I recently posted the below on the SANS Internet Storm Center.
Remember when milk cartons had pictures of lost children on them? I think of those cartons every time I get a notice that my personal information “may have been impacted” as a result of a data breach. As you might imagine, I recently received one of these letters from an organization that needs my personal information in order to provide me with a valuable service.
These notification letters make me consider the risk of becoming numb to the impact of receiving so many of them. Will we eventually achieve perpetual “Identity Protection Services” elite status that continually monitors for misuse of our sensitive information for the rest of our lives? I wonder if the value of this service has the potential to become a little bit diluted with each and every notice we receive. Is it possible that we will will soon treat these notices like a replacement credit card that arrives in our mailboxes?
What are you doing to reduce your risk after receiving a data breach notification letter in the mail?