Have I Been PWNed?

Author: Joe Martin, Date: 2016-06-14

How to bounce back from a breach in security.

Nothing is worse than getting PWNed in a security breach; it exposes weakness in security and puts the customer in harm’s way. Thankfully, we’re going to cover how to bounce back after getting PWNed and a few steps for recovery. Here’s a look at bouncing back from getting PWNed and recovering from a security breach.

What Is Getting PWNed?

Getting “PWNed” is a leetspeak slang/term for owning or conquering an account. It often implies humiliation (or domination) of another individual and derives from the term “being owned.” Although this term is generally used within the gaming community, it also happens with non-gaming related incidents. For example, if a social media account was PWNed, it would mean that an account was accessed by a hacker.

Where People Get PWNed

Unless you’re a masochist with no disregard for your personal information, nobody wants to be PWNed. Here are a few ways people get PWNed outside of the gaming world:

• Hackers Love Hacking Healthcare Information — Aside from the retailers and the government, hackers love accessing healthcare information. With access to social security records, birth records and addresses, a hacker can easily commit fraud with the information obtained from such sites.
• Credit Cards — Credit cards can become a customer’s nightmare when it comes to hacking. Whether it’s using malware to breach a computer system or a skimmer hooked up to a gas pump, there’s no end to where a hacker can retrieve your credit card information.
• Information Stolen to Be Sold Elsewhere Online — Many hackers steal information to sell it elsewhere. For example, just because your information was stolen from one network, it doesn’t mean that the same person who stole it is using the information.
• Losing a Phone/Computer — Our phones and computers can do wonders in retaining information. However, misplacing or losing them can bring forward serious damage to your identity.

You’ve Been PWNed: What to Do

Since you’re aware of how serious a problem like this can become, it’s time to take action if you find yourself in such circumstances. You must follow up on:

• Make Sure There Has Been a Breach — If you see something, say something. Errors are worth notifying others, and if you have a question, it’s important you ask to reach a conclusion.
• Contact if Your Information Has Been Posted Without Consent — If someone has posted your information without your consent, it’s important to notify them to have it removed. If that fails, the next step might resolve your problem.
• The DMCA May Be of Help — A DMCA takedown notice is a path to take if you cannot have something removed on your own. If something of yours is used without consent (such as information regarding a data leak), filling out a DMCA takedown request may be the resolution.

Considering all this information, it’s imperative that you avoid getting PWNed to begin with. Thankfully, we’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen and will gladly tackle any problems in the event of a data breach. Compunet InfoTech is the trusted choice when it comes to staying ahead of the latest information technology tips, tricks and news. Contact us at (604) 986-8170 or send us an email at info@compunet.ca for more information.