No matter where you are in the world, there’s always a risk that you could fall victim to a data breach.

The 2022 Thales Consumer Digital Trust Index found 33% of people around the world have been affected by a data breach. Billions of people have had their data exposed and stolen. This is why we try to help you do everything you can to reduce your risk radius. 

In this installment of the BlackCloak Thursday Threat Update, we’ll look at a crypto data breach where millions of email addresses were exposed. Additionally, we explore Apple and Google security updates for their slate of devices.

Crypto exchange breach leaks millions of email addresses

What we know: The cryptocurrency exchange Gemini experienced a data breach around Dec. 13. Unauthorized individuals were able to access more than 5.7 million lines of customer data. This includes account numbers, email addresses, and partial phone numbers. Customers’ names, addresses, and other pieces of sensitive information were not included in the incident.

Recommendations: If you are a Gemini user, be on the lookout for suspicious emails. Cybercriminals may send phishing emails to you in an attempt to steal more sensitive information or monetary funds. Keep an eye out for any emails that convey a sense of urgency, or ask you for personal information and login credentials to solve a nonexistent problem. Remember, no legitimate organization will ever ask you for these data points. While phone numbers were only partially exposed, you should also watch out for phishing campaigns that come via text messages, a practice known as “smishing.” Its not difficult for cyber criminals to piece together complete phone numbers after obtaining partial digits.

Apple, Google release security updates for devices

What we know: Apple and Google released security updates for their slate of devices. Apple released patches for iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches and Macs. It released the patches after discovering a zero-day vulnerability that “may have been actively exploited. Google’s December 2022 security update for Android patched 81 found vulnerabilities, although hackers have not, to date, exploited these flaws.

Recommendations: Whenever one of your devices has an update, you should download and install it as soon as possible. Hackers are always looking for device vulnerabilities. For instance, this is the 10th zero-day vulnerability Apple has patched in 2022. Should you leave any of these vulnerabilities exposed, you run the risk of malicious actors compromising and controlling your devices and stealing your personal data.

End the year by staying safe

The end of the year is right around the corner. That means its even more important to keep your antennae raised for potential cyberthreats. Learn the best ways to protect yourself from holiday phishing scams, and how cybercriminals are leveraging SIM swapping techniques to compromise cryptocurrency accounts.

BlackCloak is the leader in concierge personal cybersecurity for executives & HNWIs. Let us know how we can help you.