Don't know who needs to hear this, but "Password" is NOT a good password.

Here’s the thing. Breaches and hacks happen often. Even big tech companies like Twitter, Marriott, Disney+, Capital One, Facebook, and Adobe have been compromised, and big names like Jack Dorsey, Obama and Kanye’s social media accounts have been hacked recently-- so what makes you think you’re safe?

Another thing to point out, as the Coronavirus crisis worsens, and we all continue to work from home we are more susceptible to vulnerabilities and security experts say hacking is increasing. This week, hackers took over dozens of high-profile Twitter accounts including, Apple, Jeff Bezos, Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Mike Bloomberg, Joe Biden, Uber, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Kim Kardashian, and pretty much every other high-profile person and used them to post bitcoin scam links. Twitter said that it was a “social-engineering attack by people who successfully targeted some of our employees with access to internal systems and tools."

There are a lot of unanswered questions about the Twitter hack - but we can agree that it could have been far worse. Even though you might be thinking I am not high-profile, and no one wants to hack into my account or maybe I have nothing to hide. Not the case. You should always practice good internet hygiene. I highly recommend taking some steps to make sure you are staying safe online.

READ on for some pro tips and steps you can take to minimize risk after a breach and advice on how to protect yourself in the future.

What to Do After a Breach?

Act fast. Time matters. The sooner you make moves, the better. Once you receive an alert about a data breach, follow these immediate next steps.

Step # 1: Go straight to the source

If your personal data is exposed, you could be the victim of identity theft, meaning someone could commit fraud in your name. This includes your social security number. Read on for what to do if your identity is stolen.

Step#2: Contact the three major credit bureaus

If your information has been compromised due to a data breach, you should contact all three major credit reporting agencies: Equifax (888-766-0008), Experian (888-397-3742), and TransUnion (800-680-7289).

It might be a good idea to request a credit freeze. Why? If someone has access to your personal info, they can open new lines of credit. A freeze makes this more difficult because creditors and lenders can’t pull your credit score in order to approve a loan.

Step #3: File an identity theft report with the Federal Trade Commission (the FTC).

Call (877-438-4338) or go online: IdentityTheft.gov. You can contact your local police department, but that’s only really necessary/helpful if you know the identity of the thief, or if you need to show a police report to a creditor or debt collector. In most cases, contacting the FTC is your best bet.

Step #4: Change your passwords

You should always change your passwords after a breach.

Use a strong, unique password on every single account. I know, your brain was not built to remember 100 different passwords. No one was. Use a password manager. Dashlane has a built-in password generator to help you create strong passwords for new accounts and save them securely, plus in-app security alerts that notify you immediately when you need to change your passwords after a data breach.

Right now, with the whole family at home, I recommend looking into the family plan. Dashlane’s best-in-class encryption keeps each member’s passwords and personal data more secure than if they were stored in your browser or in plain text. Each family plan member can use their individual Dashlane account on as many devices as they want. Dashlane works seamlessly across most major devices and platforms—so you can count on it even if your tech-loving child has an iPhone, Chromebook, and gaming PC Plus, with personalized security alerts, your whole family can enjoy better online safety.

Hacked?

If you've been hacked or suspect that an organization you do business with has been attacked, here are a few other steps to take:

Step #5: Keep an eye on your financial or credit accounts

Hackers can get just enough information to hack into a credit or debit card account to make fraudulent purchases (usually online) where they can get away with it. Hopefully, your bank has systems in place to track suspicious activity. It’s also important to do your part by checking all your account activity yourself. You'll know better than anyone if a purchase was yours or authorized by you or not.

Step #6: Scan your computer for viruses and malware

If you think hackers have somehow gotten into your email account, you'll want to run a security scan of your computer using an antivirus program like McAfe, which can help you find anything lurking on your hard drive, waiting to do more damage.

Step #7: Turn on two-factor authentication

As a reminder, turn on two-factor authentication and make sure you don’t click on links or open attachments in emails unless you know who sent them and what they are.

Step 8: Check to see what breaches you have been exposed to

This helpful site: https://intelx.io/ allows you to input your email and see what branches you’ve been exposed to as well as passwords you have reshared. Open the breaches then search your email.

Thank you to Dashlane for partnering with me on this - If you decide you would like to try Dashlane it’s free on your first device. When you want to upgrade to premium, use my code Jessica for 50% off.

Hacked? Data breach? Here is what to do next