Giving out personal information online is a critical thing to do. Aside from the fact that it can be publicized in any way possible, things like information fraud and identity theft can also happen once your given information circulates. However, it is now near impossible to have and check your personal information without the help of the Internet and computers. So what should you do to protect your information while experiencing the convenience provided by the online world? Here's how.
Over 750,000 Birth Certificates Exposed Online and Other Incidents of Information Breached
According to the recent investigative report of TechCrunch, they've revealed how an online company, wherein they didn't name yet, was said to expose 752,000 US birth certificates on the Internet.
The website was found in an Amazon Web Services (AWS) storage bucket wherein more than 90,000 death certificates were also publicized; however, they cannot be accessed or downloaded. The said bucket did not have any passwords on it, so anyone can access the said information as long as you take an 'easy guess' on its web address.
The applications were dated back in 2017 and still collect information until now, according to TechCrunch. TechCrunch, along with U.K.-based penetration testing company Fidus Information Security already emailed the said company, but there was still no response from the website.
For the part of Amazon, they've already explained that they will not intervene with the issue but will inform their customer about the said breached website.
Before this incident, another massive information breached was reported in July, on which more than 32 million patient records were exposed online between January and June. The data was said to be sold on the dark web by hackers of the hospital on where they got the information.
According to the investigation of ProPublica and German broadcaster, Bayerischer Rundfunk released this year, an estimated number of five million patients' information in the United States is sold online on the dark web. What's more frightening is that they are easily accessible by anyone looking for this personal information.
These incidents are no longer new to the U.S. government. That's why a continuous fight against this information selling has been going on over the years. However, as the owner of the information, do you have the power to prevent your information from being spread out in the online world?
Steps to Protect Your Information Online
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there are steps that you can do to prevent being victims of information selling.
Encrypt your Data
It is hard not to use the Internet to search for information, especially since almost all government agencies use a computer and the Internet. But, if you need to surf online, you must encrypt your data before giving out your information. Reliable websites have a "lock" icon on the status bar of your internet browser. This means that the information you'll be giving out to them will not be transmitted to third parties. Look for this icon first before sending personal or financial information.
Use the Power of Passwords
Nothing beats a great password. Make sure to check your personal passwords if they are strong or long enough. Remember: put letters, numbers, symbols, and spaces to stop hackers in identifying your passwords.
Safe Disposal of Information
If you're looking for a new laptop or computer, make sure never to disregard your old device as this can hold a lot of personal information about you. Before disposing of it, take a thorough examination with your computer and erased all the information the device had stored.
Keep your Information Offline
Though its nearly impossible, keeping your information offline is one great way to stop information selling. If there's no connection to the Internet, no hackers can access your information. As easy as that.
