Don't forget about preemptive security freezes at credit bureaus, which you have to do for each one individually. /r/personalfinance recommends 7 by default [0], but there are many more [1].
When I did it, all it meant was anyone offering a line of credit to me if I'm not present right in front of them is supposed to call me to verify I want it. It's not even really any inconvenience to have "frozen" credit.
Why the everloving fuck that's not the default, but something you have to request, I have no idea.
Why the everloving fuck that's not the default, but something you have to request, I have no idea.