A recent cybersecurity attack was carried out against Equifax, one of the three major credit agencies, that could affect an estimated 143 million U.S. consumers. According to Equifax, “The information accessed primarily includes names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some instances, driver’s license numbers.” This type of information may be used for identity theft and fraud.

Numerous groups and agencies recommend individuals proactively monitor their personal accounts and credit reports for things like:
• Unauthorized transactions
• New unauthorized accounts or loans
• Changes to your personal information on existing accounts (e.g. mailing address, email address, or phone number)
• Email messages indicating that changes have been made to an online account (Note: If you receive an email about new or existing account changes, do not click on any links in the e-mail. Go directly to the account website you know is legitimate.)
• New credit cards showing up in the mail you did not request
• New bank or loan statements showing up in your name
• Missing monthly statements
• Denials for credit or loans

Protect yourself by:
• Using different user names and complex passwords for different online accounts
• Taking advantage of offers to receive copies of your credit reports
• Monitoring your credit reports and putting fraud alerts or freezes on your accounts
• Using credit protection services

For more information on Identify Theft, please visit the Federal Trade Commission website at: http://www.identitytheft.gov

Resources:
Federal Trade Commission – http://ftc.gov/idtheft
Equifax – https://www.equifax.com
Experian – http://www.experian.com 
Transunion – https://www.transunion.com
CNET – A guide to surviving the Equifax data breach (without waiting for Equifax’s help)

We at Analytics want to share this critical information with our followers and customers. Even the big guys with their advanced network systems get attacked. Smaller organizations often feel they are less at risk and take shortcuts on security. But today, we’re all targets—it’s just a matter of time.

And when your time comes, will you have the barriers in place to repel a malicious intrusion? Is your company network adequately protected against unauthorized access, viruses, malware, and malicious activities from outside attacks? Please review our Security Protection as a Service for more information on how to improve your odds of surviving a cyberattack on your business.