80 Million Medical Records Compromised: 4 Ways to Protect Yourself

This month saw one of the largest recorded data breaches ever, when healthcare-provider Anthem experienced a hack causing data belonging to more than 80 million of its patients to be exposed. This includes sensitive information like Social Security numbers, dates of birth, email addresses, and more. How can you protect yourself from a hack like this?

Anthem is America’s second-largest healthcare provider, which makes them a huge target for hackers. What’s unfortunate about this whole debacle is the same thing that applies to most major hacks like this: It could have easily been avoided if better security measures were taken.

When you see major hacks like this in the headlines, the first thing you ask yourself is, “What can I do to keep my private information safe?” ZDNet has four suggestions for us.

Initiate a Credit Freeze
Putting a freeze on your credit is a simple way to stop a hacker in their tracks that may have obtained your financial information. When they go to use your stolen credit card, they will be denied and you will be notified of the attempt.

Set Up Two-Factor Authentication
Many online accounts offer a two-factor authentication security measure. However, most users haven’t taken the time to set this up, despite the fact that it’s one of the best things you can do to protect yourself from hackers. Two-factor authentication requires a second authentication to log into your account, like a code provided by SMS message in addition to your password. For hackers that are proficient at cracking passwords, two-factor authentication really throws them into a tizzy. We recommend you set up two-factor authentication for every one of your online accounts that offers it.

Change Your Passwords and Login Credentials
At the very least, you will want to change your login credentials for your Anthem account. In fact, it’s likely the case that Anthem has already done this for their clients. Additionally, you will want to change the login credentials for every one of your online account associated with Anthem. While you’re at it, go ahead and cycle through all of your online accounts and update every one of them with new passwords. Doing this regularly is a best practice for online security.

Enable Credit Alerts
If you feel particularly vulnerable due to the Anthem hack, then contact your credit card company and have them set up an alert for your credit cards. With this in place, your credit card company will monitor your account and alert you to any suspicious activity. You can even take this a step further and run a credit check for your name. This will show if a hacker has opened up any new credit cards or taken out a loan under your name using the information stolen from Anthem.

These are just four ways to protect yourself from being victimized by a major hack. The two best ways to protect yourself from a hack like this is to be vigilant and take proactive security measures, which is exactly how Ferrum Technology Services handles your company’s network security.

Your organization can’t afford to be hacked like Anthem was. The best and most comprehensive security solution we offer businesses like yours is our Unified Threat Management solution. Call us today at (847) 697-3282. We’ll be happy to assess your network for any vulnerabilities a hacker can exploit, and shore up your defenses with our UTM solution.