High fines are imposed under the GDPR for data protection breaches, yet incidents of this kind still happen and expose sensitive data. Despite investments in cybersecurity technology, IT, and security professionals, digital devices are compromised, and malicious actors obtain unauthorised access. A few reasons why brutal attacks take place include but aren’t limited to system glitches, human error, misconfigured tools, lack of visibility, and threats becoming more sophisticated. The finance industry is among the most breached sectors. To penetrate a bank’s security system, cybercriminals invest in elaborate methods.
A data breach hurts both the organisation and individuals by compromising sensitive information. If you’re unlucky enough to be the victim of stolen data, you’ve got a lot on your plate. You must change your passwords right away, freeze your credit report, enable identity monitoring, and so forth. Not much is known about the impact of a data breach on regular people. What is certain is that it can have an unwelcome, unpleasant effect. As a victim, you may experience a range of adverse outcomes, such as:
Embarrassment/Humiliation
Being hacked can cause embarrassment or humiliation on the wrong side of the attack. Even if the organisation is responsible for data security, you feel guilty for what happened. You feel duped and powerless. Additionally, the individual feels ashamed of the choices you’ve made – in other words, for having trusted the way an organisation has handled your data. The victim is “punished” for having been the target of someone else’s felony. Cybercrime is one of the few instances where the victim is considered culpable. If your personal data has been affected by a breach, you’re left depressed, shamed, embarrassed, or confused.
Financial Loss
There’s a strong possibility of banking and financial information leaking. Threat actors will take advantage of that data for activities such as paying bills, carrying out fraudulent transactions, and transferring money out of your bank account. The information may also be used to obtain new loans and financial services in your name. You may be entitled to compensation due to the loss of control of information, not to mention the distress caused. There are cases offering legal precedent for individuals to sue organisations that haven’t prevented sensitive information from being accessed, according to DataBreachCompensationExpert.co.uk. To exemplify, British Airways caused the personal data of 420,000 staff and customers to be leaked.
Identity Theft/Loss
Identity theft/loss applies when someone steals your personally identifiable information, such as name, credit card number, etc. and uses it to commit fraud or crimes. The person committing the crime has access to a number of resources linked to the stolen identity. They can leverage that data to create accounts in industries such as insurance, medical, gaming, and so on. Restoring the privacy of personal information is difficult, if not impossible. The best way to protect your identity online is to be careful about what you share across different services. Your online presence should work for you, not against you.
Loss Of Employment
Surprising as it may seem, you can lose your job and livelihood. For instance, if you’ve ever had a run-up with the law or were involved in a lawsuit, your career can possibly be destroyed. Even if the charges have been dropped, the arrest or lawsuit remains a matter of public knowledge. If you want to be able to remain employed, do everything possible to protect your personal data. Internet defamation can harm your reputation. For example, a slanderous website or blog post can trash your character with a post or comment. Getting fired isn’t easy, especially if you don’t see it coming.
Unwanted Marketing/Spam Emails
If your email account has been hacked, you’ll receive a bunch of marketing and spam emails. The messages can choke your inbox if not deleted on a regular basis. Infected links are placed within the emails to lure you into clicking on them for one reason or another. They look completely harmless and appear to come from a well-known source. It’s highly likely you’ll receive marketing or spam emails if your email address has been captured as part of a data breach. Modern email systems do a good job when it comes to filtering such messages, but you’ll still get an annoying number of emails.
Steps You Can Take to Regain Control and Protect Your Personal Information
Suppose you were notified that your personal data was exposed in a data breach. You must act immediately and find out exactly what information was exposed. There are several online platforms you can use to check if your email and phone number have been compromised. Such services collect and analyse countless database bumps and pastes featuring info about leaked accounts. If you’re in the clear, sign up to be notified if your email address appears in future dumps. Change any exposed passwords with unique, complex ones. It would be best to have a different password for each account.
If your home address was compromised in a data breach, malicious actors have access to your geographic location. They can use your home address to redirect your mail, so bank statements and health information can fall into the wrong hands. If you notice that your home address has started to show up in web searches, contact Google or Bing and have it removed. It only takes a couple of minutes, and it’s a powerful way to protect your privacy. You might want to delete accounts you’re not currently using. Type your username into the search engine and identify combinations of your name and email address.
A data breach may possibly damage your reputation. To minimise the fallout, clear your name by explaining what happened and deny any rumours. Be sure to check for updates from the organisation handling your data. Even if the peril is gone, be more vigilant. Check your accounts every now and then and look for suspicious activity. It’s possible that a hacker has gotten access to your account. Also, read bank statements to see if there are any issues. Errors should be corrected immediately.
