What to do if your personal info has been exposed in a data ...

LONDON: Data breaches like the recent one involving millions of AT&T customers are becoming an almost regular occurrence. As more of our lives move online, our personal data like email addresses, phone numbers, birthdates and even passcodes are becoming ever more vulnerable to theft or being mistakenly exposed. In malicious breaches, cybercriminals can use stolen data to target people with phishing messages, or by taking out loans or credit cards in their name, a common and harmful type of identity theft. In the United States, there's no federal law compelling companies or organisations to notify individuals of data breaches, but it's standard practice for them to inform affected customers and often provide identity protection services, said Oren Arar, vice president of consumer privacy at cybersecurity company Malwarebytes. The situation is better in the European Union, where the 27...