When you find out that you’ve been caught up in a data breach, you may be frustrated at a number of different parties. Obviously, you’ll be mad at the cybercriminals who stole your information. But you may also resent the entity that was breached as well. 

It’s important to remember that organizations do not want to lose your data. They can face repercussions as well. Entities that experience data breaches can face fines equaling millions of dollars. Their reputations can also take a hit in the aftermath of an incident.

In this installment of the BlackCloak Thursday Threat Update, we look at a Verizon data breach, as well as a string of data breaches involving healthcare organizations where sensitive data was compromised.

Verizon prepaid customers affected in breach

What we know: Verizon announced that cybercriminals gained access to the accounts of prepaid customers. In its alert on the incident, Verizon said unauthorized actors were able to access the last four digits that prepaid customers use to make automatic payments. This allowed them to gain unauthorized access to accounts and “may have processed an unauthorized SIM card change on the prepaid line that received the SMS linking to this notice.” Verizon has noted that any SIM card changes that were made have been reversed by the company. While customers’ names, telephone numbers, and billing addresses were exposed, Verizon said no other sensitive information was compromised in the breach.

Recommendations: The first course of action you should take is to create a new PIN for your account. Verizon reset the PINs for a certain number of individuals, but if you are a prepaid customer, you should reset your pin again out of an abundance of caution. Additionally, be on the lookout for any suspicious messages. You may receive phishing messages, including ones that are sent via text messages, a tactic known as “smishing.”

Sensitive information leaked in healthcare data breaches

What we know: Hundreds of thousands of people had their sensitive information compromised in a series of data breaches targeting healthcare companies. Pennsylvania-based Keystone Health disclosed a data breach affecting more than 235,000 people. Additionally, 380,000 patients of 13 anesthesia providers across the U.S. had their information stolen (click here to see the list of providers affected). Across all of these data breaches, stolen information included Social Security numbers. The Anesthesia Associates of El Paso said in its notice payment information may have been captured in its breach.

Recommendations: As Social Security numbers were affected in these breaches, it is highly recommended for you to  monitor your accounts for suspicious or fraudulent activity. You should also strongly consider placing a credit freeze and fraud alerts on your accounts. Keystone Health said it will be offering credit monitoring services for anyone who is eligible to receive it.

Cyber attacks come in all different forms

Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their tactics to conduct their illicit activities. In fact, sometimes they create cyberattacks to target specific people and industries. By learning about new and developing tactics, you’ll know what to look out for to keep yourself protected.

Read about the resurgence of man-in-the-middle attacks, how cybercriminals use SIM hijacking techniques to breach cryptocurrency accounts, and the red flags that will tell you that you are facing a social media impersonator.