Why the Equifax data breach matters.

Earlier this month, Equifax disclosed that someone breached their database and compromised 143 Million records. Equifax is one of three services mortgagors use when determining if you deserve a mortgage for your new home. The data they have on us is…immense. The breach already happened. They are now in cleanup mode.

The phishing attacks have begun.

Scammers are also on this. They are sending phishing attack e-mails offering to “fix” your credit score and help you get financing. Do not fall for the trap. Be street smart. At https://community.spiceworks.com/topic/2046451-scam-of-the-week-equifax-phishing-attacks, Stu Sjouwerman wrote this advice:

“I suggest you send the following to your employees, friends, and family. You’re welcome to copy, paste, and/or edit:

“Cyber criminals have stolen 143 million credit records in the recent hacking scandal at big-three credit bureau Equifax. At this point you have to assume that the bad guys have highly personal information that they can use to trick you. You need to watch out for the following things:

• Phishing emails that claim to be from Equifax where you can check if your data was compromised.
• Phishing emails that claim there is a problem with a credit card, your credit record, or other personal financial information
• Calls from scammers that claim they are from your bank or credit union
• Fraudulent charges on any credit card because your identity was stolen

Here are 5 things you can do to prevent identity theft:

• First sign up for credit monitoring (there are many companies providing that service including
• Equifax but we cannot recommend that)
• Next freeze your credit files at the three major credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. Remember that generally it is not possible to sign up for credit monitoring services after a freeze is in place. Advice for how to file a freeze is available here on a state-by-state basis: http://consumersunion.org/research/security-freeze/
• Check your credit reports via the free annualcreditreport.com
• Check your bank and credit card statements for any unauthorized activity
• If you believe you may have been the victim of identity theft, here is a site where you can learn more about how to protect yourself: www.idtheftcenter.org. You can also call the center’s toll-free number (888-400-5530) for advice on how to resolve identify-theft issues. All of the center’s services are free.

And as always, Think Before You Click!

It’s only early days in this hack, there will be a lot more information coming out in the days ahead. We will keep this post updated when more news is available.

For existing customers we have a fresh phishing template we recommend you send your users to inoculate them against coming attacks. You can find it here: Phishing->Email Templates->System Templates->Current events  (sort by Last Updated) last one: Equifax: Official Data Breach Notification (Link)

Warm regards, and… let’s stay safe out there!”

Long term solutions.

The Equifax breach is not the first and surely will not be the last. You and your employees have to be street smart. Visit http://cameronparkcomputer.com/secure today to learn how you and your employees can protect themselves.