We can all learn a lesson from these recent data breaches.
Here are some recent data breaches you may not have heard about that might affect you personally.
Banking with Virtual Assistants
It may sound interesting to ask the virtual assistant in your computer or your smart phone what your bank balance is, but it probably is not safe.
U.S. Bank recently made some online banking activities compatible with all three virtual assistants (Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri). Customers of other banks can make certain transactions and pay bills with these devices.
Be careful when using these apps! Hackers or any nosy person standing too close to you can learn too much information about your account and gain access to it.
A shopping lesson
Did you know that more than half of all retailers experienced a data breach last year? The U.S. retail industry is the second most breached segment, trailing only the U.S. government.
In July of this year, the following entities reported breaches.
- Timehop reported that hackers obtained its user’s names, email addresses, phone numbers, birth dates, gender, and country codes. Twenty-one million accounts were affected by this data breach.
- Macys.com and Bloomingales.com reported that hackers obtained their online customers’ email addresses, credit and debit card numbers, birthdays, and other data. It is unknown how many customers were affected by this breach.
- Hackers obtained the ID numbers, home addresses, Visa information, GPA, academic standing, and hours earned of nearly 8,000 Georgia Tech students.
- Likewise, hackers obtained the social security numbers, names, and dates of birth of an undisclosed number of Yale University students.
- UnityPoint Health reported that the all of the personal information for 1.4 million patients fell into the wrong hands in July also.
It never hurts to monitor your credit reports for identity theft. I learned this lesson years ago and still check my credit report at least once a month.
Let the encouraging words in these bobbiejrae posts help you
soar like an eagle above life’s storms.
How can you guard your personal safety?
Where do you imagine yourself in ten years?
Yes, you can get something of value for nothing.
You can protect both your computer and your privacy.
