It seems that every month, or every week, there’s a new hack being disclosed to the public. Between the Heartbleed Bug, the Internet Explorer flaw and the recent eBay hacking, you might be feeling concerned about your privacy and Internet security. This week, CNN ran an article stating that in the last 12 months, hackers have exposed the personal information of 110 million Americans.

The amount of hacked accounts is also a scary number, hitting up to 432 million. Each of these records typically includes personal information, such as names, credit card numbers, phone numbers, birthdays, emails, addresses and security questions. That kind of information in the wrong hands can be severely damaging.

During the Target hacking, 70 million customers’ information was taken, plus 40 million credit and debit cards. Other recent breaches include 4.6 million of Snapchat users’ account data, 3 million payment cards at Michaels, 33 million Adobe user credentials, 1.1 million cards from Neiman Marcus, and potentially all of eBay’s 148 million customer credentials.

CNN blamed these numbers on two reasons. The first is that people are increasingly using the Internet for more things. Between banking, socializing and shopping, more of our transactions are being conducting online. The second is that hacks are getting more sophisticated. Hackers have become stealthier and offensive hacking weapons are abundant and inexpensive.

Other problems include how so many people continue to use outdated software, such as Windows XP, and that the security of a majority of the Internet was relying on a just a few individual volunteers.

While it’s not possible to predict future data breaches, there are a few things you can do to help yourself stay safe, such as using strong and unique passwords for all of your sites and using supported software only. When a data breach does occur, make sure you immediately change your passwords, and be aware of any possible phishing scams. If you have any questions or concerns about your online security, give us a call at Stratosphere Networks, 877-599-3999.