Data breaches are no longer scary one-off events, they’re becoming more
commonplace. We’ve all seen it in the news, events like Booking.com in April 2026 and
Queensland Department of Education in May 2026: unauthorised third parties gain
access to emails, passwords, credit card information, addresses, and more, then sell it
on the dark web, use it to steal identities, or hold it to ransom.
It might start to seem futile to try to defend yourself against it all, and so you tune out –
because hey, what can you do about it?
But wait!
It’s still so important to make every effort to protect your data, as there are multiple ways
data can be taken and used.
Have you already been involved in a widespread breach? Stolen credentials will be
input to multiple site and application logins to play a numbers game, more attempts
mean a higher chance of breaching accounts. But if you don’t repeat credentials, you’re
more likely to keep your data secure.
Practise good security hygiene
– Enable multi-factor authentication on all accounts
– Create strong and unique passwords for all accounts
– Update passwords regularly
– Review access and security settings
– Never share logins
– Update devices for security patches and software updates
Concerned?
Report unauthorised access to Scamwatch or the Australian Cyber Security Centre
immediately – don’t wait!
