How Likely Is it That Your Data has Been Hacked?

In a world that is becoming increasingly digitized, our personal data is more vulnerable than ever. Millions of popular websites track and store your personal information, and those sites are susceptible to outside attacks, so the chances are good that your information has found its way to the wrong hands at some point or another.

There are regular news stories highlighting the most recent cyberattacks outlining how many people’s profiles and data were impacted by these breaches. These attacks frequently target major companies, such as Facebook, and many times these digital assaults are successful, proving that even companies with all the resources and access to cutting-edge cybersecurity are not immune to the efforts of hackers.

To demonstrate just how pervasive this issue is, Grand Canyon University’s partner, Grand Canyon Education, together with a third-party company looked into a report of some of the biggest data breaches of the last five years.* News stories and reports were used to collect information on the number of personal records impacted by each breach and the exact pieces of information that were acquired. With that information, a program was built where you can view some of the websites that fell victim to hackers as well as when that attack happened.

If you believe you had a profile or information stored on that site, you can check the box next to the site name. Once you have selected all of the sites you may have had data stored on at the time of their breaches, click the “Submit” button to find out the cumulative number of records that were breached on the sites you selected. You can also learn about the kinds of records and data taken in the combined breaches.

These kinds of cyberattacks from hackers aren’t going away anytime soon and may very well become even more common going forward as technology continues to advance. As a result, there should be strong, ongoing demand for cybersecurity experts to help combat these kinds of breaches and digital assaults.

If that’s the kind of career you think would suit you, Grand Canyon University offers a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, and for those looking to truly up their game and become leading experts in the field, GCU also offers master’s degree in cybersecurity.

GCU’s Bachelor of Science (BS) in Cybersecurity program incorporates hands-on application of concepts that prepares students for real-world situations like preventing data breaches, addressing vulnerabilities, and protecting against cyberattacks. The curriculum includes digital forensic investigations, security architecture design, information assurance foundations, secure system administration, security frameworks, malware reverse engineering and wireless security. Students will learn cyber law, cyber ethics and defensive cybersecurity.

The Master of Science in Cybersecurity program at GCU is ideal for professionals looking to pursue challenging high-tech job opportunities such as director of security, corporate information security officer (CISO), or senior security engineer/architect.

Core competencies of this program include:

• Protection of intellectual property through encryption, hardware security and layered security defense strategies  
• Ideologies of cyber-crime, identification of attack vectors and impact analysis of failed security measures
• Risk assessment, countermeasures, security policies and frameworks
• Policy perspectives on security design

Learn more about earning a BS in Cybersecurity or an MS in Cybersecurity from Grand Canyon University's College of Science, Engineering and Technology. 

*Retrieved from Wikipedia's list of data breaches in September 2020.