There has been much media attention on the recent cyber-attacks affecting high street retailers. If you or your business is a customer of these businesses, you may have received communications alerting you to the fact that your data was included in the breach. If so, you may be wondering what you should do to protect yourself.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have been highlighting their guidance on how to protect yourself from the impact of data breaches. The guidance reviews what a data breach is and how you might be affected. It then details the actions to take following a breach, reporting suspicious messages and what to do if you’ve lost money.

What actions should you take following a breach?

The starting point is to confirm whether you’ve been affected. NCSC advise that you can contact the relevant organisation using their official website or social media channels. They stress that you shouldn’t use links or contact details included in any messages you have been sent.

You may receive suspicious messages, even some time after the breach has been made public, so be alert. NCSC provide a list of tell-tale signs that can help you determine whether a message is fake. You should especially be cautious when being asked to provide personal information or to act urgently.

If you receive a message that contains a password that you’ve used in the past, NCSC advise that you don’t panic. If you still use the password or use it on any other online accounts, you should change those straightaway.

You should also check your online accounts to make sure that they are not being accessed by someone who is unauthorised. Check the account’s login records for unusual logins or login attempts. Look for changes in your security settings and messages or notifications that have been sent from the account that you don’t recognise.

If you find an account has been accessed, then NCSC provide a step-by-step guide on recovering a hacked account.

To review the data breach guidance in full, see the NCSC website.