Every week or so, news of yet another company’s data breach breaks. Often, the news stories will include a list of what data was or wasn’t compromised: emails, credit card numbers, addresses, etc. When you use Dashlane, if that list includes “passwords,” you’ll automatically receive a security alert telling you to change your affected password and showing you other accounts you’ve stored in the app with reused or similar passwords so you can update those, too.
So, you might assume that if a news story doesn’t include “passwords” on the list of compromised data after a breach, there’s no rush to go reset yours.
But actually, resetting your password for any compromised account, regardless of whether that password was exposed, is exactly what you should do.
Even though 91% of people know that reusing passwords across accounts is bad, 59% of people still reuse their passwords—even between personal and work accounts.
There’s a chance the password you’re using on a compromised account is also being used elsewhere. And if someone already has your email address or other personal information from one breach, and then gets your reused password through another, they can put two and two together to hack your accounts.
It’s also possible that the breadth or depth of a breach may not be apparent or reported until months later, so passwords may indeed have been involved. Why take the risk?
The bottom line: No matter the extent of a company’s data breach, you should go change that password ASAP.
Make sure that you’re storing all your online accounts in your Dashlane app—not just your most important ones. Because of the issues with reusing passwords explained above, even some old, throwaway shopping account can come back to haunt you. When all your passwords are in Dashlane, we can show you every account with a reused or similar password so you can secure it.
The Dashlane Premium plan also offers a few extra ways to stay safe after a breach. Turning on Dark Web Monitoring ensures that if your personal information is found on risky sites where it may be available to hackers and spammers, you’ll get an alert so you can secure the related account.
The tips above might seem like a lot if you try to do them all at once. Instead, pick at least one per week to implement in your digital life, and you’ll be more secure online right away!
Visit our online safety hub for the latest breach report and a complete guide to staying secure on the internet.