User data has become more and more valuable to the bad guys. One report showed that crooks are able to get up to $200 for personal data on the dark web. The aforementioned report also stated that credit card credentials are worth approximately 10% of the total line of credit.  This data can be used in numerous ways such as the creation of a stolen identity, “doxing”, financial scams, or even corporate marketing.

Make sure that you protect your data by adhering to the following:

• Educate yourself to ensure that you can identify malicious activity such as phishing emails.

• Don’t share your data with every application, website or service. If you do have to share you data, only provide the minimum amount required.

• Read privacy policies to see what data is collected and how it will be used.

• Ensure that you follow best practices with respect to password usage.

• Ensure that your system is patched and that antivirus is employed and up-to-date (note that NetAscendant performs these tasks for its supported machines).