There have been several thousand companies that were hacked last year, and almost every time there was personal and private data stolen. Could yours have been compromised?
One may not know about a compromise, as it’s rather difficult to keep track. However, if the data collected on the breaches from companies in the United States were available to you, things would be easier to check.
This data does exist. In fact, 47 U.S. States require that companies disclose when a breach impacts their respective citizens. This data is typically a public records request, and you can use this information to view your digital habits. Recently, Massachusetts also joined the disclosure policy.
These digital breaches endanger valuable data for not just the corporation(s), but for the individuals who invest in the breached company. Such information collected can include the financial details, identity data and trade secrets. Although not entirely watertight, the postings of breaches made available online can also help companies proactively prioritize their cybersecurity.
Massachusetts joins in on the action along with California, Indiana, and Washington to help make this data public.
A Massachusetts law now requires that any breached entity must notify each citizen impacted, along with notifying the state government. While Massachusetts is planning on updating the breach report every month, they will not publish individual citizens’ information. However, they will provide you with the type of information that may have been compromised such as social security and credit card numbers.
“We thought it was a good idea for the public to be able to see who’s being breached,” says spokesperson for the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, Chris Goetcheus. “It’s a way that they can monitor their accounts with different businesses or companies.”
This article (Breach Report Helps U.S. Citizens Discover if They’ve been Hacked) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.
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