This holiday shopping season, the Echo Dot was the bestselling product on all of Amazon and countless Smart TVs were purchased. But even if you purchased/received the best Internet of Things (IoT) products on the market, you will need to take steps to make sure you aren’t creating unnecessary security vulnerabilities.

With the holiday shopping season just around the corner, you may find yourself doing more shopping than usual. During this busy season, here are a few important things to consider for protecting your privacy:

Looking to get the newest tech for your home? Before replacing every item in your space with the latest and greatest in internet-connected devices (also known as the Internet of Things), you may want to take a quick minute and think about these few things.

Trust in the Company Making the Product

Ask yourself or look up:

Last month’s massive data breach at Equifax was caused by their failure to update their software and patch a security vulnerability. Though it sounds appalling, this is common.

Medical debt often results from unpredictable events, but you shouldn’t let such an event ruin your credit for years to come. With 52 percent of all debt on credit reports coming from medical expenses, 43 million Americans are affected by this problem.

It is difficult to come up with a precise definition of cloud computing. In general terms, it’s the idea that your computer’s applications run somewhere in the "cloud," that is to say, on someone else’s server accessed via the Internet. Instead of running program applications or storing data on your own computer, these functions are performed at remote servers which are connected to your computer through the Internet.

A.B. 375 opponents are making false claims in ads stating that the bill will expose consumers to cyberattacks and hackers. These ads are anonymous and are clearly trying to play to consumers’ fears surrounding the recent Equifax breach. A.B.

On September 7, Equifax, one of the three national credit reporting agencies (credit bureaus), reported a data breach that may have compromised the personal information of 143 million individuals.  That’s almost half the population of the U.S.  The compromised data is said to include Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and driver’s license numbers.  In some cases, the compromised data may also include credit card numbers.  The number of people impacted and the sensitivity of the breached information may make this the most significant data breach ever.

Do you live in California and care about online privacy?  If so, contact your representatives now to express your support for the California Broadband Internet Privacy Act, A.B. 375.

A recent change to the Automated Clearing House (ACH) system could result in unnecessary overdraft fees being charged to your bank or credit union account.  It’s important for you to understand how this change to the ACH system could impact your financial accounts.