As reported at Securityweek.com, there has been a massive data security breach at large online marketer Epsilon. You may have found this out for yourself in your inbox this morning with notifications from several popular stores and banks that are customers of Epsilon, including US Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Best Buy, Walgreens, Hilton Hotels, etc. The breach is said to be minor in terms of the data exposed. Hackers got access to names and email addresses, but no private financial, credit card, or social security data.
What does this mean for you?
Continue to take precautions when you receive emails in your inbox. The individuals that stole this information may use your name and email address to send you illegitimate emails. If you receive an email from your bank or any institution that asks you to confirm personal and private information, be cautious. No bank or other institution will ask for your private information over email (like social security number). Call your bank or visit their web page by typing in the address for their web site in your web browser directly, do not use a link from an email that could be suspect.
Continue to read, understand, and use caution while surfing the web:
- Use antivirus software! Make sure you have it loaded or contact us with questions.
- Be cautious of emails from unknown sources or emails that appear to be from known sources but ask you for things that do not make sense. Don’t open emails with attachments if you don’t know the sender.
- Take security updates as they become available from Microsoft and Apple to ensure you stay up to date.