Over 40 million credit card users were affected by the big security breach this holiday shopping season. While there are a host of speculative comments on what exactly happened, and that’s a big part of the problem too, no one has said exactly what was stolen. Without a clear, defined description of what took place, how can end users feel protected?
The vast majority of the mobile tech-using population do so with little to no security know-how. They have lots of personal or confidential information on several devices, some with simple security or weak passwords, some with none at all. That makes it quite easy for would-be thieves to pilfer account information and either use it themselves or sell it online.
So what exactly did the hackers get in this data breach? As of right now, the consensus is that they were able to get the cardholders names, the card numbers, the expiration dates and the short verification codes known as CVVs. The card types that were targeted include all credit cards, all debit cards and Target’s Redcard.
If you think that you may have had your credit card account information stolen, you should call your bank as soon possible and have them monitor or cancel your account. This could also prevent long delays in getting your account straightened out.
Being safe while using technology to add convenience to your daily lives isn’t something that should be impractical or time intensive. Empowering end-users to feel safe and secure while in the online shopping environment is the end goal, although it requires action from both parties. A little vigilance goes a long way in today’s fast-paced tech driven world.