PENSACOLA, Fla. — Cyberattacks are becoming more frequent and more expensive. In 2023, 343 million people will be victims of some form of cyberattack, according to a report from the Identity Theft Resource Center.

These attacks are happening everywhere, including here in Florida. Last month, the Florida Department of Health confirmed it was the victim of a data hack.

WEAR News spoke to cybersecurity experts about the issue and how you can be proactive in protecting your information.

A data breach is a cybercrime that can have devastating consequences for individuals or companies.

“Their identities are stolen and they have bank accounts opened that they never intended to have, and it can destroy their lives,” said Connar McCasland, an associate professor at the UWF Center for Cybersecurity.

Erich Kron, a security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, says cyberattacks are becoming more common.

“It’s not something new,” Kron says. “But we’re seeing it more and more.”

And it’s more expensive to repair.

According to a report by IBM, the global average cost of a data breach will reach nearly $5 million in 2024, the highest amount ever.

“It’s becoming an epidemic because of the cost,” Kron says.

Cyberattacks come in many forms, but phishing, personal data breaches, and malware are some of the most common. The city of Pensacola was the victim of a cyber breach earlier in March.

In early July, the Florida Department of Health discovered a data breach.

“When an organization is attacked, like the Florida Department of Health, they have to protect not only themselves, but their clients — the people who use their services,” McCasland said.

Both entities offered monitoring services to customers after the incidents. McCasland advises people to take those offers seriously.

“If you know that an organization you do business with has been hit by a cyberattack, look at your own credit and implement credit monitoring systems or freeze your credit if you don’t plan on making any major purchases in the next few months,” McCasland says. “Freeze your credit so that you don’t get hit by something that someone might do on the internet.”

There are still ways to proactively protect your data before a breach occurs.

“Have good passwords,” McCasland says. “And when we say ‘good passwords,’ we don’t just mean using the same good password for everything.”

“Try using different passwords and check your emails regularly for suspicious activity,” she says. “If it feels too good to be true, it probably is. And trust your gut feeling if you see something strange.”

If you’re struggling to keep track of all the complicated passwords you use, McCasland recommends using a password manager. There are free and paid versions, and it can help you keep track of and create new passwords.