Data Theft: What Is It? How Can I Protect Myself?

Data theft has become an epidemic, impacting not only multinational corporations but also everyday people. In the digital domain, cybercriminals exploit technical ignorance, naivety, and human emotions to full effect, with damages forecast to amount to trillions of dollars ⇱ - per year - by 2025. Below, we'll let you know what dangers are lurking and how you can effectively and proactively defend against data theft.

Data theft is the illegal acquisition of personal, secret, or sensitive data, whether from companies, organizations, or individuals. Over the past few decades, cybercriminals have grown progressively more sophisticated, daring, and cunning. The methods listed below are some of those that most commonly come to use:

Data theft can take a number of different forms, and as such, the consequences vary. Sometimes victims remain completely oblivious to the fact that they've been targeted, while on other occasions, the consequences are drastic and unmistakable.

Identity theft occurs when someone impersonates someone else, using that co-opted "identity" to engage in criminal activity, such as infiltrating a social media account. There are a number of different types of identity theft:

• Cybercriminals use fake profiles to spread lies and misinformation in their victims' names. Those they are impersonating will have to contend with damage to their reputation as well as legal and financial ramifications.
• When criminals gain access to an account and assume their victim's identity, they can also misuse their personal data, to open new accounts on online shopping platforms and place huge orders. With banking information, they can apply for new credit cards, take out loans, or sign up for services, financially ruining their victims.
• Another repercussion of identity theft that shouldn't be underestimated is that of spam emails. Whenever an email account is hacked, criminals can send messages in the name of their victims. Alternatively, you might receive emails that look like spam, but are actually genuine and relate to fines or punishment for non-compliance that have arisen owing to the identity thieves' activities.

Doxing (sometimes also written as Doxxing) has been around since the 1980s and started out as a relatively harmless form of virtually pranking someone. Today, it has lost most of its innocence, with modern-day doxers collecting publicly available information and releasing it with the goal of harming its targets. Whether intimidating, intended to blackmail, or simply making them appear stupid, doxing is anything but fun. Data theft becomes even more dangerous when doxers are able to hack their victims' accounts.

When it comes to making a fast buck, extortion is one of the oldest tricks in the book. However, in the digital domain, the process has become both more sophisticated and random thanks to ransomware. This type of malware encrypts individual files or even entire systems, demanding a pay-off for the decryption code. Such fraud causes billions of dollars in damages every year ⇱.

Data theft isn't always easily recognizable, and even when it is, you might not have noticed the warning signs. For example, since spam emails are, by and large, ignored, genuine warnings or notices from legal or debt-collecting firms that might be legitimate are written-off. As such, we recommend taking any of the below warning signs seriously:

• Pay attention to any failed login attempts for your email accounts, social media profiles, or elsewhere.
• Don't ignore warning emails sent by any service providers you have accounts with, such as eBay, PayPal, or Amazon. At the same time, be sure that these are authentic emails and not phishing attempts.
• If your computer or laptop starts behaving oddly after installing a new piece of software or visiting a strange website, scan it immediately using anti-virus and anti-malware software.
• In the event that your password suddenly stops working, it may have been cracked and changed without your knowledge.
• Regularly check your activity log. Should any unfamiliar or unrecognizable transactions appear, this can be a clear sign that the integrity of your account has been compromised.
• If invoices, bills, fines, or letters from debt collectors start clogging up your mailbox, chances are that your identity has been stolen. Someone is likely using your data to order goods and then have them delivered to a different address.

One way to stay on top of your digital security is by checking whether your email address has been compromised in any data leaks. To check, you can use several different free services:

• On Have I Been Pwned? ⇱, you can check whether your email address or telephone number has been released in any data leaks. The provider also offers a very long list of Internet sites where hackers and miscreants upload illegally acquired login credentials.
• Pwned Pass­words ⇱ serves as a useful supplement to Have I Been Pwned?, allowing anyone to ascertain whether their passwords have been compromised in any data leaks. These passwords are included in so-called dictionaries that come to use during brute force attacks.
• Firefox Monitor ⇱ uses data from Have I Been Pwned?, but with a neat twist. After registering via email, you'll receive regular updates whenever your data pops up across the web.
• The Identity Leak Checker ⇱ assesses whether, based on your email address, any of your personal data, such as your birthday, telephone number, or physical address, have been released.
• After inputting your email address, F‑Secure ID PROTECTION ⇱ lets you know whether your data has been stolen, sending an email with all of its findings. You can also register with F-Secure to test all of the service's features for free for five days.

Usually, victims don't realize that their data has been stolen for months or longer. For that reason, we recommend taking a more proactive stance when it comes to your digital security. The measures below will help reduce the likelihood of waking up to a nasty digital surprise one day:

There's no such thing as 100% protection against data theft. Even if you follow all of our advice, there's still a chance that a digital fraudster can illicitly acquire access to your data. Your first reaction will likely be a knee-jerk one, either anger, fear, or panic. This is understandable, but at the same time, can paralyze your response. For that reason, take a deep breath and relax, since you'll have a lot to do and likely, very little time to do it. Below, we'll let you know what your next steps should be after finding out that you've been a victim of data theft:

Anyone can fall victim to data theft, even those who don't use the Internet. Cybercriminals have grown more aggressive and creative in targeting their prey, and as such, there's no 100% fool-proof solution to ward them off. With that said, there is quite a bit that the average person can do to reduce the likelihood of being targeted. Should you have already become a victim, reacting quickly is the best course of action to reduce any potential fallout.

On EXPERTE.com you'll find plenty of reviews for programs that can help you to more securely use the Internet, such as VPNs, password managers, and anti-virus software. All the same, software and tools are just half of the equation: The best defense against data theft is a healthy dose of common sense. In that spirit, refrain from opening suspicious emails or links to websites, and by all means, don't use easy passwords or re-use the same password for each account you have.