Data breaches have become an all-too-common feature of life today and they pose a significant threat to all of us because regardless of how careful we are at protecting our personal data, we are only as secure as the companies and governmental agencies that hold our information.  So far as of June 18, 2024 there have been almost 10,000 data breaches around the world affecting hundred of millions of users.  Recently Amtrak disclosed that some of  its Amtrak Guest Rewards accounts were hacked providing sensitive information to the hackers that can be used for purposes of identity theft.

It is important to note that Amtrak itself did not have its systems breached.  Instead this data breach was caused by what is referred to as credential stuffing which occurs when hackers use passwords that have been compromised in previous data breaches and sold on the Dark Web, that part of the Internet where criminals buy and sell goods and services.  In this case the victims of the data breach bear much of the responsibility for their own plight because they used the same passwords for multiple accounts and neglected to use dual factor authentication.

TIPS

The lesson of this particular data breach is clear.  Never use the same password for multiple accounts because as illustrated through this data breach, if your password is compromised in a data breach at one account, it puts all of your accounts into jeopardy.  Additionally, since passwords are often compromised, it is always a good idea to use dual factor authentication on all of your accounts whenever available

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