Last week we started hearing about the Equifax data breach, although Equifax had actually known about the data breach at least a month earlier. (The full text of the Equifax statement about the cybersecurity data breach is reprinted below.) The most stunning thing about this breach is the breadth of it: the Personally Identifiable Information (PII), including names, social security numbers, and driver’s license numbers of 143 million U.S. citizens were exposed in this breach. Here is what you need to do, right now, to protect yourself.

If your Facebook account has been hacked (or really if any account has been hacked), first of all, don’t take it personally (unless, of course, it was hacked by someone you know, then perhaps take it personally). Also, don’t freak out. What it most likely means is that you used a password that was easy (for a computer) to guess. Here’s what to do when wondering “my Facebook account has been hacked, what should I do?”. Most of these steps are also appropriate if any other of your accounts have been hacked, such as your Twitter account, your Gmail account, your LinkedIn account, or even your bank account.