Hackers are constantly at work trying to gain access to your information. Sometimes your accounts are breached and you have no idea that your passwords and accounts are on the dark web in the hands of hackers.
So how can you check for compromises? Go to www.haveibeenpwned.com and enter your email address. This will search databases for any public breaches where your email and other credentials were leaked to the dark web. What do leaked credentials mean? Potential hackers have access to your information and more information to use while attempting to gain access to your accounts. The more leaked credentials the easier it is for hackers to breach your accounts.
What to do if your accounts are compromised?
Step 1. Change your passwords for leaked accounts and any other accounts that share the same passwords. Make sure the new passwords are complex and unique by using letters, numbers, and characters. A tip we use to help remember more complex passwords is to use a sentence or phrase. Do not use the same passwords on multiple accounts. If Hackers gain access to one account, they can easily gain access to all your accounts using those shared credentials. We recommend using a password manager to save your passwords in a secure location. Password managers make it easy to safely store complex passwords without the hassle of remembering them yourself.
Step 2. Enable/turn on multifactor authentication (MFA) for any accounts that offer it. Multifactor authentication is another wall for hackers to have to break through before they gain access to your accounts. It is super easy to set up multifactor authentication on your accounts and although it is one extra step during login, the use of MFA significantly decreases the effectiveness of a brute force attack on your accounts. Multifactor authentication can include a 6 digit authorization code through text notifications, email or application. Fingerprint or facial identification is also an option for mobile devices.