Jonathan Zavaleta
·4 min read
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The headlines around a recent security breach are undoubtedly concerning, even if the details are unclear. According to the New York Times, a class-action lawsuit alleges that 2.9 billion records from background check company National Public Data were compromised. That includes potentially every Social Security Number. You may be having flashbacks to the major 2017 Equifax hack, or the many hacks that have happened since. Unfortunately, hacks will continue to happen, but there are a few steps to take to secure your information online.
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Freeze Your Credit
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft website, one of the best ways to protect your personal information in the event of a social security breach is by freezing your credit. There are three credit-reporting bureaus in the US; Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. According to USA.gov, freezing your credit can help prevent bad actors from opening a new credit account, such as a credit card, in your name. You’ll need to freeze your credit with each reporting agency individually, either by phone or online.
Suffice it to say, freezing your credit will also prevent you from opening a credit line. I froze my credit after the Equifax hack, only to forget about it when I went to lease a car a few years later. I had to then call and get a temporary lift so the dealer could run a credit check. It only took about 10 minutes, but it’s worth lifting a freeze before you need to open a credit card, sign a lease, or take out an auto loan to avoid any awkwardness.
According to Experian, there are no fees to freeze or temporarily lift a freeze, and it is typically completed within minutes if you call or go online. Placing or lifting a freeze also won’t hurt your credit. In many cases, a company that is hacked will provide free credit monitoring to consumers affected by the breach. If offered, it’s worth taking advantage of the service, according to identitytheft.gov.
Use A Password Manager
Now is also a good time to brush up on your cybersecurity. A password manager is one of the easiest, most reliable ways to secure log-ins like bank passwords and other sensitive online accounts. In the event of a data breach like the alleged Social Security hack, a password manager won’t keep your data off the dark web. But some password managers, like NordPass, scan the dark web to notify you if your data is out there. Plus, NordPass is on sale right now.
Password managers can be used to generate unique, hard-to-guess passwords for each of your accounts. After the admittedly time-consuming initial setup, password managers are also very convenient; once you sign in with a master password, the password manager automatically fills in your account password when you go to log in. There are a few trusted password managers you can use, often for free or just a few dollars a month. Check out some options below.
NordPass
$1.39/mo $2.99/mo 54% off
NordPass, created by NordVPN, is a popular, trusted password manager. Features include the ability to save unlimited passwords and passkeys and set up autofill for the websites and accounts you visit. Plus, it’s designed to help you scan the web for data leaks and identify weak and reused passwords. Best of all, NordPass is running a limited time discount right now, dropping the cost of a two-year subscription to $37.53, instead of the usual $80.73.
1Password
$2.99/mo
1Password is another trusted password manager. Its individual plan costs $2.99/mo, but users can save more with family or team accounts. The individual plan comes with up to 1GB of storage, plus the ability to use it on an unlimited number of devices.
Bitwarden
Bitwarden is one of the most trusted free password managers; its interface is rudimentary and it may lack some premium features, but it is intuitive to use and can be run as a browser extension or app. It also has paid premium or family tiers.
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