Email continues to be the weakest area of security for the average consumer.

By Greg Wright

MBA, CFE, CFP®, CLU, ChFC

Certified Fraud Examiner

National Speaker

The number of U.S. data breaches reported last year decreased from 2018’s all-time high, but the number of consumer records exposed containing sensitive information more than doubled!

An important observation is the number email-related credentials stolen.  Because a majority of consumers use the same username/email and password combinations to access multiple accounts, this creates serious vulnerability. 

This increased hacking of consumer email related data is very serious and, with even more consumer information in the hands of fraudsters, the identity theft risk to consumers continues to increase.

Email continues to be the weakest area of security for the average consumer. As indicated in my Greg’s Talk, “Electronic Home Invasion” consumers should avoid using their email address as their user name.