You have read security warnings advising you to stay away from particular websites and of course, not to click on the link to become the beneficiary of a far-away royal.

You know not to download free apps, to stay clear of file sharing, and are current with anti-virus and firewall protection. Rightfully and confidently, you feel good about the protective steps you have taken to reduce your risk of identity theft. Then –  WHAM! Along comes a hacker who successfully infiltrates some of the largest technology companies in the world and as a result, steals your email password.

Related read: Classic Hackers: What War Games taught us about technology in the workplace

I recently read  the following news on Forbes.com: 

Reuters is reporting that Russian hackers have stolen more than 273 million email passwords and are selling them online. If true, this would be the largest security breach since hackers attacked US banks and retailers two years ago. 

This revelation, Reuters reports, comes from a security expert at US-based security firm Holden Security. The company told Reuters that the stolen accounts include 53 million Mail.ru accounts, 40 million Yahoo accounts, 33 million Microsoft Hotmail accounts, and 24 million Gmail accounts. 

If you, like me, use not only Gmail but a myriad of other Google services to keep your life organized (Google Photos, Google Keep and Google Map are soooo useful), a password change is in order. Yes, the source that tipped Reuters off is not exactly a neutral party — as a security firm, they definitely could benefit from an increased fear of cyberattacks from the general public — but cybercrimes have been on the rise and considering how much of our life is tied to the web these days, every precaution should be taken. 

Two-Step Verification
In fact, if you’re not using two-step verification, I highly recommend you sign up for that too. It’s available on all the aforementioned compromised email services. (Read the full story here).  

As consumers, we rely on IT service companies which unfortunately, are also vulnerable to cyberattacks and data breaches.  What can you do? Simply, if you haven’t changed your password recently –that is, within the last four or five days, the recent news may have you conjuring up crafty characters and little-used symbols to reinforce your online iron bar and moat. 

If, like many business owners and concerned consumers, you still have security questions, I can help. Feel free to reach out to me at mjaworske@zinnerco.com or 216.831.0733. Let’s have a candid conversation about your IT protocols and what you can do to mitigate the risk of fraud or data theft.