You first heard the reports in August 2014: reports that Russian hackers have stolen more than a billion unique username and password combinations, and more than 500 million email addresses, grabbed from thousands of websites.
How do you know if your information was part of this hack? You really don’t, but don’t take any chances. Change the passwords you use for sensitive sites like your bank and email account–really any site that has important financial or health information. Make sure each password is different so someone who knows one of your passwords won’t suddenly have access to all your important accounts.
Can you make sure this doesn’t happen to you again? Unfortunately, you can’t. But take all precautionary steps and lessen the odds scammers will get a hold of your information.
For additional information, go to
http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/russian-hackers-might-have-your-info-now-what
Teaching Suggestions
You may want to use the information in this blog post and the original article to discuss
- Ask students if anyone they know has had sensitive information hacked.
- Have students present proposals on how to protect themselves from hackers.
Discussion Questions
- Is creating new passwords enough to keep your information safe?
- Is there anything else you can do to protect your sensitive information?
Melissa Hart
Focus on Personal Finance, 7e 