Information Security News and Tips
Idabel National Bank is committed to the safety and security of our customers. Every day, internet users are warned about scams and viruses that can profit by obtaining your financial information. We have provided some essential information about internet privacy and security best practices. We encourage all Idabel National Bank customers to read this information and follow all precautionary steps to ensure a safe and secure online banking experience.
May 2024 Security Update
A major AT&T network outage disrupted phone calls, texting, and internet access for countless customers nationwide on Thursday March 28, 2024. The outage lasted roughly 11 hours until service was finally restored. According to AT&T, the cause wasn't a cyberattack, but an error made during a network expansion project.
AT&T's woes continued as they announced a data breach investigation on Saturday March 30, 2024. This comes just days after their network outage. The breach reportedly leaked the personal information of over 70 million current and former customers including their Social Security and passcodes, full names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and AT&T account numbers on the dark web.
The dark web is where fraudsters sell stolen data to gain access to your information and utilize however they wish.
So far, AT&T has not been able to locate the source of the breach. The security officer suggested it might be from malware lying dormant in the system due to security issues associated with one of their third-party vendors.
Additionally, health insurance giant United Health Group has confirmed that a ransomware attack on one of its subsidiaries resulted in the crooks took files containing personal data and protected health information for a “substantial proportion of the people in America”.
It seems that these attacks are almost an everyday occurrence. What we can do is make sure we are protecting and monitoring our individual accounts. Below are some tips on how to do that.
First, you should find out if your data has been exposed by using vendors such as F-Secure
https://www.f-secure.com/en/identity-theft-checker.
If your data is exposed, then you know your information is part of the data breach. Don't panic but act fast! If you think your information might be compromised, follow these important steps immediately:
- Change all passwords and consider using a multifactor authentication method (MFA
- Document the incident by taking screenshots and noting unusual behavior of applications or files. This will be helpful when you are documenting the incident.
- Notify your financial institution.
- Change any debit/credit cards if necessary.
- Closely monitor your credit reports or card transactions for unauthorized transactions.
- Credit freezes and fraud alerts are free to activate through the credit bureaus.
- Finally, be very cautious when disclosing private information over the phone.
- Be very aware of the potential of scam or harmful emails, especially emails that contain. Phishing attempts are sneaky, so it's better to be safe than sorry!
The recent AT&T and United Health Group incidents serve as a wake-up call for all of us. It's a reminder that even seemingly minor human errors can cause major disruptions to our operations. The acronym PEBCAK ("Problem Exists Between Chair and Keyboard") rings true – we need to be vigilant about human error as a potential risk factor and keeping our software updated is a crucial step towards building overall resilience and recovery.
The risk of identity theft, privacy invasion, unauthorized transactions, and even blackmail are all potential results if we ignore these attacks. Hackers will exploit this stolen data.
