MASSIVE Data Breach – 26 Billion Records Leaked
Catalyst IT needs to bring to your attention a critical security update regarding a recent data breach that has exposed billions of passwords and credentials. This is a widespread breach that is impacting hundreds of sites and companies. In what is quite possibly the largest data breach of all time, 12TB (terabytes) of personally identifiable information have been leaked totaling over 26 billion records. Websites such as LinkedIn, Twitter (X), Adobe, Venmo, Snapchat, Dropbox, and hundreds more are included on the list.
Please find below a brief summary and essential steps to take to secure your accounts:
Summary:
Breach Type: Massive leak of passwords and credentials (personally identifiable information)
Scale: Billions of accounts affected
Potential Risks/Impact: Increased vulnerability to unauthorized access, identity theft, and account compromise
Action Steps:
Check Your Accounts:
- Immediately check if any of your accounts are mentioned in the breached data. You can find a tool on this site to see what companies are impacted right here.
- Towards the end of the linked article you can search the websites that were breached
Change Passwords:
- Change passwords for affected accounts immediately. Use strong, unique passwords for each account. Do not ever share passwords and do not ever reuse the same password.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA):
- Where available, enable 2FA for an additional layer of security.
Monitor Financial Statements:
- Regularly monitor your financial statements for any unauthorized transactions. Report any that you do not recognize and change your password immediately if you see any suspicious activity.
Beware of Phishing Attempts:
- Be cautious of emails or messages claiming to be from service providers; verify their authenticity. As always we recommend that if in doubt, call the person that is sending you the message directly and confirm the legitimacy. More information on Phishing attempts can be found here.
- Information on phishing attempts specific to Catalyst IT and Century Business Products can be found here.
- Beware of other scams similar to phishing like Toner Pirates.
- Beware of other scams similar to phishing like Toner Pirates.
REACH OUT FOR MORE
Your security is our top priority, and we encourage you to take immediate action to safeguard your accounts. If you would like to know how we can protect your information, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here for Catalyst IT or here for Century Business Products. For immediate assistance, call (877) 843-9611 for Catalyst IT support.
Stay vigilant and secure.