DIY identity protection vs paid services: What works in 2026
In 2026, a massive data breach at Conduent exposed sensitive personal information of over 25 million Americans, prompting renewed debate over DIY versus paid identity protection. Federal tools like credit freezes and IRS Identity Protection PINs offer free, effective defenses against identity theft. While paid services provide monitoring, many experts argue that proactive, no-cost measures can be equally or more effective when consistently applied.
- ▪Conduent suffered a data breach between October 2024 and January 2025, exposing Social Security numbers, medical data, and personal addresses of over 25 million people.
- ▪Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton labeled the Conduent breach the largest in U.S. history as of February 2026.
- ▪Free federal tools such as credit freezes, IRS Identity Protection PINs, and regular credit report checks can effectively reduce the risk of identity theft.
- ▪Credit freezes have been free at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion since 2018 and prevent new accounts from being opened in a person's name.
- ▪The IRS issues a new Identity Protection PIN annually to prevent fraudulent tax returns using stolen Social Security numbers.
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Social Security DIY identity protection vs paid services: What works in 2026 Ransomware operators pulled Social Security numbers, medical data and addresses from Conduent's systems over several months By Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report Fox News Published May 2, 2026 2:15pm EDT Facebook Twitter Threads Flipboard Comments Print Email Add Fox News on Google close Video 'CyberGuy': Don't chance it. Secure your retirement accounts with a VPN and protect your future Kurt Knutsson explains how to safeguard retirement accounts from cyber threats with a VPN: encryption, anonymity, secure access. NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Earlier this year, more than 25 million Americans began receiving letters from a company most of them had never heard of.
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