Should such details ever leak to the dark web, most of us would not be at the same risk as FBI employees. At least, not as juicy targets for foreign governments. And also in part because we wouldn’t have lost detailed medical info, either. On the flip side, we don’t have the same training as FBI employees, so we’re less likely to be on the lookout for warning signals.
We should be. It’s obvious that wherever data is stored, it can leak.
So how can you protect yourself, in anticipation of your company’s HR database getting hacked? I’d be wary of any communication that implies or outright states knowledge of privileged information. Any message involving my benefits, banking deposits, salary and promotion info, I’d verify through other means. If it’s an email, I’ll call HR directly. Or as applicable, I’ll ping my boss over Slack.
I’d also nurse healthy skepticism about cold contacts from recruiters. Look them up—check their online reputation, confirm their contact info. Examine email message headers and scrutinize email addresses if the opportunity is unusually good.
Why? Well, as one example, hackers could manipulate you into installing an infostealer on your PC. Such malware can grab your passwords to important accounts, among other things. Like stealing your money as part of a job scam.
Speaking of—as the economy continues to tighten, expect more employment-related scams. AI isn’t helping matters, either, as it enables bad actors to move faster and faster with data extraction, vulnerability exploits, and other ways of breaching databases. You need to be ready.