took place two years ago, there are still some preventative measures you can take to make sure this latest incident doesn’t affect you very much.
First, take the time to verify that your information – including your email address, phone number, name, and other identifying features – is actually included in this breach. Try one of the following options to check for various identifying information that may have been compromised:
If your phone number or other details are not in violation, great! You’re good. If so, there is not much you can do about it as the information is now available. On the plus side, you don’t have to worry about your password being stolen, but this data could be used elsewhere in phishing attempts and possibly even to reset your passwords or brute force it into your accounts, depending on the situation How bad a password is The service’s password recovery / reset mechanism is.
Even so, if you haven’t already, chances are that if you haven’t already, since this data has been around for a while. If anything, the entire episode shows the importance of using dummy information wherever possible when signing up for an account – especially on social media. The obfuscation is entirely in your control. Don’t feel like you are about to give up legitimate details about your life.
G / O Media can receive a commission
For Facebook, this could include:
- Don’t provide optional information if you don’t have to (your educational history, wherever you’ve lived, your interests, your work history, etc.)
- Providing dummy information when prompted, e.g. B. a wrong date of birth or a pseudonym. (Keep track of these in the Notes From section Your preferred password manager in case you are ever challenged because of your falsified information to regain access to your account or reset your password.)
- Use a fake email address (even a slightly changed one, like youremail+facebook@gmail.com instead of youremail@gmail.com) and phone number This is not your actual phone number to open an account. As before, save these credentials in your password manager just in case.
- Use another “real” name or a slightly modified version of your name. Don’t use the same “screen name” or account name (something we are all to blame for, undoubtedly) for all of your different services.
Why is that important? It makes it much more difficult for an attacker to use information obtained from a data breach to influence you elsewhere. If you always use different information for the different services you use whenever possible, it will be more difficult for an attacker to break into your account. He just doesn’t know enough about you on every ministry.
In the future, make sure you stay up to date on possible phishing attempts. If out of the blue you receive a text or email trying to convince you of its legitimacy by giving you some (now immediately available) information about yourself, you are not taking action on a service that is solely based on based on this news. Do not give any other information in response. Don’t click or tap any links if you’re not sure where they came from. Instead, go to your browser and visit the service directly and see if there is really something you need to do.