Tech Tip Tuesday Bonus Edition: The Equifax Data Breach

Tech Tip Tuesday is brought to you by the MUHSD Teacher Librarians.

Last week it was revealed that the credit reporting company Equifax suffered a major security breach.  Data, including social security numbers, for over 1/2 the adults in the United States was stolen.  The implications are huge.  Chances are that you were affected and the data could be used by hackers for years to come.

What should you do?

• Learn as much as you can about the breach.  These articles from the Federal Trade Commission and Consumer Reports are a good starting place.
• Visit www.equifaxsecurity2017.com and click on Potential Impact then input your last name and part of your social security number to see if your data was compromised.
• Sign up for 1 free year of credit monitoring with Equifax at the above site.  That is not long enough but it is a start.  Consider purchasing credit monitoring services on a long term basis.
• Monitor your credit reports.  You can get a free credit report once per year from http://www.annualcreditreport.com/.  Many banks and credit cards give you free monthly access to your credit report.  If you have a Citi Visa from Costco you can get your FICO score every month.
• Place a Fraud Alerts or Credit Freezes with the major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion).  A Fraud Alert forces companies to take extra steps to verify identity before opening accounts or giving credit.  A freeze prevents any accounts from being opened.  If you place a freeze it may take 3 days or more to unfreeze your credit if you are getting ready to open an account or apply for credit.
• Enable 2-factor authentication for your email and financial accounts.  When someone tries to log in to one of your accounts from a new device it will require a code texted to your phone.  This is not currently enabled for muhsd.org but it is for Gmail.com and most other services.
• Check your credit card and bank statements carefully every month.
• Contact your legislators and demand that the government tighten regulations regarding consumer financial security and make it easier for individuals to recover from identity theft. See this opinion piece from the SF Chronicle for suggested improvements.

The most important advice is to be proactive.  Don't wait for problems to arise before you act.