Earlier this year, a massive data leak, dubbed the Mother of All Breaches (MOAB), of over 26 billion stolen records was reported. LinkedIn, Twitter (“X”), Adobe, and others were affected. A significant portion of the records leaked in the MOAB were new and non-duplicitous from privately-sold databases, which include log-in credentials as well as potentially sensitive personal data.
There is a growing risk to consumers resulting from these cyberattacks. The primary concern is that the cybercriminals may use the leaked records for attacks such as like identity theft, phishing schemes, and unauthorized access to personal accounts.
If you think you’ve been the victim of a cyber-attack, follow these steps:
- Visit haveibeenpwned.com, a constantly updated database, to check if your email address has been the subject of any recent leaks.
- Determine which systems were impacted and isolate them to prevent spread of the attack. This means disconnecting from the internet, powering down devices which you suspect have been compromised, and re-routing network traffic.
- Avoid interaction with cyber-attackers, especially those who try to contact you requesting ransom payments or with other demands. Responding may lead to further leaks.
- Notify your IT team, and follow the protocol set forth in your Incident Response Plan.
- Contact the proper authorities such as the FBI and state and local law enforcement offices. You may also want to report the attack to the Secret Service’s Electronic Crimes Task Force, the internet Crime Complaint Center, and the Federal Trade Commission.
- Work with your PR department to notify potentially affected parties and manage the public image of the attack. Although this may seem frightening, you may be liable for failure to notifies certain parties.
- The FTC recommends that your Cyber insurance policy cover Data breaches, Cyber attacks on your data held by vendors and other third parties, Cyber attacks on your network, Cyber attacks that occur anywhere in the world, and terrorist attacks.
If you want to learn more about how to protect your business from cyber-attacks, reach out to us for a consultation on cybersecurity, protocols and insurance.
