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Act according to what the breach exposed. Read the authentic notice, change the affected password and every reused or similar password, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA), and watch your accounts. If your Social Security number, financial details or other identity data were exposed, check your credit reports and consider a free credit freeze or fraud alert. If you find misuse, report it at IdentityTheft.gov and follow the recovery plan.
This guide is based on U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidance. Procedures and legal remedies can differ outside the United States.
1. Confirm exactly what was exposed
Do not assume that every record held by a breached organization was released. The response depends on whether the incident involved a password, email address, payment information, Social Security number or another identifier.
Read and record the breach notice
Save the notice and note:
- The organization and the affected service or account
- The approximate incident date and the date you were notified
- Each data type named as exposed
- Any deadline, enrollment code or free monitoring offer
- A telephone number or website the organization identifies for questions
Use the FTC’s breach-response guidance at What To Do After a Data Breach and its IdentityTheft.gov/databreach tool for steps matched to the information involved. If a Social Security number was exposed, the FTC recommends ordering free credit reports and checking for accounts you do not recognize.
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Verify that a message is genuine
Attackers often imitate breach notices and offer fake “protection.” Do not click an unexpected link or attachment, install software, or provide a password or verification code to someone who contacted you. Instead, type the organization’s known web address yourself or call a number from a statement, card or previous record. The FTC explains additional precautions in Protect Your Personal Information From Hackers and Scammers.
2. Secure passwords and sign-ins immediately
Change the compromised password and every reuse
Change the password on the breached service promptly. Then change any account using the same password, a close variation, or the same recovery information. A stolen credential is commonly tested against other services.
Start with accounts that can expose more information or reset other accounts:
- Your primary email account
- Banking, brokerage and credit-card accounts
- Tax and government-service accounts
- Payment apps and online shopping accounts
- Social-media and messaging accounts
Give every account a distinct password or passphrase. A password manager can generate and store unique credentials; protect the manager with a strong master password and 2FA. Never send a password in response to an unsolicited message.
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Turn on two-factor authentication
2FA, also called multi-factor authentication, requires a second credential after the password. As the FTC puts it, even if a hacker knows a username and password, the hacker cannot sign in without the second factor. Enable it in each important account’s security or sign-in settings.
| Method | How it works | Security and practical notes |
|---|---|---|
| Physical security key | You connect or tap a hardware key during sign-in. | The FTC identifies security keys as the strongest method among the options it discusses. They work only with services that support them, and you must keep a spare or follow the provider’s recovery procedure. |
| Authenticator app | An app generates time-based verification codes. | Generally stronger than codes delivered by text or email, but protect the phone and preserve the service’s recovery options. |
| Text or email code | The service sends a one-time code to a registered number or address. | Use it when stronger methods are unavailable. Never disclose a code to an unexpected caller or message sender. |
See the FTC’s detailed setup and method guidance in Use Two-Factor Authentication To Protect Your Accounts. Availability and menu names vary by provider.
Review account recovery and active sessions
After changing a password, open the account’s security page. Confirm that the recovery email address and phone number belong to you, remove unfamiliar devices or sessions, and review recent sign-ins, forwarding rules, sent messages and payment activity. Sign out of all devices if the service offers that control. Change security questions if they were exposed or reused elsewhere.
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Warning signs include a changed password, an unfamiliar recovery address, messages sent without your permission, new payment details, or sign-ins from places you do not recognize. Use only the provider’s official “forgot password” or hacked-account process; do not pay an unsolicited “recovery agent.”
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Once access is restored:
- Set a new, unique password.
- Sign out all other sessions and remove unknown devices.
- Enable 2FA and save the provider’s recovery codes securely.
- Restore your own recovery email and phone number.
- Check account settings, messages, contacts, orders and payment methods for changes.
- Tell contacts that messages sent during the takeover may be fraudulent.
The FTC’s instructions for email and social accounts are at How To Recover Your Hacked Email or Social Media Account and its October 2024 consumer alert, Email or social media hacked? Here’s what to do.
4. Protect credit and identity information
Check your credit reports
If the notice names a Social Security number or other credit-related identity data, obtain your free credit reports and examine them for unfamiliar accounts, inquiries or addresses. Also inspect bank and card statements for transactions you did not authorize. Keep copies of the notice and any disputed activity; they may help with recovery.
Choose between a credit freeze and a fraud alert
Both options are free, but they do different jobs. A credit freeze blocks prospective creditors from accessing your credit report while it is active. It does not affect your credit score and remains until you lift it. You must contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion to place freezes with all three nationwide bureaus. Temporarily lift a freeze when a lender needs to review your report.
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| Question | Credit freeze | Initial fraud alert |
|---|---|---|
| What happens? | Prospective creditors cannot access the report while the freeze is active. | Lenders are asked to verify your identity before granting new credit. |
| Cost | Free. | Free. |
| How long? | Until you lift it. | Use the current FTC instructions for the alert’s duration and renewal rules. |
| Practical effect | You may need to lift it temporarily for a credit application. | Credit applications remain possible, with an added verification request. |
| Best fit | You want the strongest barrier against new-credit accounts and do not mind managing lifts. | You want an additional check while keeping routine credit access available. |
Read the FTC explanations in Get a credit freeze to stop identity thieves and Is a credit freeze or fraud alert right for you?. A freeze or alert does not replace password changes or account reviews.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.5. Report identity theft and unauthorized activity
If you find an account, charge, tax filing, benefit claim or other use of your information that you did not authorize, report it at IdentityTheft.gov. The service creates a report and personalized recovery plan. Follow the instructions for contacting the business, disputing fraudulent accounts and replacing compromised identification.
Contact a bank, card issuer or payment service through the number on its statement or card as soon as you see an unauthorized transaction. Ask what documentation and timing rules apply. Keep a dated log of calls, case numbers, notices and documents you send.
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6. Evaluate monitoring offers without relying on them
A breached organization may offer free credit monitoring or identity-theft services. The FTC advises using a free offer, but read the notice first. Confirm who is eligible, what information is monitored, when coverage starts and ends, and whether enrollment requires a code.
Before paying for any service, check the monthly or annual price, cancellation terms, the types of accounts or reports covered, and whether it provides alerts, recovery assistance or insurance. Monitoring can alert you to some changes; it cannot change an exposed password, stop every fraudulent transaction, or replace a credit freeze, fraud alert, credit-report review or IdentityTheft.gov recovery plan. The FTC’s overview is Understanding Your Credit.
7. Avoid the second wave of scams
- Do not disclose a one-time verification code, password, recovery code or full Social Security number to an unexpected contact.
- Reject requests to move a conversation to a new number, install remote-access software or pay for urgent “breach cleanup.”
- Verify a caller independently before discussing an account.
- Use bookmarks or addresses you enter yourself rather than links in surprise messages.
- Tell family members and coworkers if a compromised account may have contacted them.
Scammers may know the breached company’s name and some of your details. That knowledge does not make a follow-up call or email legitimate.
8. A practical order of operations
When several actions compete for attention, use this sequence:
- Identify the exposed data. Save and verify the notice before acting on links.
- Protect access. Change the breached and reused passwords, beginning with email and financial accounts.
- Add a second factor. Use a security key or authenticator app where supported; otherwise enable another available method.
- Check for takeover. Review sessions, recovery details, messages, settings and transactions.
- Address identity risk. Review credit reports and decide whether a freeze or fraud alert fits your situation.
- Escalate misuse. Contact the affected provider and report suspected identity theft through IdentityTheft.gov.
- Use monitoring intelligently. Enroll in a free breach-related offer after checking its scope and duration; do not treat it as a substitute for the steps above.
What this guidance does—and does not—cover
The steps above reflect U.S. FTC consumer guidance. The correct response still depends on the breach notice, the data involved, signs of unauthorized activity and the rules in your jurisdiction. Credit-bureau procedures, account-provider recovery screens and 2FA options can change, so use the current instructions on the relevant official site when you take action. A data breach does not automatically mean someone has used your information, but prompt credential changes, stronger sign-in protection and credit or identity safeguards reduce the opportunity for misuse.
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