Skip to main content

You might be among those hit by the Equifax hack. How will you protect yourself?

Close-up of hands on a laptop keyboard in a dark room.
Dmitry Tishchenko/123RF
Equifax, one of the big three credit monitoring bureaus — along with TransUnion and Experian — gathers information on basically every American with a credit card in order to determine their credit-worthiness and keep track of their credit histories. As you’ve probably heard by now, Equifax suffered a massive hack recently, and for some 143 million Americans, the sensitive personal information contained in those credit reports is now compromised.

Their information — your information — might be out there among the treasure trove of stolen information hackers made off with. There’s not much you can do about it, but there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself from something like the Equifax hack. So, how will you protect yourself and your credit from falling prey to internet criminals hungry for a slice of your credit?

What steps will you take after the @Equifax hack? #CloseToTheMetal

— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) September 18, 2017

Editors' Recommendations

Jayce Wagner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.
Hacking-as-a-service lets hackers steal your data for just $10
A depiction of a hacker breaking into a system via the use of code.

A new (and cheap) service that offers hackers a straightforward method to set up a base where they manage and perform their cyber crimes has been discovered -- and it’s gaining traction.

As reported by Bleeping Computer, security researchers unearthed a program called Dark Utilities, effectively providing a command and control (C2) center.

Read more
Update Google Chrome now to protect yourself from an urgent security bug
Google Chrome app on s8 screen.

Google posted a security update for its Chrome browser that fixes what's known as a zero-day bug. The problem affects Chrome on Windows, Mac, and Android. The flaw can lead to arbitrary code execution, a serious security vulnerability, so it's best to download and install the latest version immediately. Zero-day bugs mean that this is a known weakness and, in this case, Google said that the flaw is already being exploited by hackers.

Google did not post a detailed explanation of how the exploit works, but will do so when the majority of people have updated, making the danger of further attacks less severe. The most severe bug is identified as CVE-2022-2294 and the update also patches CVE-2022-2295 and CVE-2022-2296.

Read more
Destructive hacking group REvil could be back from the dead
Person typing on a computer keyboard.

There was a period in 2021 when the computing world was gripped by fear of a dizzyingly effective hacking group fittingly named REvil -- until its website was seized by the FBI and its members arrested by Russia’s security services, that is. Yet like a malevolent curse that just can’t be dispelled, it now seems the group’s websites are back online. Has the group returned to spread discord and wreak havoc once again?

In case you missed them the first time around, REvil came to global attention by hacking into various high-profile targets, pilfering secret documents, then threatening their release unless a ransom was paid. In a notable case, the group stole and published files from Apple supplier Quanta Computer, including some that spilled the beans on unreleased product designs.

Read more