According to a LexingtonLaw report, 56% of Americans have never checked to see if their personal data have been compromised.
If you haven't done so already, find out what information about you has been exposed. Enter your email address into this website:
I know, that looks like a really risky thing to do! The name of the site looks suspicious. You're wondering if they will misuse your email address.
No worries. The website is legitimate and has passed intense scrutiny for years. They make their money advertising a password keeper service, 1Password, and receiving donations. 1Password is a good service, but I prefer LastPass for its rock-solid security, comprehensive features and competitive price.
When you find out where your email address has been breached, there are steps you can take to protect yourself:
- At the very least, make sure you have changed your passwords on any breached websites or services.
- If you have used the same passwords elsewhere, change them, too.
- Start using a password protection service like LastPass or 1Password.
- Use a different password for every website and internet service, keeping track of them with your password service.
- Stop using easily broken passwords that follow a formula.
- Consider subscribing to an Identity Protection service. For more information, see my post: Don't Lose 100s of Hours to Identity Theft