Hackers primarily target adults as their accounts as well as their personal and financial information is worth a lot more. However, even children can inadvertently end up being victims of cybercrime which is exactly what happened with a recent data breach that exposed the information of thousands of minors online.
As reported by Cybernews, the health IT company Datavant has revealed that it recently fell victim to a data breach back in May. However, instead of targeting its systems, the hackers behind this attack first went after the email accounts of its employees.
In an effort to steal credentials, the hackers sent out a wave of emails in a targeted phishing attack. Though most of Datavant’s employees were able to identify the clear signs of a phishing email, a few weren’t, and as a result, the hackers got their hands on the credentials to one of the company’s email accounts.
Here’s everything you need to know about this latest data breach including what you should do next if your child’s information was exposed, along with some tips and tricks on how to stay safe from hackers.
Minor’s personal data exposed
According to a data breach notification letter from the Office of the Vermont Attorney General, the hackers gained unauthorized access to data contained within a single user’s inbox between May 8 and 9 of this year.
Even though Datavant managed to catch the intrusion quickly, an investigation after the fact revealed that the personal and financial information of more than 11,000 individuals was exposed. Here is all of the information the hackers managed to obtain in the attack:
- Names
- Addresses
- Contact details
- Social Security numbers
- Financial account information
- Driver’s licenses
- Passports
- Health information
What makes this particular data breach so devastating is that all of the victims are minors and their information could be used for additional targeted phishing attacks, scams or to commit identity fraud. For instance, the hackers could use this info to commit medical identity theft. Unlike with regular identity theft, medical identity theft involves submitting forged claims to Medicare and a person’s insurance provider.
What to do next and how to stay safe after a data breach
Datavant has now added additional safeguards to its systems as well as trained employees on how to better spot a phishing email in order to avoid another incident like this one in the future. Unfortunately for the children and families caught up in this data breach, the damage is already done.
To help protect these victims further, Datavant is providing free access for two years to the best identity theft protection from Kroll. As part of this offer, victims will get credit monitoring, fraud consultation and identity theft restoration services.
As Datavant works with 70,000 hospitals and clinics across the U.S., there’s a chance your children’s data may have been exposed. If that’s the case, you’ll receive a data breach notification letter in the mail like the one linked above, so you want to keep a close eye on your mailbox if you have children.
Inside the letter, you’ll find all the information you need to sign up for Kroll’s identity monitoring services along with a membership number to activate your free, 2-year account. This letter will also include the deadline for when you have to sign up by.
While we haven’t reviewed this particular service yet, they have an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau and have been in business for 29 years.
At the same time, you'll want to keep a close eye on your inbox as it’s highly likely that hackers will use all of this stolen info in phishing attacks. Look out for emails from unknown senders as well as ones that try to instill a sense of urgency to get you to click a link or to download an attachment.
Likewise, you'll want to make sure that you’re using the best antivirus software to protect your PC, the best Mac antivirus software to protect your Mac and one of the best Android antivirus apps to protect your Android phone. The reason being is that malicious links or attachments in those inevitable phishing emails could contain malware that can infect your devices.
Even though it may seem unnecessary or overly expensive at times, one reason that families might want to sign up for identity theft protection is that many of these services look out for signs that the Social Security numbers of your children could be being misused online.
Hackers are going to keep trying to steal your personal and financial information due to just how valuable it is, which is why you need to educate yourself and your children in the best ways to stay safe online. It might seem tedious at times but by knowing how to spot a potential attack, you’re much less likely to fall for one.
