Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Following a data breach affecting Holyoke Community College students in the spring, here’s what you should do if your information is ever exposed in a data breach
- Secure your accounts:change the usernames and passwords for the breached accounts, including anywhere you reuse that information and set up an extra layer of security, preferably multi-factor authentication
- Place a credit card freeze or fraud alert:contact the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and Transunion) to restrict the hacker’s access to your credit report, making it harder for hackers to open new accounts in your name
- Monitor your credit and financial statements:you can get a free credit report to check for unauthorized activity. Keep a close eye on your credit card and bank statements as well
This all comes from a data breach that has now been resolved. In the spring, Instructure, the company behind Canvas, announced a cybersecurity incident had disrupted the platform.
Nearly 9,000 institutions worldwide were impacted, including Holyoke Community College which has around 3,100 students enrolled.
Instructure announced in May that an agreement was reached with the hackers responsible to have all of the compromised data returned, but the HCC data exposed included names, email addresses, student ID numbers, and course enrollment information.
While this particular breach did not expose any financial information, taking steps to protect yourself is still critical because when it comes to your personal data, you can never be too careful.
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