Twitter Data Breach: Be on Watch for Phishing and Hacking Attempts

Here’s What We Know About the Twitter Data Breach

Earlier this month, hackers posted the stolen information of over 200 million Twitter users for free on a cybercrime forum on the dark web. The leaked data includes:

Names

Usernames

Email addresses

Follower counts

Creation date

While the leaked data doesn’t include users’ passwords, many other breaches have included that information, creating the opportunity for hackers to piece together stolen information to create profiles of their targets. Consumers should expect hacking and phishing attempts designed to trick them into revealing more personally identifiable information (PII) or clicking links that will install malware on their device(s). And, with hackers’ phishing attempts growing in sophistication, it can be difficult for consumers to discern a legitimate communication from a fake.

What You Should Know to Help Protect Yourself (and Your Customers) from the Negative Impacts of the Twitter Breach

It’s not uncommon for breaches to happen, and then years later, the data is released. The Twitter data breach will likely be no exception. Consumers should take the necessary steps and precautions to help protect themselves from the negative impacts of a data breach.

Check your email accounts. Log in to your email to see if any messages were sent from your inbox that you weren’t aware of. Also, make sure nothing has changed on your account (e.g., secondary email, security settings, etc.).

Change your email and Twitter account password. While passwords were not part of the leaked data, hackers can use a variety of techniques to attempt to guess your password and hack into your account.

Always use long, complex, and unique passwords for your online accounts. Remember, recycling passwords or using the same password across multiple platforms puts you at risk of identity theft and fraud. This allows hackers to access numerous accounts when just one is breached. Click here for more password security tips and best practices.

Add multi-factor authentication (aka two-factor authentication) to your email account. This adds an extra layer of security, making it harder for fraudsters to gain access and attempt an account takeover.

Be on the lookout for phishing emails. In the aftermath of any data breach, it’s common for those affected to receive an influx of phishing emails supposedly from the breached organization or other trusted service providers. Click here for tips to help you spot a phishing attempt.

Sign up for a comprehensive identity and cyber protection service that includes credit and identity monitoring if you haven’t already. Be aware that not all monitoring services will protect you equally, so make sure you find a service with powerful monitoring capabilities and 24/7/365 full-service expert resolution assistance should you ever find yourself a victim of fraud.

Being involved in a data breach doesn’t mean that identity fraud has already occurred. But it does mean that those involved in a breach are at a greater risk of compromise. Offering your customers a comprehensive identity theft protection plan can help alert them of suspicious activity so they can take action to protect themselves as soon as possible while simultaneously positioning you as a trusted advocate in keeping their identity safe.

As more details and developments are released, we will update our LinkedIn page. Follow Iris Powered by Generali for updates.