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How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach

How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach
Written By
eWEEK EDITORS
eWEEK EDITORS
May 28, 2012
3 minute read
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How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach

How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach

How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Does This Look Right?

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Check your banking and credit card statements for any unauthorized activity. Notify your banking institutions if you see anything suspicious.


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Stay Current

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If you do shop, bank or do anything else online that requires you to disclose personal information, make sure that your system is up to date with patches, that you are running anti-virus software and that you have a firewall turned on.


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Phish Are Foul

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Know a phish when you see it, and make sure your friends and family do too.


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How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Watch Your Apps

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Limit the download of apps onto your personal computer (especially if you have IM-loving kids in the house).


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Dont Lose That Number

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Disclose only the information that is absolutely necessary, and never give out your Social Security number.


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Look & Listen

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Read/watch/listen to the news–every day. Theres nary a day that goes by that some data loss or theft isnt reported. You can never let your guard down when it comes to your personal information, but you need to be especially vigilant when you hear ab


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Important Contacts

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If your personal data has been put in jeopardy, contact the credit reporting agencies and put a fraud alert on your account. (Equifax can be reached at 800-525-6285; Experian at 888-397-3742; and TransUnion at 800-680-7289.) You need to contact only on


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Know Your History

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Get a copy of your credit report, and scrutinize it for any unauthorized activity. Under the FACT Act amendments to the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to one free credit file disclosure per year. You must make the request by phone, at (877) F


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Take Action

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Contact your credit card companies, and let them know that your data is at risk. Put a fraud alert on your account, or, if you think theres a good chance of your data being abused, close your old accounts and open new ones.


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How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Get More Help

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Use these resources for more information:


How to Safeguard Your Personal Data — Before, During and After a Breach – Conclusion

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Whats wrong with this picture? You must do all of these things. Its time for the institutions that have our personal information in hand to step up and apply real safeguards–and to proactively protect and serve consumers if those safeg

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