The Risk Based Security research facility has been routinely publishing reports outlining various data breaches during the year. This report is based on the disclosed breaches that companies have announced which this company then releases periodically.

One of the most recent reports is the 2019 MidYear QuickView Data Breach Report, which issued some pretty frightening numbers and details. To put it into perspective, the report announced that in the first six months of 2019, there have been over 3,800 publicly disclosed breaches. This totalled the number of compromised records to total roughly 4.1 billion.

That’s way over half of the world population at the time of this recording.

But what’s actually shocking about this is that a large chunk - about 3.2 billion - of those compromised records stemmed from eight of those breaches.

The report also summarized that 70% of the breaches exposed emails and 65% of the breaches exposed passwords. Crucial information, but not as severe as addresses, social insurance or security numbers, or credit card numbers.

Looking at the report further there’s some things to keep in mind. While you may be hung up about the fact that so much information was exposed from eight breaches alone, it’s key we pay attention to the bigger picture.

The report mentioned that the vast majority of breaches were moderate to low severity, meaning they exposed 10,000 records or less.

This is key to know because many business today assume that if they’re small, people wouldn’t bother them. The truth is that according to data, small businesses are being targeted a lot. After all, most don’t have tight security measures compared to larger companies.

Today, the average cyber-criminal is lazy and will do anything to gather small bits of information. And it’s effortless to get it from systems that aren’t as robust.

Overall the report outlines the importance of small businesses stepping up their security of customer information. The business sector alone accounts for 67% of all reported breaches and 84.6% of the exposed records.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure that out and consumers should be pushing any small business owner to have a more robust system. And even if customers aren’t, business owners should take the initiative to have a good security system.

Best of all, it doesn’t have to be anything highly complex. The report noted that misconfigured databases was a big cause. Out of the 3,813 breaches, 149 of them were from misconfigured databases. While that’s small, the report noted that amongst those breaches, 3.2 billion records were exposed.

So making a point that your systems runs smoothly ought to be a top priority for businesses.

Another step is ensuring people are more aware of security and get proper training. The report found that these problems that are coming up are nothing new. Quarter after quarter, year after year, the same mistakes are being made.

Since January 2018, the top causes of breaches have been unauthorized access to systems, skimmers, and exposure of sensitive information have been the ongoing themes of breaches,

All too often, businesses focus on the external threats while people fail to send the proper emails to the right people or aren’t simply aware of what can pose a threat. Having training in place to address a lot of these common issues can ensure there will be less breaches in the future.

From Black Friday to Prime Day and Christmas shopping, there have been all kinds of mass sales events. Every year it seems like a new record of money spent is being broken around these events.

But just because these events have all kinds of insane sales events it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be wary of our security. Here are some tips to stay on top of these events and keep yourself safe while shopping online then and for the future.

First, I’d recommend getting an ad and tracker blockers. Ads these days are the gateway for hackers to download malware to your computer. You can avoid all of these by getting an ad blocker. Some recommendations are UBlock Origin, Privacy Badger and Ghostery.

Second, always shop on a private browser window. This means more than just ensuring you’re using private Wifi. For a lot of browsers when you are shopping, you are given a button or menu item that’ll let you open a new window. What’s convenient about this window is that it doesn’t store cookies or any other identifying information.

Third, ask yourself the question “do you really need an internet-connected device? These days all kinds of gadgets connect to the internet but it’s worth asking whether that’s needed or not. Properly functioning is one thing, but if the benefit the device brings is marginal at best when it’s connected to the internet, it might be better to find an alternative that doesn’t demand it be connected to the internet.

Fourth, keep an eye on phishing schemes. During these times you’ll find all kinds of emails talking about sales events, package tracking emails and coupon codes. Make a point of paying special attention to those emails.

And finally, make sure that with every store you go to you have a different password. Passwords are obviously important but if you use the same password all the time it defeats the purpose of having one too.

Even though our credit card information could be floating through cyberspace at the moment it doesn’t mean we should abandon all sense of security. We use credit cards a lot and they are a convenient tool for us to use.

As a result, it’s wise to at least take some measures to protect ourselves. After all, a thief can be demoralized or move on if it takes multiple steps to reach their end goal.

So what kind of measures can we take?

First, I’d recommend going back to basics. When you get a new credit card, ensure you sign your name on the back. Also make a point of keeping the PIN stored separate from your card.

Second, take extra steps to keep the account number private. Keep it hidden when purchasing goods in public. Never issue the information over the phone unless talking with a bank or a merchant you trust. Avoid handing the information out in an email. Even consider going digital with your credit card. Meaning paying balances online, and getting paperless statements.

Third, always keep information current. Whenever you move or make any sort of changes, notify your bank before the changes are made. Also follow up with the financial institutions you deal with to make sure information is accurate.

Fourth, have secure devices and networks. Never buy something while on public wifi. Make sure your computer has a firewall and ensure the software and operating system are up to date.

Fifth, have a solid password and keep it secret. Obviously these are for stores that require you to have an account in order to shop which should be the only stores you deal with.

Sixth, check your credit statement regularly. Whether online, over the phone, or through emails or text alerts, checking regularly to check for balances can help to find unusual activity.

And finally, if you do spot anything weird, never put it off. Call your credit card company immediately. This allows them to block your card and account number. The sooner you do it the better as you’ll often be  let off the hook of paying back any of that money if you’re diligent about it.

There are a lot of misconceptions revolving around the financial world. But part of that source has stemmed from credit cards. Even though a lot of people have them, most people don’t really know how to use them or have distorted views of them.

I don’t blame people though, after all, credit cards have only been around since 1950. And they came in at a time where there weren’t many financial instruments or financial lingo to understand. This means that there can be all kinds of ways of thinking that make no sense. About credit cards, but even with checking the credit scores themselves.

If you’re looking for a simple answer to when you can check your credit score here it is: check it as often as you like in most circumstances. I say this because the idea that checking frequently will negatively impact your score makes no sense at all. It’s actually a common myth that’s been passed down from millions of people onto younger generations.

Now the keyword to that answer I made above is most circumstances. That’s because there are situations where you shouldn’t or even need to. But not for the reason I mentioned above.

To best explain the scenarios where you shouldn’t check, having a better grasp of what a credit score is helps. And to understand your credit score, you need to understand your credit report. In short, a credit report is the record of how you manage the money you are extended through various ways. These reports will mention balances, payments, accounts, and other pieces of information that lenders will use to determine whether to give you credit or not.

As for what shows up on credit reports it’s a range of things but generally speaking if you were given a loan or any credit then it’s likely on your credit report. Examples are credit cards and car loans.

From those balances and payment history, data is gathered and is then calculated by the various credit report companies. From there, they spit out a three digit number ranging between 300 and 850. Broadly speaking, the higher the number, the better the score and more likely people will give you credit. That being said, any credit score above 800 is really good and typically will get the best. Anything above that number is going to make little impact on improving rates.

Now with that knowledge, when is a good time to be checking that score? I said above that you can check whenever you like but how often you check is mainly up to your comfort level. Some check annually while others may compulsively check monthly or weekly. Either method is good.

Though I will say that routinely checking your credit score can help you in being better at budgeting. By constantly checking the score, you can get a good idea of what’s affecting your score and you can spot trends. If you decide to check your score that often, make a point of looking at the bigger picture rather than the day-to-day changes.

Other times to check credit scores are around time when you’re:

• Getting a new credit card or applying for one.

In those scenarios, checking your score is a good idea, but there are some times when it’s not a good idea. The biggest is to do with our own emotions. While we do want to stay on top of our credit score, that number can cause a lot of stress and anxiety.

If we make a point of really caring about that number, our emotions are going to be a mess. Why? Because as I mentioned above our credit score will fluctuate on a daily basis. Sometimes it’ll go up. Sometimes it’ll go down. And there won’t be a clear reason for why that’s happening.

And that’s enough for some people to get stressed, worried, and anxious. So make sure when you check your score you don’t obsess over the number or get so wrapped up about it that you end up causing mental strain.

Outside of that, feel free to check your score any time you like. And remember, you are entitled to a free credit report from every major credit reporting agency every year. So make a point of checking from all of them to make sure everything is accurate.

There are a lot of misconceptions revolving around the financial world. But part of that source has stemmed from credit cards. Even though a lot of people have them, most people don’t really know how to use them or have distorted views of them.

I don’t blame people though, after all, credit cards have only been around since 1950. And they came in at a time where there weren’t many financial instruments or financial lingo to understand. This means that there can be all kinds of ways of thinking that make no sense. About credit cards, but even with checking the credit scores themselves.

If you’re looking for a simple answer to when you can check your credit score here it is: check it as often as you like in most circumstances. I say this because the idea that checking frequently will negatively impact your score makes no sense at all. It’s actually a common myth that’s been passed down from millions of people onto younger generations.

Now the keyword to that answer I made above is most circumstances. That’s because there are situations where you shouldn’t or even need to. But not for the reason I mentioned above.

To best explain the scenarios where you shouldn’t check, having a better grasp of what a credit score is helps. And to understand your credit score, you need to understand your credit report. In short, a credit report is the record of how you manage the money you are extended through various ways. These reports will mention balances, payments, accounts, and other pieces of information that lenders will use to determine whether to give you credit or not.

As for what shows up on credit reports it’s a range of things but generally speaking if you were given a loan or any credit then it’s likely on your credit report. Examples are credit cards and car loans.

From those balances and payment history, data is gathered and is then calculated by the various credit report companies. From there, they spit out a three digit number ranging between 300 and 850. Broadly speaking, the higher the number, the better the score and more likely people will give you credit. That being said, any credit score above 800 is really good and typically will get the best. Anything above that number is going to make little impact on improving rates.

Now with that knowledge, when is a good time to be checking that score? I said above that you can check whenever you like but how often you check is mainly up to your comfort level. Some check annually while others may compulsively check monthly or weekly. Either method is good.

Though I will say that routinely checking your credit score can help you in being better at budgeting. By constantly checking the score, you can get a good idea of what’s affecting your score and you can spot trends. If you decide to check your score that often, make a point of looking at the bigger picture rather than the day-to-day changes.

Other times to check credit scores are around time when you’re:

• Getting a new credit card or applying for one.

In those scenarios, checking your score is a good idea, but there are some times when it’s not a good idea. The biggest is to do with our own emotions. While we do want to stay on top of our credit score, that number can cause a lot of stress and anxiety.

If we make a point of really caring about that number, our emotions are going to be a mess. Why? Because as I mentioned above our credit score will fluctuate on a daily basis. Sometimes it’ll go up. Sometimes it’ll go down. And there won’t be a clear reason for why that’s happening.

And that’s enough for some people to get stressed, worried, and anxious. So make sure when you check your score you don’t obsess over the number or get so wrapped up about it that you end up causing mental strain.

Outside of that, feel free to check your score any time you like. And remember, you are entitled to a free credit report from every major credit reporting agency every year. So make a point of checking from all of them to make sure everything is accurate.

The last company I want to talk about summarizes what I’ve been talking about in the previous parts. For this part I’ll focus on Friend Finder Networks, an adult dating and entertainment company that was part of the fifth largest data breach. In 2016, due to hacking and lack of security, 412 million accounts were exposed.

This hack also includes the 339 million accounts on AdultFriendFinder.com and 14 million accounts that were meant to be deleted but the company held the data on their databases.

Overall the data accounts for two decades worth of data from the company’s largest site. As for the information in question I’m not sure what was taken.

That being said, Friend Finder Networks had another breach the year before which exposed 4 million accounts. The data taken from that was revolving around sexual preferences and whether someone was looking for extramarital affairs or not.

As for what information could’ve been taken it can be vast. Usernames, email addresses, date of last visit, passwords, membership data, whether the user paid for items and more.

And the reason I can only give this sort of vague information is to this date, when Friend Finder was approached about this breach, they confirmed the site vulnerability but never announced the breach of information. They’ve never publicly announced what was taken.

When the reporters on the breach discussed with users about this breach, some weren’t surprised because the security was rather flimsy. To further drive that point one user signed up by putting in fake information about who they are and accessing the site with no issues.

With that in mind the quality of information the hacker was able to obtain may not have been significant, but you can see themes with this story.

This site is similar to a social media networking site riddled with scandals.

It’s collecting information that isn’t entirely entirely necessary in order to fully experience the platform or use the service.

The site has poor security measures in place and did little to bring this up to peoples attention similar to so many other companies who’ve spent months or years keeping it under wraps.

And like with all of these cases, we need to learn to best protect ourselves. Have tighter passwords, be stingy about the information we give. And if you’re really that curious about something, you can always toss out fake information.

The fourth largest data breach isn’t from a bank or a social networking site but rather a chain of hotels. A cyberattack against the Marriott hotel chain managed to swipe details of roughly 500 million guests.

The hack was suspected to be from Chinese hackers working for the Ministry of State Security, the country’s Communist-controlled civilian spy agency. This discovery came at a time where the Trump administration was taking steps to change policies that would impact China’s trade, cyber, and economic policies.

This attack seemed to stem from feelings about the discussion that President Trump and President Xi Jinping had in Buenos Aires around that time. But I don’t believe that’s the case. Especially since the hack was discovered in September 2018 and was revealed late November, weeks before the discussion with both presidents.

But setting aside the politics of this data breach, what’s important here is the damage. While you’d think data on a hotel database is limited it’s really not. Again many companies have gotten greedy about information and now store all kinds of information on their systems.

In the case of Marriott hotel they store credit card numbers as most would which is fair. But when would a hotel need someone’s home address? Or in Marriott’s case passport information?

On a security stand point, asking for an email address makes some sense. A company can send you promotional material, deals, or offers. But when does a hotel need to know where you live or if you flown to get here? You’re already paying for the hotel - their main purpose of business - what more could they need?

I think that I’ve made my point quite clear that not all companies need to know everything about you. And while it’s almost instinct for us to give that information away freely, we need to be more conscious about the impact. After all, an email is a valuable tool for a hacker and is a gateway to all kinds of things. And if your password is easy to crack, they can take over your entire life online. So let’s all be conscious of what sort of information we give to others. Most times it’s entirely unnecessary to give.

This year has had a number of data breaches much like every other year. But the biggest one so far this year has been the breach at the First American Financial Corp. A record of 885 million records were exposed online by the end May this year. The data was eventually taken offline that same day, but peoples bank account details, social security digits, wire transactions, and mortgage data were all easily accessible on the servers of this company.

The upside to this is that this information was simply available on the First American’s Web site. Meaning that it was hard to tell if fraudsters were even aware of this. Indeed this particular breach of data wasn’t exactly an attack.

Ben Shoval, a real-estate developer, was looking at the site and noticed the files were all available. He notified security reporter Brian Krebs who later contacted First American Corporation about the breach.

He was notified that the exposure to data was likely due to a design defect from one of their production applications. Because it was something internal, the chances that data was leveraged is much lower.

Regardless, even if no real damages stemmed from this, there is still much to learn. If you ever notice something unusual, make a point of bringing it up. Especially if it's something to do with your own bank. While banks certainly put an effort to have the tightest security around, mishaps happen.

This year has had a number of data breaches much like every other year. But the biggest one so far this year has been the breach at the First American Financial Corp. A record of 885 million records were exposed online by the end May this year. The data was eventually taken offline that same day, but peoples bank account details, social security digits, wire transactions, and mortgage data were all easily accessible on the servers of this company.

The upside to this is that this information was simply available on the First American’s Web site. Meaning that it was hard to tell if fraudsters were even aware of this. Indeed this particular breach of data wasn’t exactly an attack.

Ben Shoval, a real-estate developer, was looking at the site and noticed the files were all available. He notified security reporter Brian Krebs who later contacted First American Corporation about the breach.

He was notified that the exposure to data was likely due to a design defect from one of their production applications. Because it was something internal, the chances that data was leveraged is much lower.

Regardless, even if no real damages stemmed from this, there is still much to learn. If you ever notice something unusual, make a point of bringing it up. Especially if it's something to do with your own bank. While banks certainly put an effort to have the tightest security around, mishaps happen.

Throughout  history, there have been all kinds of data breaches. These breaches have been happening more and more as time went on. But while we hear more about recent data breaches where millions of peoples data is compromised, they’re actually smaller than some of the other larger data breaches.

In a series I’m calling “Biggest Data Breaches” I want to share with you five of the biggest data breaches at the date of this recording. How many were affected, how it happened, amongst other things.

The first one I’ll touch on is the largest one: Yahoo. During 2013 and 2014, Yahoo was hacked into and they reported that 500 million accounts were affected. From those affected, Yahoo called customers to take protective measures to secure their accounts.

While the hack was definitely disheartening, it was worse for the Web giant. During this time, Yahoo was trying to sell its core business to telecommunications giant Verizon. That deal almost fell through when they had to reveal all of the information about breaches over the years.

What was troubling was in 2013, a previously disclosed attack impacted all three billion of Yahoo’s users. This was uncovered when Verizon sent outside forensic experts to asses how many accounts were affected.

At the time it was surprising how Yahoo managed to not only get bought out but got away with doing this. And this sort of behaviour Yahoo exhibited has been passed down amongst other companies.

Why do I say this? Because Verizon bought Yahoo in 2016, three years after that breach. It was also two years after another breath that occurred in 2014 which impacted 500 million accounts.

The fact that Yahoo took that long to reveal that information is a common trend we’ll find with a lot of companies. They’ll spend months or even years before telling the public. Though they’ll have the curtesy of taking action in that moment. As was the case with Yahoo calling customers to change passwords.

This is the largest data breach and what was stollen is probably still being sold around to this day. Digital thieves managed to nab names, dates, phone numbers, and passwords. This also made it easy for people to reset lost passwords to other sites if the user’s backup email is their yahoo email.