Have you been PWNED? See what this means and how it affects you!

It seems that just about every week we’re told that Company X has fallen victim to a data breach (hack), with the personal data of millions vulnerable to whoever goes looking.

Nobody likes to read that stuff, but QuickFix is happy to help you determine if your email address and password are exposed, shake your fist at Company X, and protect yourself from any ill effects. The next time you have a few spare minutes, give this a shot:

1. Go to Have I Been Pwned and enter your email address. This site keeps track of data breaches and will let you know how many times your email address and password has been exposed for anyone to see. The accounts we tested were affected by 0-5 data breaches.
2. If you’d like, take a moment and shake your fist at every company that allowed your personal data out on the internet. This is optional, and you should check with your doctor before undertaking any strenuous activity.
3. Look at the date of the most recent breach. Have you changed your email password since then? If not, changing your password will render the data breach irrelevant. So make sure that you do this immediately.

For a better, long-term solution, consider activating 2-factor (also referred to as 2-step or multi-factor) authentication.

It’s available for most of the major email providers and requires a cell phone that can receive texts (smartphones have additional options). Anytime you log into a computer or device for the first time, you’ll get a text message and be prompted to enter the number provided. Since you’re the only one holding your phone, you’re the only one that can access your email.

All QuickFix team members use 2-factor for all work and personal logins. If you are worried about your security or login safety, please reach out to us. We would be happy to assist you in getting it set up so no more worrying!

Thanks for spending a few minutes with us. We appreciate your trust.