How millions of consumers can protect themselves after AT&T data breach

WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — After a massive data breach at AT&T that reportedly exposed sensitive, personal information of tens of millions of current and former users, people are once again asking questions about cybersecurity.

As the fallout continues for the telecommunications giant, Scott White, a cybersecurity professor at George Washington University, said people will need to start taking responsibility for it.

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“Watch your banking statements. Watch your health insurance. … That information can be used to open up a health card in your name,” he said.

Over the weekend AT&T said the data was found on the “dark web,” including social security numbers and passcodes for about 73 million current and former account holders.

The company said they’ve started contacting people affected, and they’ve already reset passcodes; typically four-digit PIN numbers used to help identify you when logging into online accounts.

White urges people to keep good “cyber hygiene” and diversify passwords. He says they should include eight to ten characters with lower and uppercase letters, as well as numbers and special characters.

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Historically, bad actors have seized on the timeliness of data breaches as a scare tactic to gather more information from consumers. White said consumers should keep a watchful eye while resetting passwords and monitoring bank and insurance accounts.

AT&T added that it would pay for credit monitoring services where applicable. The federal government says credit bureaus Equifax, Experian and TransUnion offer free credit freezes and fraud alerts to help consumers.

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