Earlier this month, credit reporting agency Equifax revealed that they experienced a security breach that exposed the personal information of 143 million people. From May through July of this year, cyber criminals accessed names, Social Security numbers, addresses, and other sensitive information.

If you have any kind of credit history, there’s a good chance that some information about you was included in this breach. Unlike a leak of credit or debit card information, there is no simple solution, like getting a new card. Fortunately, there are several steps you can take to minimize the impact.

• Review the Federal Trade Commission’s guide to the breach. This page provides comprehensive information and gives step-by-step instructions for what you should do to protect your information.
• Check your credit reports. Federal law provides you with free annual access to your credit reports from the three credit reporting agencies. Visit annualcreditreport.comto access and download them. If you see activity on your reports that you don’t recognize (a line of credit opened in your name, for example), visit identitytheft.gov for guidance on what to do next.
• Consider putting a credit freeze or fraud alert on your file.
• Keep a close watch on your bank and credit card accounts for unusual activity.
• In addition, many banks offer free credit monitoring to their credit card customers. Contact your bank to find out if this is available and how it might benefit you.