Have You Secured Your Social Security Number?

With the breach of Equifax almost a year old, we keep receiving news that more and more accounts were compromised. As it stands, Equifax has raised the number of accounts compromised to 145.5 million; that’s more than half of the US population.

So, what can you do to secure your Social Security Number?

The first thing you need to do is setup an account with the Social Security Administration. You should do this before someone does it for you.

I will take you through the steps of getting your account setup.

You will want to open your browser and go to https://www.ssa.gov

Check the box ‘I agree to the Terms of Service’, then click ‘Next’

Now, fill out all your information and in the ‘Add extra security’ select ‘No, maybe later’. This may seem counter intuitive since you are trying to security your Social Security Number, but you will not be able to finish setting up your account if you do so.
Once you are done, now click ‘Next’

This should take you into your account, you will want to go and setup some additional security.

Click ‘Security Settings’

In this section you will be able to setup your phone number for texting of security codes, email address to receive security codes, and password reset questions.

You don’t have to put real answers here. There is no way the Social Security Administration can verify these answers. So, my advice to you is… Lie, never ever put any real personal information in these types of questions (just make sure you write down the questions and answers). Determined individuals will scour your social media, blog posts, Instagram, and the web to find out as much real information about you. If you answer these questions truthfully, the bad guys can figure it and answer these questions to get into your account.

Be safe out there and remember… If it’s easy for you, it’s easy for the bad guy!

To discuss your potential vulnerability and risk, or request a cybersecurity readiness consultation with DarkHound’s cybersecurity advisory group, please email us today at [email protected].

By: Paul Kumagai | Sr. Security Architect | DarkHound SecOps