What to Do After a Data Breach
Learning your data was part of a breach is unsettling, but the steps to protect yourself are straightforward. Work through them in order — the first few matter most.
First, change your password on the breached account, and change it anywhere you reused the same one. Reused passwords are how a single breach turns into a dozen compromised accounts. Use a unique password for each site.
Second, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) everywhere it is offered. Even if a criminal has your password, 2FA stops them from logging in.
Third, watch for follow-on attacks. Breached data fuels targeted phishing — emails and texts that reference real details about you to seem legitimate. Be skeptical of unexpected messages asking you to click, log in, or pay.
Finally, reduce your exposure at the source. Data brokers buy, combine, and resell the personal information that makes breaches so damaging. Removing yourself from those sites shrinks how much of your data is out there to be combined against you.