Keeping safe after a data breach
A number of New Zealanders have been affected by a large data breach.
This week CERT NZ was made aware of a data breach that occurred on a database containing personal and contact details of thousands of people.
Sensitive information like passwords or credit card details was NOT included in the breach.
However, criminals may still try to make use of the personal information to target New Zealanders with scams.
If you are one of those included in the data breach, you should have received an email with information on how to keep safe.
There are some key steps to take, if you’re in that situation or think you have been caught up in any data breach:
- Firstly, change passwords on your most important accounts (e.g. email, bank).
- Monitor activity on your personal accounts and report anything suspicious to the relevant authorities.
- Watch out for phishing (emails or texts pretending to be from legitimate organisations) particularly if they are asking for sensitive information, like log in details.
Protect yourself against phishing
- If you are approached by someone wanting money to return your data to you, CERT NZ’s advice is not to pay. Paying ransoms validates illegal activities and does not guarantee you’ll get your data back.
Get help now
If you’ve been affected by an incident online, or targeted by a scammer, we’re here to help.