Check if your account is under threat

In this digital age, most users have all their data stored online but the virtual space has its own setbacks. As technology progresses, information snooping and hacking have increased rapidly.

Recently, Yahoo confirmed one of the worst online breaches where data of more than 500 million accounts were compromised.

So if you are concerned about your online security, one of the first steps you should take is figuring out if all your accounts are secured, and then you can move further.

As for non-Yahoo users who might be feeling secure right now, Internet is a vast space and these kinds of attacks keep on happening every day, without our slightest knowledge. While companies are stepping up the ante to protect users from such scenarios, sometimes even the companies don’t know when an attack occurs — for months or even years, as in the case of Yahoo.

Firstly, if you have a Yahoo account and want to check if you account has been affected or not, don’t worry. The company has been sending mails to affected users and alerting them. Well, it doesn’t matter if you get the mail or not; be sure to enable two-factor authentication right away for damage control.

Moving on to other accounts, you can always check them on a website named ‘Have I been pawned’. The website is run by a security researcher Troy Hunt, who has been tracking data breaches for years.

The process is simple: you have to enter your email ID and the site will notify you regarding an unusual activity or breach. Also, another way to quickly identify account snooping is by enabling email alerts.

Considering the number of attacks that are happening online, users are advised to change their passwords regularly, stay clear of malicious links and content, and get their accounts checked at least once in a month.