WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE BREACH

The news of the Capital One hack — which came just a week after Equifax reached a $700 million consumer settlement stemming from the 2017 breach — highlights the importance of digital security at a time when major leaks of consumer information are a fact of life.

Here’s what we know so far about the hack:

Who was affected?

The suspect, identified in court documents as a 33-year-old software engineer named Paige A. Thompson, is accused of stealing 140,000 Social Security numbers and 80,000 bank account numbers, as well as 1 million “social insurance” numbers, which are the Canadian equivalent of Social Security numbers.

The information came from credit card applications consumers and small businesses had submitted between 2005 and 2019, according to Capital One. The bank said the account numbers were linked to “secured” credit cards, which tend to be held by consumers with bad credit who are financially vulnerable.

Capital One says it will “notify affected individuals through a variety of channels.” It’s unclear precisely what that means (so keep an eye on your email), but the bank has promised to make free credit monitoring and identity protection available to anyone affected by the breach.

What can consumers do to protect their data?

Capital One has issued guidelines urging consumers to monitor their credit card accounts for suspicious activity and forward suspected phishing emails to abuse@ capitalone.com.

Beyond those steps, the response to a data breach generally follows a set playbook:

■ Set up fraud alerts. The three major credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian and Trans Union — will alert you if someone tries to apply for credit in your name.

■ Consider credit freezes. A credit freeze locks your credit files so only companies you already do business with have access to them.

■ Check your credit report. All Americans get one free credit report a year from all three major reporting agencies. Closely analyzing those reports can help you spot any suspicious activity.

■ Credit monitoring. Capital One has promised free credit monitoring to consumers affected by the breach. You should probably take them up on that.