Need to freeze your credit after the Social Security number breach? Here's how.

Freezing your credit is one of the best ways to combat identity theft — and it's free to do. Security experts are advising all Americans to take a few minutes to complete what they deem an essential step in protecting one's credit files in a day and age when cybersecurity breaches are becoming increasingly common. 

At the three big credit bureaus, Experian, Equifax and TransUnion, placing a security freeze on your credit file is easy, according to cybersecurity expert David Malicoat. And the recent lawsuit claiming hackers accessed the Social Security numbers of "billions of individuals," he said, is a good reminder to do so. 

"The options are there for a reason. I think everyone should have their credit frozen until such a time as you need it," Malicoat told CBS MoneyWatch. "You just click a button that allows no changes until you unfreeze it, and I think that's right where everyone needs to be."