Like when I read 3 Billion National Public Data Records with SSNs, Addresses Dumped Online, am I supposed to access that data dump or something to see if I got pwned? Are there equivalents to haveibeenpwned.com for this type of stuff? Any guides on what to do when these happen? I feel like I’m doomscrolling or watching the news, and feeling depressed about the world as a result because I should be doing something but I can’t or it seems like I can’t.
Even though I know better than to put such personal info online, but that doesn’t eliminate the odds of them getting into breaches like these, and having started to be careful about digital privacy has opened my eyes to the sad state of privacy.
If the breached data contains your account passwords, cryptography keys, credit card info, etc you should update and invalidate that information. Once that data is out there, there isn’t really anything else you can do but make that data no longer useful.
am I supposed to access that data dump or something to see if I got pwned? Are there equivalents to haveibeenpwned.com for this type of stuff?
This is exactly why that website exists. They’ll collect all that data also and then when you type in your info it will tell you if it was leaked in this or any other data breach. If it is, then you need to go change it.
The way to avoid this being a problem is to use a proper password manager and email alias.
Lots and lots of people get their email and password leaked online, and this is the same credentials they use on every website. So what happens? Someone gets that info and starts plugging it into banking, CC, Apple, Google accounts, etc.
If you use a an alias and a random password, they can only get into that one site.
You can check on https://npd.pentester.com/
Get accounts on all three credit agencies and freeze your credit.
Use a password manager like 1Password so each site you use has a different password. Make sure you use MFA/2FA when you can and use your phone number as little as possible- it’s hilariously easier than you think to get your number transferred to a new phone.
You can use a service like https://www.optery.com/ which consumer reports just said is the best paid service next to doing it yourself for getting off lists.
