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Waiting in the checkout line. Waiting to fall asleep. Waiting for your boring work call to finally end.
When you find yourself in these situations, do you usually have your phone in hand? And does it usually include scrolling through videos on TikTok? You’re far from alone! The app has 150 million users in the United States and more than a billion daily users worldwide.1
However, governments around the world believe that while you’re exploring the world through short-form video, unscrupulous characters are lurking in the background collecting your personal data. Here’s the real story behind TikTok bans and what they mean for you and your online privacy.
TikTok is owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company. Much of the data privacy unease surrounding TikTok is ByteDance’s opacity in their data mining practices. It’s unknown how much data it collects on users and what it does with that information. Since the Chinese government has a hand in many of the businesses based in the country, it’s unclear if the government is party to the mined data. Because many countries are tense politically with China, some governments are being cautious about limiting ByteDance’s access to personal information and potentially government secrets.
So far, various countries have banned TikTok from the work phones of government employees, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Taiwan, and various European Union members.2 India completely banned the app in the country in 2020. Various other countries with strict limits on self-expression have also attempted to forbid their citizens from accessing TikTok.
Montana became the first state to ban TikTok in May 2023. The governor cited “protecting Montanans’ personal and private data” as the reason behind the new bill, which is set to go into effect in January 2024.3
For the general population, bans of TikTok on government-issued devices will not affect your access to the platform Even for government employees, this just means that you can’t access the app from your work phone, laptop, or tablet. On your own time and your personal devices, you can still scroll to your heart’s content.
Montana’s TikTok bill could pick up steam with other states claiming to protect the PII of their citizens; however, the Montana law and any similar ones that may arise are likely to be scrutinized as a violation of freedom of speech. As of now, it’s unclear whether the bill – and future ones like it – will be invalidated due to a violation of the First Amendment.
How these TikTok bans and the news headlines may affect you is that they emphasize the necessity of social media best practices and guarding your personally identifiable information (PII) more closely.
Because it’s unclear how much and with whom TikTok is gathering and sharing your data, it’s best to play it safe and limit the amount you reveal about yourself on the app. Here are a few tips to give you peace of mind and improve your online privacy:
This is a good practice on any social media platform. Geo-tagging is a function where the app uses GPS to track your location and then publish it alongside your post. This feature may put your personal safety at risk, since stalkers can use the geotag, context clues, and video background to guess at your location.
TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and gaming apps depend on advertisers’ dollars to make money. To provide users with the most relevant ads (and improve their chances of making a sale), companies gather information about you and build a profile based on your online comings and goings. Most apps that allow tracking must ask your permission first to do so. Always uncheck this box and disable ad tracking, because there’s no guarantee that the PII the ad company collects will stay a secret. Did you know that 98% of people have their personal information up for sale on the internet? Personal Data Cleanup is an excellent tool to erase your private details from the internet and keep it out of the hands of strangers.
Oversharing on social media may leave you vulnerable to social engineering schemes. This happens when a scammer gathers details about you and then tailor-makes a scam that’s likely to get your attention. For example, if your social media profiles make it clear that you’re an animal lover, a scammer may write a heartfelt post about needing donations to save their beloved pet.
A virtual private network (VPN) scrambles your online traffic, making it very difficult for someone to digitally eavesdrop on you or pinpoint your location. Plus, a VPN works on any device, not just desktops. So, while you scroll on a computer, tablet, or smartphone, a VPN can keep your internet traffic a secret.
Don’t worry: TikTok – the constant companion in times of boredom, transit, and when you’re in need of a laugh – isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. For the general population in most parts of the world, the app is staying put.
However, just because it’s not banned doesn’t mean that it’s 100% safe for your online privacy. Keep our tips in mind the next time you scroll through or post. To fully cover your bases and give you peace of mind, partner with McAfee+ Ultimate. This all-in-one service includes unlimited VPN for all your devices, Personal Data Cleanup, and more.
Laugh, cry, learn, and explore the world through TikTok with confidence in the security of your online privacy!
1TikTok, “Celebrating our thriving community of 150 million Americans”
2Associated Press, “Here are the countries that have bans on TikTok”
3CNN, “Montana governor bans TikTok”
The post Why Are Some Countries Banning TikTok? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Three seconds of audio is all it takes.
Cybercriminals have taken up newly forged artificial intelligence (AI) voice cloning tools and created a new breed of scam. With a small sample of audio, they can clone the voice of nearly anyone and send bogus messages by voicemail or voice messaging texts.
The aim, most often, is to trick people out of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.
Our recent global study found that out of 7,000 people surveyed, one in four said that they had experienced an AI voice cloning scam or knew someone who had. Further, our research team at McAfee Labs discovered just how easily cybercriminals can pull off these scams.
With a small sample of a person’s voice and a script cooked up by a cybercriminal, these voice clone messages sound convincing, 70% of people in our worldwide survey said they weren’t confident they could tell the difference between a cloned voice and the real thing.
Cybercriminals create the kind of messages you might expect. Ones full of urgency and distress. They will use the cloning tool to impersonate a victim’s friend or family member with a voice message that says they’ve been in a car accident, or maybe that they’ve been robbed or injured. Either way, the bogus message often says they need money right away.
In all, the approach has proven quite effective so far. One in ten of people surveyed in our study said they received a message from an AI voice clone, and 77% of those victims said they lost money as a result.
Of the people who reported losing money, 36% said they lost between $500 and $3,000, while 7% got taken for sums anywhere between $5,000 and $15,000.
Of course, a clone needs an original. Cybercriminals have no difficulty sourcing original voice files to create their clones. Our study found that 53% of adults said they share their voice data online or in recorded notes at least once a week, and 49% do so up to ten times a week. All this activity generates voice recordings that could be subject to hacking, theft, or sharing (whether accidental or maliciously intentional).
Consider that people post videos of themselves on YouTube, share reels on social media, and perhaps even participate in podcasts. Even by accessing relatively public sources, cybercriminals can stockpile their arsenals with powerful source material.
Nearly half (45%) of our survey respondents said they would reply to a voicemail or voice message purporting to be from a friend or loved one in need of money, particularly if they thought the request had come from their partner or spouse (40%), mother (24%), or child (20%).
Further, they reported they’d likely respond to one of these messages if the message sender said:
These messages are the latest examples of targeted “spear phishing” attacks, which target specific people with specific information that seems just credible enough to act on it. Cybercriminals will often source this information from public social media profiles and other places online where people post about themselves, their families, their travels, and so on—and then attempt to cash in.
Payment methods vary, yet cybercriminals often ask for forms that are difficult to trace or recover, such as gift cards, wire transfers, reloadable debit cards, and even cryptocurrency. As always, requests for these kinds of payments raise a major red flag. It could very well be a scam.
In conjunction with this survey, researchers at McAfee Labs spent two weeks investigating the accessibility, ease of use, and efficacy of AI voice cloning tools. Readily, they found more than a dozen freely available on the internet.
These tools required only a basic level of experience and expertise to use. In one instance, just three seconds of audio was enough to produce a clone with an 85% voice match to the original (based on the benchmarking and assessment of McAfee security researchers). Further effort can increase the accuracy yet more. By training the data models, McAfee researchers achieved a 95% voice match based on just a small number of audio files.
McAfee’s researchers also discovered that that they could easily replicate accents from around the world, whether they were from the US, UK, India, or Australia. However, more distinctive voices were more challenging to copy, such as people who speak with an unusual pace, rhythm, or style. (Think of actor Christopher Walken.) Such voices require more effort to clone accurately and people with them are less likely to get cloned, at least with where the AI technology stands currently and putting comedic impersonations aside.
The research team stated that this is yet one more way that AI has lowered the barrier to entry for cybercriminals. Whether that’s using it to create malware, write deceptive messages in romance scams, or now with spear phishing attacks with voice cloning technology, it has never been easier to commit sophisticated looking, and sounding, cybercrime.
Likewise, the study also found that the rise of deepfakes and other disinformation created with AI tools has made people more skeptical of what they see online. Now, 32% of adults said their trust in social media is less than it’s ever been before.
A lot can come from a three-second audio clip.
With the advent of AI-driven voice cloning tools, cybercriminals have created a new form of scam. With arguably stunning accuracy, these tools can let cybercriminals nearly anyone. All they need is a short audio clip to kick off the cloning process.
Yet like all scams, you have ways you can protect yourself. A sharp sense of what seems right and wrong, along with a few straightforward security steps can help you and your loved ones from falling for these AI voice clone scams.
For a closer look at the survey data, along with a nation-by-nation breakdown, download a copy of our report here.
The survey was conducted between January 27th and February 1st, 2023 by Market Research Company MSI-ACI, with people aged 18 years and older invited to complete an online questionnaire. In total 7,000 people completed the survey from nine countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, India, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico.
The post Artificial Imposters—Cybercriminals Turn to AI Voice Cloning for a New Breed of Scam appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Ping, it’s a scammer!
The sound of an incoming email, text, or direct message has a way of getting your attention, so you take a look and see what’s up. It happens umpteen times a week, to the extent that it feels like the flow of your day. And scammers want to tap into that with sneaky phishing attacks that catch you off guard, all with the aim of stealing your personal information or bilking you out of your money.
Phishing attacks take several forms, where scammers masquerade as a legitimate company, financial institution, government agency, or even as someone you know. And they’ll come after you with messages that follow suit:
You can see why phishing attacks can be so effective. Messages like these have an urgency to them, and they seem like they’re legit, or they at least seem like they might deal with something you might care about. But of course they’re just a ruse. And some of them can look and sound rather convincing. Or at least convincing enough that you’ll not only give them a look, but that you’ll also give them a click too.
And that’s where the troubles start. Clicking the links or attachments sent in a phishing attack can lead to several potentially nasty things, such as:
However, plenty of phishing attacks are preventable. A mix of knowing what to look for and putting a few security steps in place can help you keep scammers at bay.
How you end up with one has a lot to do with it.
There’s a good chance you’ve already seen your share of phishing attempts on your phone. A text comes through with a brief message that one of your accounts needs attention, from an entirely unknown number. Along with it is a link that you can tap to follow up, which will send you to a malicious site. In some cases, the sender may skip the link and attempt to start a conversation with the aim of getting you to share your personal information or possibly fork over some payment with a gift card, money order, rechargeable debit card, or other form of payment that is difficult to trace and recover.
In the case of social media, you can expect that the attack will come from an imposter account that’s doing its best to pose as one of those legitimate businesses or organizations we talked about, or perhaps as a stranger or even someone you know. And the name and profile pic will do its best to play the part. If you click on the account that sent it, you may see that it was created only recently and that it has few to no followers, both of which are red flags. The attack is typically conversational, much like described above where the scammer attempts to pump you for personal info or money.
Attacks that come by direct messaging apps will work much in the same way. The scammer will set up a phony account, and where the app allows, a phony name and a phony profile pic to go along with it.
Email gets a little more complicated because emails can range anywhere from a few simple lines of text to a fully designed piece complete with images, formatting, and embedded links—much like a miniature web page.
In the past, email phishing attacks looked rather unsophisticated, rife with poor spelling and grammar, along with sloppy-looking layouts and images. That’s still sometimes the case today. Yet not always. Some phishing emails look like the real thing. Or nearly so.
Case in point, here’s a look at a phishing email masquerading as a McAfee email:
There’s a lot going on here. The scammers try to mimic the McAfee brand, yet don’t quite pull it off. Still, they do several things to try and be convincing.
Note the use of photography and the box shot of our software, paired with a prominent “act now” headline. It’s not the style of photography we use. Not that people would generally know this. However, some might have a passing thought like, “Huh. That doesn’t really look right for some reason.”
Beyond that, there are a few capitalization errors, some misplaced punctuation, plus the “order now” and “60% off” icons look rather slapped on. Also note the little dash of fear it throws in at the top of the email with mention of “There are (42) viruses on your computer.”
Taken all together, you can spot many email scams by taking a closer look, seeing what doesn’t feel right, and then trusting you gut. But that asks you to slow down, take a moment, and eyeball the email critically. Which people don’t always do. And that’s what scammers count on.
Similar ploys see scammers pose as legitimate companies and retailers, where they either ask you to log into a bogus account page to check statement or the status of an order. Some scammers offer links to “discount codes” that are instead links to landing pages designed steal your account login information as well. Similarly, they may simply send a malicious email attachment with the hope that you’ll click it.
In other forms of email phishing attacks, scammers may pose as a co-worker, business associate, vendor, or partner to get the victim to click a malicious link or download malicious software. These may include a link to a bogus invoice, spreadsheet, notetaking file, or word processing doc—just about anything that looks like it could be a piece of business correspondence. Instead, the link leads to a scam website that asks the victim “log in and download” the document, which steals account info as a result. Scammers may also include attachments to phishing emails that can install malware directly on the device, sometimes by infecting an otherwise everyday document with a malicious payload.
Email scammers may also pose as someone you know, whether by propping up an imposter email account or by outright hijacking an existing account. The attack follows the same playbook, using a link or an attachment to steal personal info, request funds, or install malware.
While you can’t outright stop phishing attacks from making their way to your computer or phone, you can do several things to keep yourself from falling to them. Further, you can do other things that may make it more difficult for scammers to reach you.
The content and the tone of the message can tell you quite a lot. Threatening messages or ones that play on fear are often phishing attacks, such angry messages from a so-called tax agent looking to collect back taxes. Other messages will lean heavy on urgency, like the phony McAfee phishing email above that says your license has expired today and that you have “(42)” viruses. And during the holidays, watch out for loud, overexcited messages about deep discounts on hard-to-find items. Instead of linking you off to a proper ecommerce site, they may link you to a scam shopping site that does nothing but steal your money and the account information you used to pay them. In all, phishing attacks indeed smell fishy. Slow down and review that message with a critical eye. It may tip you off to a scam.
Some phishing attacks can look rather convincing. So much so that you’ll want to follow up on them, like if your bank reports irregular activity on your account or a bill appears to be past due. In these cases, don’t click on the link in the message. Go straight to the website of the business or organization in question and access your account from there. Likewise, if you have questions, you can always reach out to their customer service number or web page.
When scammers contact you via social media, that in of itself can be a tell-tale sign of a scam. Consider, would an income tax collector contact you over social media? The answer there is no. For example, in the U.S. the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) makes it quite clear that they will never contact taxpayers via social media. (Let alone send angry, threatening messages.) In all, legitimate businesses and organizations don’t use social media as a channel for official communications. They have accepted ways they will, and will not, contact you. If you have any doubts about a communication you received, contact the business or organization in question directly and follow up with one of their customer service representatives.
Some phishing attacks involve attachments packed with malware like the ransomware, viruses, and keyloggers we mentioned earlier. If you receive a message with such an attachment, delete it. Even if you receive an email with an attachment from someone you know, follow up with that person. Particularly if you weren’t expecting an attachment from them. Scammers will often hijack or spoof email accounts of everyday people to spread malware.
On computers and laptops, you can hover your cursor over links without clicking on them to see the web address. Take a close look at the addresses the message is using. If it’s an email, look at the email address. Maybe the address doesn’t match the company or organization at all. Or maybe it looks like it almost does, yet it adds a few letters or words to the name. This marks yet another sign that you may have a phishing attack on your hands. Scammers also use the common tactic of a link shortener, which creates links that almost look like strings of indecipherable text. These shortened links mask the true address, which may indeed be a link to scam site. Delete the message. If possible, report it. Many social media platforms and messaging apps have built-in controls for reporting suspicious accounts and messages.
On social media and messaging platforms, stick to following, friending, and messaging people who you really know. As for those people who contact you out of the blue, be suspicious. Sad to say, they’re often scammers canvassing these platforms for victims. Better yet, where you can, set your profile to private, which makes it more difficult for scammers select and stalk you for an attack.
How’d that scammer get your phone number or email address anyway? Chances are, they pulled that information off a data broker site. Data brokers buy, collect, and sell detailed personal information, which they compile from several public and private sources, such as local, state, and federal records, plus third parties like supermarket shopper’s cards and mobile apps that share and sell user data. Moreover, they’ll sell it to anyone who pays for it, including people who’ll use that information for scams. You can help reduce those scam texts and calls by removing your information from those sites. Our Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info.
Online protection software can protect you in several ways. First, it can offer safe browsing features that can identify malicious links and downloads, which can help prevent clicking them. Further, it can steer you away from dangerous websites and block malware and phishing sites if you accidentally click on a malicious link. And overall, strong virus and malware protection can further block any attacks on your devices. Be sure to protect your smartphones in addition to your computers and laptops as well, particularly given all the sensitive things we do on them, like banking, shopping, and booking rides and travel.
Once phishing attacks were largely the domain of bogus emails, yet now they’ve spread to texts, social media, and messaging apps—anywhere a scammer can send a fraudulent message while posing as a reputable source.
Scammers count on you taking the bait, the immediate feelings of fear or concern that there’s a problem with your taxes or one of your accounts. They also prey on scarcity, like during the holidays where people search for great deals on gifts and have plenty of packages on the move. With a critical eye, you can often spot those scams. Sometimes, a pause and a little thought is all it takes. And in the cases where a particularly cagey attack makes its way through, online protection software can warn you that the link you’re about to click is indeed a trap.
Taken all together, you have plenty of ways you can beat scammers at their game.
The post How to Avoid Phishing Attacks on Your Smartphones and Computers appeared first on McAfee Blog.
There are plenty of phish in the sea.
Millions of bogus phishing emails land in millions of inboxes each day with one purpose in mind—to rip off the recipient. Whether they’re out to crack your bank account, steal personal information, or both, you can learn how to spot phishing emails and keep yourself safe.
And some of today’s phishing emails are indeed getting tougher to spot.
They seem like they come from companies you know and trust, like your bank, your credit card company, or services like Netflix, PayPal, and Amazon. And some of them look convincing. The writing and the layout are crisp, and the overall presentation looks professional. Yet still, there’s still something off about them.
And there’s certainly something wrong with that email. It was written by a scammer. Phishing emails employ a bait-and-hook tactic, where an urgent or enticing message is the bait and malware or a link to a phony login page is the hook.
Once the hook gets set, several things might happen. That phony login page may steal account and personal information. Or that malware might install keylogging software that steals information, viruses that open a back door through which data can get hijacked, or ransomware that holds a device and its data hostage until a fee is paid.
Again, you can sidestep these attacks if you know how to spot them. There are signs.
Let’s look at how prolific these attacks are, pick apart a few examples, and then break down the things you should look for.
<h2>Phishing attack statistics—the millions of attempts made each year.
In the U.S. alone, more than 300,000 victims reported a phishing attack to the FBI in 2022. Phishing attacks topped the list of reported complaints, roughly six times greater than the second top offender, personal data breaches. The actual figure is undoubtedly higher, given that not all attacks get reported.
Looking at phishing attacks worldwide, one study suggests that more than 255 million phishing attempts were made in the second half of 2022 alone. That marks a 61% increase over the previous year. Another study concluded that 1 in every 99 mails sent contained a phishing attack.
Yet scammers won’t always cast such a wide net. Statistics point to a rise in targeted spear phishing, where the attacker goes after a specific person. They will often target people at businesses who have the authority to transfer funds or make payments. Other targets include people who have access to sensitive information like passwords, proprietary data, and account information.
As such, the price of these attacks can get costly. In 2022, the FBI received 21,832 complaints from businesses that said they fell victim to a spear phishing attack. The adjusted losses were over $2.7 billion—an average cost of $123,671 per attack.
So while exacting phishing attack statistics remain somewhat elusive, there’s no question that phishing attacks are prolific. And costly.
<h2>What does a phishing attack look like?
Nearly every phishing attack sends an urgent message. One designed to get you to act.
Some examples …
When set within a nice design and paired some official-looking logos, it’s easy to see why plenty of people click the link or attachment that comes with messages like these.
And that’s the tricky thing with phishing attacks. Scammers have leveled up their game in recent years. Their phishing emails can look convincing. Not long ago, you could point to misspellings, lousy grammar, poor design, and logos that looked stretched or that used the wrong colors. Poorly executed phishing attacks like that still make their way into the world. However, it’s increasingly common to see far more sophisticated attacks today. Attacks that appear like a genuine message or notice.
Case in point:
Say you got an email that said your PayPal account had an issue. Would you type your account information here if you found yourself on this page? If so, you would have handed over your information to a scammer.
We took the screenshot above as part of following a phishing attack to its end—without entering any legitimate info, of course. In fact, we entered a garbage email address and password, and it still let us in. That’s because the scammers were after other information, as you’ll soon see.
As we dug into the site more deeply, it looked pretty spot on. The design mirrored PayPal’s style, and the footer links appeared official enough. Yet then we looked more closely.
Note the subtle errors, like “card informations” and “Configuration of my activity.” While companies make grammatical errors on occasion, spotting them in an interface should hoist a big red flag. Plus, the site asks for credit card information very early in the process. All suspicious.
Here’s where the attackers really got bold.
They ask for bank “informations,” which not only includes routing and account numbers, but they ask for the account password too. As said, bold. And entirely bogus.
Taken all together, the subtle errors and the bald-faced grab for exacting account information clearly mark this as a scam.
Let’s take a few steps back, though. Who sent the phishing email that directed us to this malicious site? None other than “paypal at inc dot-com.”
Clearly, that’s a phony email. And typical of a phishing attack where an attacker shoehorns a familiar name into an unassociated email address, in this case “inc dot-com.” Attackers may also gin up phony addresses that mimic official addresses, like “paypalcustsv dot-com.” Anything to trick you.
Likewise, the malicious site that the phishing email sent us to used a spoofed address as well. It had no official association with PayPal at all—which is proof positive of a phishing attack.
Note that companies only send emails from their official domain names, just as their sites only use their official domain names. Several companies and organizations will list those official domains on their websites to help curb phishing attacks.
For example, PayPal has a page that clearly states how it will and will not contact you. At McAfee, we have an entire page dedicated to preventing phishing attacks, which also lists the official email addresses we use.
Not every scammer is so sophisticated, at least in the way that they design their phishing emails. We can point to a few phishing emails that posed as legitimate communication from McAfee as examples.
There’s a lot going on in this first email example. The scammers try to mimic the McAfee brand, yet don’t pull it off. Still, they do several things to try to act convincing.
Note the use of photography and the box shot of our software, paired with a prominent “act now” headline. It’s not the style of photography we use. Not that people would generally know this. However, some might have a passing thought like, “Huh. That doesn’t really look like what McAfee usually sends me.”
Beyond that, there are a few capitalization errors, some misplaced punctuation, and the “order now” and “60% off” icons look rather slapped on. Also note the little dash of fear it throws in with a mention of “There are (42) viruses on your computer …”
Taken all together, someone can readily spot that this is a scam with a closer look.
This next ad falls into the less sophisticated category. It’s practically all text and goes heavy on the red ink. Once again, it hosts plenty of capitalization errors, with a few gaffes in grammar as well. In all, it doesn’t read smoothly. Nor is it easy on the eye, as a proper email about your account should be.
What sets this example apart is the “advertisement” disclaimer below, which tries to lend the attack some legitimacy. Also note the phony “unsubscribe” link, plus the (scratched out) mailing address and phone, which all try to do the same.
This last example doesn’t get our font right, and the trademark symbol is awkwardly placed. The usual grammar and capitalization errors crop up again, yet this piece of phishing takes a slightly different approach.
The scammers placed a little timer at the bottom of the email. That adds a degree of scarcity. They want you to think that you have about half an hour before you are unable to register for protection. That’s bogus, of course.
Seeing any recurring themes? There are a few for sure. With these examples in mind, get into the details—how you can spot phishing attacks and how you can avoid them altogether.
Just as we saw, some phishing attacks indeed appear fishy from the start. Yet sometimes it takes a bit of time and a particularly critical eye to spot.
And that’s what scammers count on. They hope that you’re moving quickly or otherwise a little preoccupied when you’re going through your email or messages. Distracted enough so that you might not pause to think, is this message really legit?
One of the best ways to beat scammers is to take a moment to scrutinize that message while keeping the following in mind …
Fear. That’s a big one. Maybe it’s an angry-sounding email from a government agency saying that you owe back taxes. Or maybe it’s another from a family member asking for money because there’s an emergency. Either way, scammers will lean heavily on fear as a motivator.
If you receive such a message, think twice. Consider if it’s genuine. For instance, consider that tax email example. In the U.S., the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has specific guidelines as to how and when they will contact you. As a rule, they will likely contact you via physical mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. (They won’t call or apply pressure tactics—only scammers do that.) Likewise, other nations will have similar standards as well.
Scammers also love urgency. Phishing attacks begin by stirring up your emotions and getting you to act quickly. Scammers might use threats or overly excitable language to create that sense of urgency, both of which are clear signs of a potential scam.
Granted, legitimate businesses and organizations might reach out to notify you of a late payment or possible illicit activity on one of your accounts. Yet they’ll take a far more professional and even-handed tone than a scammer would. For example, it’s highly unlikely that your local electric utility will angrily shut off your service if you don’t pay your past due bill immediately.
Gift cards, cryptocurrency, money orders—these forms of payment are another sign that you might be looking at a phishing attack. Scammers prefer these methods of payment because they’re difficult to trace. Additionally, consumers have little or no way to recover lost funds from these payment methods.
Legitimate businesses and organizations won’t ask for payments in those forms. If you get a message asking for payment in one of those forms, you can bet it’s a scam.
Here’s another way you can spot a phishing attack. Take a close look at the addresses the message is using. If it’s an email, look at the email address. Maybe the address doesn’t match the company or organization at all. Or maybe it does somewhat, yet it adds a few letters or words to the name. This marks yet another sign that you might have a phishing attack on your hands.
Likewise, if the message contains a web link, closely examine that as well. If the name looks at all unfamiliar or altered from the way you’ve seen it before, that might also mean you’re looking at a phishing attempt.
Online protection software can protect you from phishing attacks in several ways.
For starters, it offers web protection that warns you when links lead to malicious websites, such as the ones used in phishing attacks. In the same way, online protection software can warn you about malicious downloads and email attachments so that you don’t end up with malware on your device. And, if the unfortunate does happen, antivirus can block and remove malware.
Online protection software like ours can also address the root of the problem. Scammers must get your email address from somewhere. Often, they get it from online data brokers, sites that gather and sell personal information to any buyer—scammers included.
Data brokers source this information from public records and third parties alike that they sell in bulk, providing scammers with massive mailing lists that can target thousands of potential victims. You can remove your personal info from some of the riskiest data broker sites with our Personal Data Cleanup, which can lower your exposure to scammers by keeping your email address out of their hands.
In all, phishing emails have telltale signs, some more difficult to see than others. Yet you can spot them when you know what to look for and take the time to look for them. With these attacks so prevalent and on the rise, looking at your email with a critical eye is a must today.
The post How to Spot Phishing Emails and Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Some of the strongest passwords you can use are the ones you don’t have to remember. Strange as that may sound, it’s true, if you use a password manager. A password manager creates and securely stores strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts—and does all the remembering for you. And remembering is the root of the problem when it comes to insecure passwords. Consider how many passwords you have across all your accounts. Then consider the old passwords for accounts and online forums you no longer use, along with all the times you created a password for an online store that you only shopped at once or twice. All those passwords, it’s too much to keep track of, let alone manage. And that leads to insecure passwords. Simple passwords. Or passwords that get used again and again across several accounts. Hackers count on that. They love it when people use simple passwords, reuse passwords, grab passwords out of the dictionary, or base their passwords on their pet names that a hacker can easily glean from a victim’s social media posts. They also love “brute force” tools that help them break into accounts by quickly feeding account logins with thousands of potential passwords in minutes. So when you make your life easier with simple or reused passwords, you make life easier for hackers too. That’s where a password manager comes in. It makes life easy for you to stay secure while still making it tough on hackers—particularly tough with strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts that can you update on a regular basis, which offers some of the strongest protection you have against hackers hijacking your accounts.
First up, let’s look at password practices in general while keeping a few things in mind. Hackers will look for the quickest payday. In some cases they’ll work with a long list of accounts that they’re trying to break into. If a password on that list proves difficult to crack they’ll move on to the next in the hope that it’ll have a poor password that they can easily crack. It’s a sort of hacker economics. There’s often little incentive for them to spend extra time on a strong password when there are plenty of weak ones in the mix. So what do poor passwords look like? Here are a few examples:
On the flip side, here’s what a strong password looks like:
Long, complex, unique, and updated, all described as above—how do you manage all that without creating a string of gobbledygook that you’ll never remember? You can do so with a passphrase. A phrase will give you those 12 or more characters mentioned above, and with a couple extra steps, can turn into something quite unique and complex. Here’s a three-step example:
Now you have a password that you can remember with a little practice, one that still challenges the tools that hackers use for cracking passwords.
When you consider the number of accounts you need to protect, creating strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts can get time consuming. Further, updating them regularly can get more time consuming still. That’s where a password manager comes in. A password manager does the work of creating strong, unique passwords for your accounts. These will take the form of a string of random numbers, letters, and characters. They will not be memorable, but the manager does the memorizing for you. You only need to remember a single password to access the tools of your manager. A strong password manager also stores your passwords securely. Ours protects your passwords by scrambling them with AES-256, one of the strongest encryption algorithms available. Only you can decrypt and access your information with the factors you choose. Additionally, our password manager uses MFA—you’ll be verified by at least two factors before being signed in.
Whether it’s the passwords you’ve created or the master password for your password manager, consider making an offline list of them. This will protect access to your accounts if you ever forget them. Be sure to store this list in a safe, offline place—recognizing that you want to protect it from physical theft. A locking file cabinet is one option and a small fireproof safe yet more secure. A password manager is just part of your password security solution. For example, you’ll also want to use comprehensive online protection software to prevent you from following links in phishing attacks designed to steal your account login information. The same goes for malicious links that can pop up in search. Online protection software can steer you clear of those too. In some cases, bad actors out there will simply shop on the dark web for username and password combos that were stolen from data breaches. An identity monitoring service such as our own can alert you if your information ends up there. It can monitor the dark web for your personal info, including email, government IDs, credit card and bank account info, and more. Ours provides early alerts and guidance for the next steps to take if your data is found on the dark web, an average of 10 months ahead of similar services.
A password manager takes the pain out of passwords. It creates strong, unique passwords for every account you have. That includes banking, social media, credit cards, online shopping, financial services, or what have you. The entire lot of it. And remember, remembering is the thing with passwords. Hackers hope you’ll get lazy with your passwords by creating simple ones, reusing others, or some combination of the two because that makes it easier to remember them. That’s the beauty of a password manager. It does the remembering for you, so you simply go on your way as you go online. Safely.
The post The Strongest Passwords and the Best Way to Create (and Remember) Them appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Ransomware. Even the name sounds scary.
When you get down to it, ransomware is one of the nastiest attacks a hacker can wage. They target some of our most important and precious things—our files, our photos, and our information stored on our devices. Think about suddenly losing access to all of them and being forced to pay a ransom to get access back. Worse yet, paying the ransom is no guarantee the hacker will return them.
That’s what a ransomware attack does. Broadly speaking, it’s a type of malware that infects a network or a device and then typically encrypts the files, data, and apps stored on it, digitally scrambling them so the proper owners can’t access them. Only a digital key can unlock them—one that the hacker holds.
Nasty for sure, yet you can take several steps that can greatly reduce the risk of it happening to you. Our recently published Ransomware Security Guide breaks them down for you, and in this blog we’ll look at a few reasons why ransomware protection is so vital.
The short answer is pretty bad—to the tune of billions of dollars stolen from victims each year. Ransomware targets people and their families just as explained above. Yet it also targets large organizations, governments, and even companies that run critical stretches of energy infrastructure and the food supply chain. Accordingly, the ransom amounts for these victims climb into the millions of dollars.
A few recent cases of large-scale ransomware attacks include:
Who’s behind such attacks? Given the scope and scale of them, it’s often organized hacking groups. Put simply, these are big heists. It demands expertise to pull them off, not to mention further expertise to transfer large sums of cryptocurrency in ways that cover the hackers’ tracks.
As for ransomware attacks on people and their families, the individual dollar amounts of an attack are far lower, typically in the hundreds of dollars. Again, the culprits behind them may be large hacking groups that cast a wider net for individual victims, where hundreds of successful attacks at hundreds of dollars each quickly add up. One example: a hacker group that posed as a government agency and as a major retailer, which mailed out thousands of USB drives infected with malware.
Other ransomware hackers who target people and families are far less sophisticated. Small-time hackers and hacking groups can find the tools they need to conduct such attacks by shopping on the dark web, where ransomware is available for sale or for lease as a service (Ransomware as a Service, or RaaS). In effect, near-amateur hackers can grab a ready-to-deploy attack right off the shelf.
Taken together, hackers will level a ransomware attack at practically anyone or any organization—making it everyone’s concern.
Hackers have several ways of getting ransomware onto one of your devices. Like any other type of malware, it can infect your device via a phishing link or a bogus attachment. It can also end up there by downloading apps from questionable app stores, with a stolen or hacked password, or through an outdated device or network router with poor security measures in place. And as mentioned above, infected storage devices provide another avenue.
Social engineering attacks enter the mix as well, where the hacker poses as someone the victim knows and gets the victim to either download malware or provide the hacker access to an otherwise password-protected device, app, or network.
And yes, ransomware can end up on smartphones as well.
Smartphone ransomware can encrypt files, photos, and the like on a smartphone, just as it can on computers and networks. Yet other forms of mobile ransomware don’t have to encrypt data to make the phone unusable. The “Lockerpin” ransomware that has struck some Android devices in the past would change the PIN number that locked the phone. Other forms of lock screen ransomware would simply paste a warning over the home screen with a “pay up, or else” message.
Still, ransomware isn’t as prevalent on smartphones as it is on computers, and there are several reasons why. For the most part, smartphone ransomware relies on people downloading malicious apps from app stores. Both Google Play and Apple’s App Store both do their part to keep their virtual shelves free of malware-laden apps with a thorough submission process, as reported by Google and Apple.
Yet, bad actors find ways to sneak malware into the stores. Sometimes they upload an app that’s initially clean and then push the malware to users as part of an update. Other times, they’ll embed the malicious code so that it only triggers once it’s run in certain countries. They will also encrypt malicious code in the app that they submit, which can make it difficult for reviewers to sniff out.
Further, Android allows users to download apps from third-party app stores that may or may not have a thorough app submission process in place, which can make them more susceptible to hosting malicious apps. Moreover, some third-party app stores are actually fronts for organized cybercrime gangs, built specifically to distribute malware.
The people behind these attacks play on one of your greatest fears—that those important and precious things on your device might be gone forever. Yet with a backup, you have little to fear. You can simply restore any data and files that may have come under attack. Consider using a reputable cloud storage service that you protect with a strong, unique password. Similarly, you can back up your data locally on an external drive that you keep disconnected from your network and stored in a secure location. So while a backup won’t prevent an attack, it can most certainly minimize any threat or damage from one.
Ransomware attackers use phishing emails, bogus direct messages in social media, and texts to help install malware on your device. Many of these messages can look quite legitimate, like they’re coming from a brand you know, a financial institution, or even the government. The links embedded in those messages will take you to some form of malicious website where you’re prompted to download a phony file or form—which is actually malware. Similarly, some phishing emails will simply send malware to the recipient in the form of a malicious attachment that masquerades as a legitimate document like an invoice, spreadsheet, or shipping notice.
This provides your first line of defense. Online protection software includes several features that can stop a ransomware attack before it takes root:
That list is just for starters. Our Ransomware Security Guide goes even deeper on the topic.
It gets into the details of what ransomware looks like and how it works, followed by the straightforward things you can do to prevent it, along with the steps to take if the unfortunate ends up happening to you or someone you know.
Ransomware is one of the nastiest attacks going, because it targets our files, photos, and information, things we don’t know where we’d be without. Yet it’s good to know you can indeed lower your risk with a few relatively steps. Once you have them in place, chances are a good feeling will come over you, the one that comes with knowing you’ve protected what’s precious and important to you.
The post How To Prevent Ransomware appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s important to note that the only time your communications are encrypted is when they’re in transit. They’re otherwise plain as day to see or hear. Thus, anyone who can open your phone can tap the app and access them (provided you don’t lock your phone or the WhatsApp app itself). And like any other message or photo that you send over the internet, nothing prevents the recipient from sharing your message with others by taking a screenshot or simply forwarding a photo to someone else.
With that, no form of messaging is 100% private. Not WhatsApp. Not other messaging apps like it, with or without encryption. If you want to keep something entirely private, whether it’s a photo or a message, don’t send it over the internet.
Generally no, yet understanding the specifics calls for diving into their privacy policy.
Once again, WhatsApp does not view your messages or listen to your calls. It only temporarily stores messages on their servers in the case of a few exceptions. As of April 2023, its policy states:
We do not retain your messages in the ordinary course of providing our Services to you. Instead, your messages are stored on your device and not typically stored on our servers. Once your messages are delivered, they are deleted from our servers.
In some cases, undelivered messages are kept in encrypted form on WhatsApp’s servers for up to 30 days or until the message is delivered. Also, WhatsApp may store media that you forward in a message temporarily in encrypted form on their servers to aid in more efficient delivery of additional forwards.
Facebook (now known as Meta) purchased WhatsApp in 2014. Today, as one of the companies that falls under the Meta umbrella, WhatsApp “[R]eceives information from, and shares information with, the other Meta Companies.” Per WhatsApp’s privacy policy:
WhatsApp must receive or collect some information to operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services, including when you install, access, or use our Services.
Also per its privacy policy, WhatsApp (and Meta) uses that information:
We use information we have (subject to choices you make and applicable law) to operate, provide, improve, understand, customize, support, and market our Services.
What does WhatsApp collect specifically? That may include location information if you’re using location-based services in the app. It may also include location information even if you aren’t using those services.
In addition to location information, it may also include the following:
Why does WhatsApp collect this information? The company may use it for the “safety, security, and integrity” of the app experience. It may use that information for marketing purposes as well. (Think targeted ads.) Likewise, WhatsApp may share this information with select third parties for the same purposes.
So while WhatsApp may not know what’s in your messages, it potentially knows a great deal about you—like where you are, how you’re using their app, and for how long. And if you have a Facebook account, that may extend to your interests, what ads you’ve clicked on, which ones led to purchase, along with all the other information that Facebook knows about you.
This is the “value exchange” that we talk about in our blogs so often, where you gain the value of using a free app in exchange for something else, typically personal information that is used for marketing purposes. By agreeing to the terms of the user agreement you clicked when you first installed the app, you became a legally binding participant in this exchange.
For starters, you can keep a thief or snoop from getting into your phone altogether by setting a screen lock with a PIN, facial recognition, or gesture lock. Surprisingly, from our recent global research found that only 56% of adults said that they protect their smartphone with some form of a screen lock. If you find yourself among them, consider making a change. Locking your phone offers terrific peace of mind in the event your phone gets lost or stolen.
Additionally, WhatsApp also allows you to create a PIN for accessing the app itself. You can find this setting in Settings > Account > Two-Step verification. With both in place, you can effectively double-lock WhatsApp. As with any PIN, never give it out to anyone. Sharing it could compromise your security.
WhatsApp has a setting that sends a notification in the event your security PIN code changes. If you have the app installed on multiple devices, you will need to enable it on those devices as well for it to work. You can enable this setting in Settings > Account > Security Notifications.
A quick trip to Settings > Privacy can limit what other WhatsApp users see and know about you. In that menu, you’ll see that you have several privacy options:
Setting these to “My Contacts” will prevent the broader WhatsApp user base from seeing this information about you. That includes potential spammers and scammers, thus taking this step can make you more private. So just in the same way we recommend that you set your social media accounts to “friends and family only,” we recommend doing the same here.
Although WhatsApp can determine your location by other means, you can limit it from locating you with pinpoint accuracy by disabling location services for the app.
On an iOS device, you can do that by going into Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services and then scrolling down until you find WhatsApp. From there, you can disable its permissions with a tap.
For Android, on your phone’s home screen, find the WhatsApp icon, then touch and hold it. Tap “App Info,” then “Permissions” then “Location.” Finally, select “Deny.”
As it is on so many platforms today, scammers abound. WhatsApp is no different, where scammers spin up bogus accounts and attempt to start conversations with other users. The way they go about it varies. They may try to kindle a romance scam, they may masquerade as a business representative, or even pose as a tax collector or other government official. The aim is always the same, though. They want to steal your personal information or trick you into forking over your money. Don’t take chances. Don’t talk to strangers.
Other scammers will send messages with malicious links. Just as you shouldn’t follow links or open files from strangers in other apps, don’t do open them on WhatsApp either. Those links are simply gateways to scam sites and malware.
If you back up your WhatsApp message histories in the cloud with Apple or Google, they are not encrypted. Once again, you can encrypt them while they are in transit by using “End-to-End Encrypted Backup,” but the histories themselves are not encrypted when they are stored in the cloud.
For those who are particularly privacy-conscious, the idea of their messages, plus any attached photos and messages, being stored without encryption may give them pause. Even if that is in a relatively secure cloud service such as Apple’s or Google’s. Yet the risk of data breaches remains, as does the risk of a bad actor gaining access to one’s cloud account, such as through a stolen password.
So, for an increased degree of privacy and security, you may want to consider disabling cloud backup for your WhatsApp messages.
Comprehensive online protection software can protect your phone in the same ways that it protects your laptops and computers. Installing it can protect your privacy, keep you safe from attacks on public Wi-Fi, and automatically block unsafe websites and links (like the ones that might come to you in a spammy WhatsApp message), just to name a few things it can do. In all, given how much of our lives center around our phone—shopping, finances, splitting a dinner bill with friends, and so on, protecting your phone and the things you do on it makes sense.
There’s a good chance you’ve experienced that moment of panic—the moment when you think you’ve really lost your phone, followed by the deep relief when you finally find it. But what happens if your phone ends up getting lost or stolen? A combination of device tracking, device locking, and remote erasing can help protect your phone and the data on it.
Different device manufacturers have different ways of going about it, but the result is the same—you can you’re your phone, prevent others from using it, and even erase it if you’re truly worried that it’s in the wrong hands or simply gone for good. Apple provides iOS users with a step-by-step guide, and Google offers up a guide for Android users as well.
WhatsApp is indeed quite private when it comes to messages and voice communications when they are transmitted between people—yet not so much when it comes to other data that the app collects while you’re using it.
While much of that data collection occurs thanks to the terms of its user agreement and privacy policy, you can take a few steps to limit it to a degree. You can take yet more steps that can make the time you spend on WhatsApp more secure as well.
As with any free app, using it involves some sort of value exchange. Understanding what information the app does and does not collect can help you determine if that value exchange is right for you.
The post How Private is WhatsApp Really? Staying Safer While Using the App. appeared first on McAfee Blog.
What is a VPN (virtual private network)? And how can it make your time online more secure—and a little more private too? Here we’ll take a look at what a VPN is, what it has to offer, and how that benefits you.
A VPN is an app that you install on your device to help keep your data safe as you browse the internet. When you turn on your VPN app, your device makes a secure connection to a VPN server that routes internet traffic. Securely. This keeps your online activity private on any network, shielding it from prying eyes. So, while you’re on a VPN, you can browse and bank with the confidence that your passwords, credentials, and financial info are secure. If any malicious actors try to intercept your web traffic, they’ll only see garbled content thanks to your VPN’s encryption functionality.
Every internet connection is assigned a unique set of numbers called an IP address, which is tied to info such as geographic location or an Internet Service Provider (ISP). A VPN replaces your actual IP address to make it look like you’ve connected to the internet from the physical location of the VPN server, rather than your real location. This is just one reason why so many people use VPNs.
To change your IP address, you simply open your VPN app, select the server location you’d like to connect to, and you’re done. You’re now browsing with a new IP address. If you’d like to make sure your IP has changed, open a browser and search for “What’s my IP address” and then select one of the results.
An ideal case for using a VPN is when you’re using public Wi-Fi at the airport, a café, hotel, or just about any place where “free Wi-Fi” is offered. The reason being is that these are open networks, and any somewhat enterprising cybercriminal can tap into these networks and harvest sensitive info as a result. One survey showed that 39% of internet users worldwide understand public Wi-Fi is unsafe, yet some users still bank, shop, and do other sensitive things on public Wi-Fi despite the understood risks.
Further, you have your privacy to consider. You can use a VPN to help stop advertisers from tracking you. Searches you perform and websites you visit won’t be traced back to you, which can prevent advertisers from gleaning info about you and your online habits in general. Moreover, some ISPs collect the browsing history of their users and share it with advertisers and other third parties. A VPN can prevent this type of collection as well.
A VPN protects your search history through the secure connection you share. When you search for a website or type a URL into your navigation bar, your device sends something called a DNS request, which translates the website into the IP address of the web server. This is how your browser can find the website and serve its content to you. By encrypting your DNS requests, a VPN can hide your search habits and history from those who might use that info as part of building a profile of you. This type of info might be used in a wide variety of ways, from legitimately serving targeted ads to nefarious social engineering.
Note that a VPN is quite different and far, far more comprehensive than using “Private Mode” or “Incognito Mode” on your browser. Those modes only hide your search history locally on your device — not from others on the internet, like ISPs and advertisers.
No, a VPN can’t make you anonymous. Not entirely, anyway. They help secure what you’re doing, but your ISP still knows when you’re using the internet. They just can’t see what you’re doing, what sites you visit, or how long you’ve been on a site.
Apple’s Private Relay is similar to a VPN in that it changes your IP address so websites you visit can’t tell exactly where you are. It works on iOS and Macs as part of an iCloud+ subscription. Yet there is one important distinction: it only protects your privacy while surfing with the Safari browser.
Per Apple, it works like this:
When Private Relay is enabled, your requests are sent through two separate, secure internet relays. Your IP address is visible to your network provider and to the first relay, which is operated by Apple. Your DNS records are encrypted, so neither party can see the address of the website you’re trying to visit. The second relay, which is operated by a third-party content provider, generates a temporary IP address, decrypts the name of the website you requested, and connects you to the site. All of this is done using the latest internet standards to maintain a high-performance browsing experience while protecting your privacy.
Note that as of this writing, Apple Private Relay is not available in all countries and regions. If you travel somewhere where Private Relay isn’t available, it will automatically turn off and will notify you when it’s unavailable and once more when it’s active again. You can learn more about it here and how you can enable it on your Apple devices.
As mentioned above, Private Relay only works with Safari on iOS and macOS as part of an iCloud+ subscription. Even if you are using an Apple device, a VPN is still a good idea because it will protect the info that your device sends outside Safari — such as any info passed along by your apps or any other browsers you might use.
An unlimited VPN with bank-grade encryption comes as part of your McAfee+ subscription and provides the security and privacy benefits above with bank-grade encryption. Additionally, it turns on automatically any time you connect to an unsecured Wi-Fi network, which takes the guesswork out of when you absolutely need to use it.
In all, our VPN makes it practically impossible for cybercriminals or advertisers to access so that what you do online remains private and secure, so you can enjoy your time online with confidence.
The post How a VPN Can Make Your Time Online More Private and Secure appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Ping, it’s a scammer!
The sound of an incoming email, text, or direct message has a way of getting your attention, so you take a look and see what’s up. It happens umpteen times a week, to the extent that it feels like the flow of your day. And scammers want to tap into that with sneaky phishing attacks that catch you off guard, all with the aim of stealing your personal information or bilking you out of your money.
Phishing attacks take several forms, where scammers masquerade as a legitimate company, financial institution, government agency, or even as someone you know. And they’ll come after you with messages that follow suit:
You can see why phishing attacks can be so effective. Messages like these have an urgency to them, and they seem like they’re legit, or they at least seem like they might deal with something you might care about. But of course they’re just a ruse. And some of them can look and sound rather convincing. Or at least convincing enough that you’ll not only give them a look, but that you’ll also give them a click too.
And that’s where the troubles start. Clicking the links or attachments sent in a phishing attack can lead to several potentially nasty things, such as:
However, plenty of phishing attacks are preventable. A mix of knowing what to look for and putting a few security steps in place can help you keep scammers at bay.
How you end up with one has a lot to do with it.
There’s a good chance you’ve already seen your share of phishing attempts on your phone. A text comes through with a brief message that one of your accounts needs attention, from an entirely unknown number. Along with it is a link that you can tap to follow up, which will send you to a malicious site. In some cases, the sender may skip the link and attempt to start a conversation with the aim of getting you to share your personal information or possibly fork over some payment with a gift card, money order, rechargeable debit card, or other form of payment that is difficult to trace and recover.
In the case of social media, you can expect that the attack will come from an imposter account that’s doing its best to pose as one of those legitimate businesses or organizations we talked about, or perhaps as a stranger or even someone you know. And the name and profile pic will do its best to play the part. If you click on the account that sent it, you may see that it was created only recently and that it has few to no followers, both of which are red flags. The attack is typically conversational, much like described above where the scammer attempts to pump you for personal info or money.
Attacks that come by direct messaging apps will work much in the same way. The scammer will set up a phony account, and where the app allows, a phony name and a phony profile pic to go along with it.
Email gets a little more complicated because emails can range anywhere from a few simple lines of text to a fully designed piece complete with images, formatting, and embedded links—much like a miniature web page.
In the past, email phishing attacks looked rather unsophisticated, rife with poor spelling and grammar, along with sloppy-looking layouts and images. That’s still sometimes the case today. Yet not always. Some phishing emails look like the real thing. Or nearly so.
Case in point, here’s a look at a phishing email masquerading as a McAfee email:
There’s a lot going on here. The scammers try to mimic the McAfee brand, yet don’t quite pull it off. Still, they do several things to try and be convincing.
Note the use of photography and the box shot of our software, paired with a prominent “act now” headline. It’s not the style of photography we use. Not that people would generally know this. However, some might have a passing thought like, “Huh. That doesn’t really look right for some reason.”
Beyond that, there are a few capitalization errors, some misplaced punctuation, plus the “order now” and “60% off” icons look rather slapped on. Also note the little dash of fear it throws in at the top of the email with mention of “There are (42) viruses on your computer.”
Taken all together, you can spot many email scams by taking a closer look, seeing what doesn’t feel right, and then trusting you gut. But that asks you to slow down, take a moment, and eyeball the email critically. Which people don’t always do. And that’s what scammers count on.
Similar ploys see scammers pose as legitimate companies and retailers, where they either ask you to log into a bogus account page to check statement or the status of an order. Some scammers offer links to “discount codes” that are instead links to landing pages designed steal your account login information as well. Similarly, they may simply send a malicious email attachment with the hope that you’ll click it.
In other forms of email phishing attacks, scammers may pose as a co-worker, business associate, vendor, or partner to get the victim to click a malicious link or download malicious software. These may include a link to a bogus invoice, spreadsheet, notetaking file, or word processing doc—just about anything that looks like it could be a piece of business correspondence. Instead, the link leads to a scam website that asks the victim “log in and download” the document, which steals account info as a result. Scammers may also include attachments to phishing emails that can install malware directly on the device, sometimes by infecting an otherwise everyday document with a malicious payload.
Email scammers may also pose as someone you know, whether by propping up an imposter email account or by outright hijacking an existing account. The attack follows the same playbook, using a link or an attachment to steal personal info, request funds, or install malware.
While you can’t outright stop phishing attacks from making their way to your computer or phone, you can do several things to keep yourself from falling to them. Further, you can do other things that may make it more difficult for scammers to reach you.
The content and the tone of the message can tell you quite a lot. Threatening messages or ones that play on fear are often phishing attacks, such angry messages from a so-called tax agent looking to collect back taxes. Other messages will lean heavy on urgency, like the phony McAfee phishing email above that says your license has expired today and that you have “(42)” viruses. And during the holidays, watch out for loud, overexcited messages about deep discounts on hard-to-find items. Instead of linking you off to a proper ecommerce site, they may link you to a scam shopping site that does nothing but steal your money and the account information you used to pay them. In all, phishing attacks indeed smell fishy. Slow down and review that message with a critical eye. It may tip you off to a scam.
Some phishing attacks can look rather convincing. So much so that you’ll want to follow up on them, like if your bank reports irregular activity on your account or a bill appears to be past due. In these cases, don’t click on the link in the message. Go straight to the website of the business or organization in question and access your account from there. Likewise, if you have questions, you can always reach out to their customer service number or web page.
When scammers contact you via social media, that in of itself can be a tell-tale sign of a scam. Consider, would an income tax collector contact you over social media? The answer there is no. For example, in the U.S. the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) makes it quite clear that they will never contact taxpayers via social media. (Let alone send angry, threatening messages.) In all, legitimate businesses and organizations don’t use social media as a channel for official communications. They have accepted ways they will, and will not, contact you. If you have any doubts about a communication you received, contact the business or organization in question directly and follow up with one of their customer service representatives.
Some phishing attacks involve attachments packed with malware like the ransomware, viruses, and keyloggers we mentioned earlier. If you receive a message with such an attachment, delete it. Even if you receive an email with an attachment from someone you know, follow up with that person. Particularly if you weren’t expecting an attachment from them. Scammers will often hijack or spoof email accounts of everyday people to spread malware.
On computers and laptops, you can hover your cursor over links without clicking on them to see the web address. Take a close look at the addresses the message is using. If it’s an email, look at the email address. Maybe the address doesn’t match the company or organization at all. Or maybe it looks like it almost does, yet it adds a few letters or words to the name. This marks yet another sign that you may have a phishing attack on your hands. Scammers also use the common tactic of a link shortener, which creates links that almost look like strings of indecipherable text. These shortened links mask the true address, which may indeed be a link to scam site. Delete the message. If possible, report it. Many social media platforms and messaging apps have built-in controls for reporting suspicious accounts and messages.
On social media and messaging platforms, stick to following, friending, and messaging people who you really know. As for those people who contact you out of the blue, be suspicious. Sad to say, they’re often scammers canvassing these platforms for victims. Better yet, where you can, set your profile to private, which makes it more difficult for scammers select and stalk you for an attack.
How’d that scammer get your phone number or email address anyway? Chances are, they pulled that information off a data broker site. Data brokers buy, collect, and sell detailed personal information, which they compile from several public and private sources, such as local, state, and federal records, plus third parties like supermarket shopper’s cards and mobile apps that share and sell user data. Moreover, they’ll sell it to anyone who pays for it, including people who’ll use that information for scams. You can help reduce those scam texts and calls by removing your information from those sites. Our Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info.
Online protection software can protect you in several ways. First, it can offer safe browsing features that can identify malicious links and downloads, which can help prevent clicking them. Further, it can steer you away from dangerous websites and block malware and phishing sites if you accidentally click on a malicious link. And overall, strong virus and malware protection can further block any attacks on your devices. Be sure to protect your smartphones in addition to your computers and laptops as well, particularly given all the sensitive things we do on them, like banking, shopping, and booking rides and travel.
Once phishing attacks were largely the domain of bogus emails, yet now they’ve spread to texts, social media, and messaging apps—anywhere a scammer can send a fraudulent message while posing as a reputable source.
Scammers count on you taking the bait, the immediate feelings of fear or concern that there’s a problem with your taxes or one of your accounts. They also prey on scarcity, like during the holidays where people search for great deals on gifts and have plenty of packages on the move. With a critical eye, you can often spot those scams. Sometimes, a pause and a little thought is all it takes. You can stay one step ahead of scammers with the power of AI, our new McAfee Scam Protection can alert you when scam texts pop up on your device or phone. Removing the guessing and it can block risky sites if you accidentally follow a scam link in a text, email, social media, and more. And in the cases where a particularly cagey attack makes its way through, online protection software can warn you that the link you’re about to click is indeed a trap.
Taken all together, you have plenty of ways you can beat scammers at their game.
The post How to Protect Yourself From Phishing Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Who else loves tax season besides accountants? Scammers.
It’s high time of year for online risks here in the U.S. with the onset of tax season, where scammers unleash all manner of scams aimed at taxpayers. The complexity, and even uncertainty, of filing a proper tax return can stir up anxieties like, Have I filed correctly, Did I claim the right deductions, Will I get audited, and Will I get stung with a tax penalty are just a few—and these are the very same anxieties that criminals use as the cornerstone of their attacks.
Yet like so many scams, tax scams give off telltale signs that they’re indeed not on the up-and-up. You have ways you can spot one before you get caught up in one.
In all, we’ve learned to watch our step with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), so much so that receiving a notification from the IRS can feel like an unwanted surprise. Uh oh, did I do something wrong? However, in reality, less than 2% of returns get audited and most discrepancies or adjustments can get handled easily if addressed promptly.
Still, that wariness of the IRS makes for ripe pickings when it comes to hackers, who prey on people’s fear of audits and penalties. Common scams include email phishing attacks, phone calls from crooks posing as IRS agents, texts claiming there’s a problem with our tax software, and even robocalls that threaten jail time for unpaid back taxes. What’s more, fraudsters can take things a step further by committing identity theft and then filing tax claims in other people’s names.
With that, let’s dig into a list of the top scams winding up on our screens and phones during tax time.
Straight from the authority itself, the IRS publishes its Dirty Dozen, an annual list of the top tax season scams. Year-over-year, many of the same scams make the list, yet new ones continue to crop up as scammers try to take advantage of current events. A couple recent examples include email phishing scams centered around Employee Retention Credits, pandemic relief checks, and federal stimulus checks. Additionally, the IRS has warned filers about disinformation that circulates on social media, such as bogus advice that urges filers to alter their W-2 figures for a better refund. With new scams entering the mix every tax season, the Dirty Dozen offers plenty of good advice that can help you steer clear of scams.
We all know the annoyance of spammy phone calls, whether they’re for phony car warranties, tech support services, or debt collection agencies. During this time of year, you can add phony IRS agents and financial service providers to the list.
The stories that scammers will tell will vary, but they often share common themes:
Another thing they have in common: they each outright ask for money, personal information, and sometimes a combination of both. All of which is an indication of a scam.
For the record, per the IRS, it does not:
Also, per the IRS, they cannot revoke your driver’s license, business license, or immigration status. As noted above, scammers will often weave these threats into their stories. Those threats are entirely empty.
What will the IRS do? Generally, the IRS will first mail a notice to any taxpayer who owes taxes. In some instances, IRS collection employees may make an unannounced visit to your home and properly identify themselves with IRS-issued credentials and a federal ID card. In all cases, the revenue officer will only request required payments by cash, check, certified funds, or money order payable to “United States Treasury.”
As for scam calls that pose as financial services companies or tax preparers, ignore them. If you’re planning to work with a tax pro, do your research and work with a legitimate, accredited individual or organization. The IRS has a great resource that can get you started on your search with its “Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers.” There you can get a list of qualified tax preparers that are verified by the IRS, which you can narrow down based on their accreditations and distance from your zip code.
Don’t fall for AI tax scams! With the rise of AI technology, it’s becoming harder to spot these fraudulent schemes. In the past, fake voices, accents, and grammar mistakes were obvious red flags. But now, scammers are using AI-generated voices that sound just like your neighbors. They’ll pose as the IRS, offering tax assistance or forgiveness. McAfee’s CTO, Steve Grobman warns that cyber-criminals are even cloning American accents to make their scams more convincing. Last month, McAfee detected over a million suspicious URLs related to tax scams. Protect yourself by using antivirus software and call-blocking apps. But be cautious of phishing attempts through texts, emails, and calls. Scammers may threaten you with back taxes or promise unrealistic zero-tax programs. Remember, the IRS never threatens or contacts you through phone, text, or email. They always send official letters by mail. And they never ask for payment in gift cards, Apple Pay, Crypto, Bitcoin, Venmo, or Zelle. Stay alert and keep your personal information and money safe! Watch the video below from Steve, discussing AI voice scams.
One way you can be sure that someone other than the IRS has reached you is if they contact you by text, messaging app, or social media. The IRS will not contact you in any of these ways. Ignore any such messages, and if your app or platform allows you to report messages or accounts as spam, do so. You can often do it with a simple click or tap.
Another increasingly popular scam on phones is the bogus account alert. The scammer may send a message that says Your account is on hold, or something like We’ve detected unusual activity. During most of the year, scammers will use these messages to pose as online payment platforms, banks, credit card companies, online stores, and streaming services.
Now during tax season, they’ll masquerade as IRS agents or popular tax software companies. Even though the names change, the game remains the same. The text or message will serve up a link so you can “correct the situation,” one that leads to a site that could steal your personal information or otherwise trick you into installing malware on your phone.
As always, don’t click these links. Report them if you can.
Phishing emails pull many of the same tricks that calls, texts, and direct messages do—you’ll simply find them in your inbox instead. The same rules for avoiding other IRS scams apply here. First, note that the IRS will never initiate contact with you via email. Nor will they send you emails about your tax refund or any other sensitive information.
In the past, the IRS has reported that phishing emails often send their victims to lookalike IRS sites that can appear quite convincing. There, victims either receive a prompt to enter their personal and financial information or to download a file that’s laden with malware. Other emails may include attachments, which may be loaded with malware as well.
Delete any such emails you receive. And if you have any concerns, contact your tax professional or the IRS directly. Also, the IRS asks people who receive scam emails to notify them at phishing@irs.gov. This helps the IRS track and prosecute scammers.
Imagine filing your return only to find out it’s already been filed.
A far more serious form of tax-related crime is identity theft, where a scammer uses the victim’s personal information and Social Security number to file a return in the victim’s name—and claim the refund. One particularly painful aspect of identity theft and taxes is that victims often find out only after it occurs or when it’s well underway. For example:
Other signs are related to employment, such as getting assigned an Employer Identification Number even though you didn’t request one, discovering that the IRS shows you received income from an employer you didn’t work for, or finding out that someone has claimed unemployment benefits in your name. Once again, both are signs of full-on identity theft where someone has assumed your identity.
The IRS states that you should always respond to any IRS notice, particularly if you believe it is in error. If you’ve already contacted the IRS about an identity theft issue, you can reach them at 800-908-4490 for further assistance.
Understand that if this form of identity theft occurs to you, it’s highly likely that the scammer has your Social Security number. Report that right away at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/report-stolen-number if you think your number is being used by someone else.
Your Social Security number ranks at the very top of your most valuable personal information. It unlocks everything from driver’s licenses, photo identification, employment, insurance claims, and of course taxes. Act immediately if you think it’s been compromised.
One way to protect yourself from an identity thief from claiming a return in your name is to file yours before they do. As mentioned, many victims of identity theft find out they’ve been scammed when they receive an IRS notification that their tax claim has already been filed. Simply put, file early.
Another way you can help prevent someone from filing a return in your name is to request a six-digit Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). Once you receive am IP PIN, the IRS will use it to verify your identity when you file by paper or electronically. It’s good for one calendar year, and you can generate a new one each year for your account. You can request an IP PIN at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin.
Also, be aware that scammers want your IP PIN as well. Phone calls, emails, or texts asking for it are scams. Outside of including it when filing your return, the IRS will never ask for it. If you are working with a tax professional, only provide it when it comes time to file.
Keeping tabs on your credit report and knowing if your personal information has been compromised in some way can help prevent tax fraud. Together, they can let you know if someone has stolen your identity or if you have personal info on the dark web that could lead to identity theft.
Our credit monitoring service can keep an eye on changes to your credit score, report, and accounts with timely notifications and guidance so you can take action to tackle identity theft.
Our identity monitoring service checks the dark web for your personal info, including email, government IDs, credit card and bank account info, and more—then provides alerts if your data is found on the dark web, an average of 10 months ahead of similar services.
If you fall victim to identity theft, having identity theft protection in place can provide significant relief, both financially and in terms of recovery. Our identity theft coverage & restoration support includes $1 million in funds if it’s determined that you’re a victim, which covers lawyer’s fees, travel expenses, and stolen funds reimbursement—while licensed recovery experts can help you repair your credit and identity. Considering the potential costs in both time and money, identity theft protection can speed and ease recovery.
How’d that scammer get your phone number or email address anyway? Chances are, they pulled that information off a data broker site. Data brokers buy, collect, and sell detailed personal information, which they compile from several public and private sources, such as local, state, and federal records, plus third parties like supermarket shopper’s cards and mobile apps that share and sell user data. Moreover, they’ll sell it to anyone who pays for it, including people who’ll use that information for scams.
You can help reduce those scam texts and calls by removing your information from those sites. Our Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info. We also provide guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and, with select plans, even manage the removal for you—while continuing to scan those sites in case your information reappears.
Comprehensive online protection software can help you on a number of counts. It warns you of suspicious links in emails and texts that could send you to malicious sites. It can further protect you from ransomware attacks, which IRS has also listed amongst its Dirty Dozen. And you can use it to monitor all your transactions across all your financial accounts in one place, which can spot any questionable activity. In all, tax time or otherwise, online protection software is always a strong security move.
A little stress and uncertainty can enter the picture during tax season, and scammers know it. In fact, they prey upon it. They concoct their scams around those feelings, hoping that you’ll take the bait and act quickly without taking the time to scrutinize what they’re saying and what they’re really asking you to do.
Keeping up to date on what the latest scams are, having a good sense of which ones get recycled every year, and putting protections in place can help you avoid getting stung by a scam during tax season.
For yet more information, visit the IRS Tax Scam and Consumer Alert site at: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts
The post How to Protect Yourself Against Tax Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
When I started my job as Cybermum – over 10 years ago – it was quite common to strategise ways to prevent your private information appearing online. But those days have long gone. Unless you have been living off the grid and opted out of life completely, having an online presence is now essential. Whether you’re paying bills, booking appointments or renewing your insurance premiums, many companies have made it almost impossible to conduct your business in person, forcing even the most reluctant of us online.
Now, many of us consider ourselves to be proactive in managing just what we share online by using VPNs, not always setting up accounts with online stores and ensuring our social media privacy settings are nice and tight. But unfortunately, managing your privacy online is more complicated than that. In fact, most of us maybe sharing our private information online every day without even knowing. So, in the spirit of keeping you safe – here are three different areas that I suggest you focus on to ensure you know exactly where you are sharing your private information
Every time you visit an online site, send an email, search for information or basically do anything online, multiple parties collect this information. Your Internet Service Provider (ISP), Wi-Fi network administrator, operating system e.g. Windows or iOS, search engine plus the websites and apps you use will all keep a record of what’s you’re up to – even if you are in Incognito Mode!
This information is often gathered using cookies – small files that are placed on your device by the website that you visit. These are created whenever you visit a website, and they contain data about your visit. Some websites are required by law to advise you if and when they use cookies but if you choose to reject cookies, your browsing experience can become really clunky.
What each of these parties does with your private information varies. Your ISP, for example, can easily put together a pretty accurate profile based on your searching, location and downloads and link this to your IP (unique) address. This data can be held for years – subject to your country’s laws and could potentially be used for surveillance, policing and even advertising.
Now I appreciate that my ISP is required to collect information for the greater good but I am far less comfortable when search engines, websites and apps collect my private data. Since the Cambridge Analytica Scandal of 2018, the industry has definitely had a shake-up however this can still be a risky business.
You know those annoying pop-up adds that just randomly appear on your devices? Well – that’s adware, software that is designed to generate revenue through advertisements. Many of us download it without knowing – you may have downloaded a free program or app without realising it contained bonus adware software. Alternatively, hackers can insert it into your system by exploiting a vulnerability in your software – that’s why you need to keep all your software updated!
And while those pop-ups can be super irritating what you really need to worry about is that adware can compromise your online privacy. Adware is designed to track your search and browsing history so it can display ads that are most relevant to you. And once the adware developer has your location and browser history, they are likely to sell this info to a third party, making themselves a nice, tidy profit – all without you even knowing!!
When I first discovered autofill, I was hooked! No need to tediously enter your name, address, telephone number- even credit card – every time you need it! How good?? But I have since learnt that having autofill enabled on your computer means your personal information is at risk of being hacked. Cybercrims have mastered the art of capturing our credentials by tricking browsers to share our personal details and here’s how: unsuspecting people are lured to a compromised website that has an invisible form. Autofill identifies that there is a form on the site and then gives up your private information allowing the hacker to collect your credentials.
Not sure whether it’s worth the effort? Well, let me make it simple – if you want to lock down your online identity to ensure your financial health and reputation aren’t compromised then you need to do something very soon! Imagine losing your hard-earned savings or having your Instagram account hacked and your reputation compromised? Not fun at all – so it’s time to take action, my friends.
Stay Safe
Alex
The post How You May be Sharing Private Information Online Without Even Knowing appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Who else loves tax season besides accountants? Scammers.
It’s high time of year for online risks here in the U.S. with the onset of tax season, where scammers unleash all manner of scams aimed at taxpayers. The complexity, and even uncertainty, of filing a proper tax return can stir up anxieties like, Have I filed correctly, Did I claim the right deductions, Will I get audited, and Will I get stung with a tax penalty are just a few—and these are the very same anxieties that criminals use as the cornerstone of their attacks.
Yet like so many scams, tax scams give off telltale signs that they’re indeed not on the up-and-up. You have ways you can spot one before you get caught up in one.
In all, we’ve learned to watch our step with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), so much so that receiving a notification from the IRS can feel like an unwanted surprise. Uh oh, did I do something wrong? However, in reality, less than 2% of returns get audited and most discrepancies or adjustments can get handled easily if addressed promptly.
Still, that wariness of the IRS makes for ripe pickings when it comes to hackers, who prey on people’s fear of audits and penalties. Common scams include email phishing attacks, phone calls from crooks posing as IRS agents, texts claiming there’s a problem with our tax software, and even robocalls that threaten jail time for unpaid back taxes. What’s more, fraudsters can take things a step further by committing identity theft and then filing tax claims in other people’s names.
With that, let’s dig into a list of the top scams wind up on our screens and phones during tax time.
Straight from the authority itself, the IRS publishes its Dirty Dozen, an annual list of the top tax season scams. Year-over-year, many of the same scams make the list, yet new ones continue to crop up as scammers try to take advantage of current events. A couple recent examples include email phishing scams centered around Employee Retention Credits, pandemic relief checks, and federal stimulus checks. Additionally, the IRS has warned filers about disinformation that circulates on social media, such as bogus advice that urges filers to alter their W-2 figures for a better refund. With new scams entering the mix every tax season, the Dirty Dozen offers plenty of good advice that can help you steer clear of scams.
We all know the annoyance of spammy phone calls, whether they’re for phony car warranties, tech support services, or debt collection agencies. During this time of year, you can add phony IRS agents and financial service providers to the list.
The stories that scammers will tell will vary, but they often share common themes:
Another thing they have in common: they each outright ask for money, personal information, and sometimes a combination of both. All of which is an indication of a scam.
For the record, per the IRS, it does not:
Also per the IRS, they cannot revoke your driver’s license, business licenses, or immigration status. As noted above, scammers will often weave these threats into their stories. Those threats are entirely empty.
What will the IRS do? Generally, the IRS will first mail a notice to any taxpayer who owes taxes. In some instances, IRS collection employees may make an unannounced visit to your home and properly identify themselves with IRS-issued credentials and an federal ID card. In all cases, the revenue officer will only request required payments by cash, check, certified funds, or money order payable to “United States Treasury.”
As for scam calls that pose as financial services companies or tax preparers, ignore them. If you’re planning to work with a tax pro, do your research and work with a legitimate, accredited individual or organization. The IRS has a great resource that can get you started on your search with its “Directory of Federal Tax Return Preparers.” There you can get a list of qualified tax preparers that are verified by the IRS, which you can narrow down based on their accreditations and distance from your zip code.
One way you can be sure that someone other than the IRS has reached you is if they contact you by text, messaging app, or social media. The IRS will not contact you in any of these ways. Ignore any such messages, and if your app or platform allows you to report messages or accounts as spam, do so. You can often do it with a simple click or tap.
Another increasingly popular scam on phones is the bogus account alert. The scammer may send a message that says Your account is on hold, or something like We’ve detected unusual activity. During most of the year, scammers will use these messages to pose as online payment platforms, banks, credit card companies, online stores, and streaming services.
Now during tax season, they’ll masquerade as IRS agents or popular tax software companies. Even though the names change, the game remains the same. The text or message will serve up a link so you can “correct the situation,” one that leads to a site that could steal your personal information or otherwise trick you into installing malware on your phone.
As always, don’t click these links. Report them if you can.
Phishing emails pull many of the same tricks that calls, texts, and direct messages do—you’ll simply find them in your inbox instead. The same rules for avoiding other IRS scams apply here. First, note that the IRS will never initiate contact with you via email. Nor will they send you emails about your tax refund or any other sensitive information.
In the past, the IRS has reported that phishing emails often send their victims to lookalike IRS sites that can appear quite convincing. There, victims either receive a prompt to enter their personal and financial information or to download a file that’s laden with malware. Other emails may include attachments, which may be loaded with malware as well.
Delete any such emails you receive. And if you have any concerns, contact your tax professional or the IRS directly. Also, the IRS asks people who receive scam emails to notify them at phishing@irs.gov. This helps the IRS track and prosecute scammers.
Imagine filing your return only to find out it’s already been filed.
A far more serious form of tax-related crime is identity theft, where a scammer uses the victim’s personal information and Social Security number to file a return in the victim’s name—and claim the refund. One particularly painful aspect of identity theft and taxes is that victims often find out only after it occurs or when it’s well underway. For example:
Other signs are related to employment, such as getting assigned an Employer Identification Number even though you didn’t request one, discovering that the IRS shows you received income from an employer you didn’t work for, or finding out that someone has claimed unemployment benefits in your name. Once again, both are signs of full-on identity theft where someone has assumed your identity.
The IRS states that you should always respond to any IRS notice, particularly if you believe it is in error. If you’ve already contacted the IRS about an identity theft issue, you can reach them at 800-908-4490 for further assistance.
Understand that if this form of identity theft occurs to you, it’s highly likely that the scammer has your Social Security number. Report that right away at https://www.ssa.gov/number-card/report-stolen-number if you think your number is being used by someone else.
Your Social Security number ranks at the very top of your most valuable personal information. It unlocks everything from driver’s licenses, photo identification, employment, insurance claims, and of course taxes. Act immediately if you think it’s been compromised.
One way to protect yourself from an identity thief from claiming a return in your name is to file yours before they do. As mentioned, many victims of identity theft find out they’ve been scammed when they receive an IRS notification that their tax claim has already been filed. Simply put, file early.
Another way you can help prevent someone from filing a return in your name is to request a six-digit Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN). Once you receive am IP PIN, the IRS will use it to verify your identity when you file by paper or electronically. It’s good for one calendar year, and you can generate a new one each year for your account. You can request an IP PIN at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin.
Also be aware that scammers want your IP PIN as well. Phone calls, emails, or texts asking for it are scams. Outside of including it when filing your return, the IRS will never ask for it. If you are working with a tax professional, only provide it when it comes time to file.
Keeping tabs on your credit report and knowing if your personal information has been compromised in some way can help prevent tax fraud. Together, they can let you know if someone has stolen your identity or if you have personal info on the dark web that could lead to identity theft.
Our credit monitoring service can keep an eye on changes to your credit score, report, and accounts with timely notifications and guidance so you can take action to tackle identity theft.
Our identity monitoring service checks the dark web for your personal info, including email, government IDs, credit card and bank account info, and more—then provides alerts if your data is found on the dark web, an average of 10 months ahead of similar services.
If you fall victim to identity theft, having identity theft protection in place can provide significant relief, both financially and in terms of recovery. Our identity theft coverage & restoration support includes $1 million in funds if it’s determined that you’re a victim, which covers lawyer’s fees, travel expenses, and stolen funds reimbursement—while licensed recovery experts can help you repair your credit and identity. Considering the potential costs in both time and money, identity theft protection can speed and ease recovery.
How’d that scammer get your phone number or email address anyway? Chances are, they pulled that information off a data broker site. Data brokers buy, collect, and sell detailed personal information, which they compile from several public and private sources, such as local, state, and federal records, plus third parties like supermarket shopper’s cards and mobile apps that share and sell user data. Moreover, they’ll sell it to anyone who pays for it, including people who’ll use that information for scams.
You can help reduce those scam texts and calls by removing your information from those sites. Our Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info. We also provide guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and, with select plans, even manage the removal for you—while continuing to scan those sites in case your information reappears.
Comprehensive online protection software can help you on a number of counts. It warns you of suspicious links in emails and texts that could send you to malicious sites. It can further protect you from ransomware attacks, which IRS has also listed among its Dirty Dozen. And you can use it to monitor all your transactions across all your financial accounts in one place, which can spot any questionable activity. In all, tax time or otherwise, online protection software is always a strong security move.
A little stress and uncertainty can enter the picture during tax season, and scammers know it. In fact, they prey upon it. They concoct their scams around those feelings, hoping that you’ll take the bait and act quickly without taking the time to scrutinize what they’re saying and what they’re really asking you to do.
Keeping up to date on what the latest scams are, having a good sense of which ones get recycled every year, and putting protections in place can help you avoid getting stung by a scam at tax season.
For yet more information, visit the IRS Tax Scam and Consumer Alert site at: https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/tax-scams-consumer-alerts
The post How to Stay Safe When Paying Your Taxes to the IRS appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way from high-tech labs and Hollywood plots into the hands of the general population. ChatGPT, the text generation tool, hardly needs an introduction and AI art generators (like Midjourney and DALL-E) are hot on its heels in popularity. Inputting nonsensical prompts and receiving ridiculous art clips in return is a fun way to spend an afternoon.
However, while you’re using AI art generators for a laugh, cybercriminals are using the technology to trick people into believing sensationalist fake news, catfish dating profiles, and damaging impersonations. Sophisticated AI-generated art can be difficult to spot, but here are a few signs that you may be viewing a dubious image or engaging with a criminal behind an AI-generated profile.
To better understand the cyberthreats posed by each, here are some quick definitions:
AI art and deepfake aren’t technologies found on the dark web. Anyone can download an AI art or deepfake app, such as FaceStealer and Fleeceware. Because the technology isn’t illegal and it has many innocent uses, it’s difficult to regulate.
How Do People Use AI Art Maliciously?
It’s perfectly innocent to use AI art to create a cover photo for your social media profile or to pair it with a blog post. However, it’s best to be transparent with your audience and include a disclaimer or caption saying that it’s not original artwork. AI art turns malicious when people use images to intentionally trick others and gain financially from the trickery.
Catfish may use deepfake profile pictures and videos to convince their targets that they’re genuinely looking for love. Revealing their real face and identity could put a criminal catfish at risk of discovery, so they either use someone else’s pictures or deepfake an entire library of pictures.
Fake news propagators may also enlist the help of AI art or a deepfake to add “credibility” to their conspiracy theories. When they pair their sensationalist headlines with a photo that, at quick glance, proves its legitimacy, people may be more likely to share and spread the story. Fake news is damaging to society because of the extreme negative emotions they can generate in huge crowds. The resulting hysteria or outrage can lead to violence in some cases.
Finally, some criminals may use deepfake to trick face ID and gain entry to sensitive online accounts. To prevent someone from deepfaking their way into your accounts, protect your accounts with multifactor authentication. That means that more than one method of identification is necessary to open the account. These methods can be one-time codes sent to your cellphone, passwords, answers to security questions, or fingerprint ID in addition to face ID.
Before you start an online relationship or share an apparent news story on social media, scrutinize images using these three tips to pick out malicious AI-generated art and deepfake.
Fake images usually don’t appear by themselves. There’s often text or a larger article around them. Inspect the text for typos, poor grammar, and overall poor composition. Phishers are notorious for their poor writing skills. AI-generated text is more difficult to detect because its grammar and spelling are often correct; however, the sentences may seem choppy.
Does the image seem too bizarre to be real? Too good to be true? Extend this generation’s rule of thumb of “Don’t believe everything you read on the internet” to include “Don’t believe everything you see on the internet.” If a fake news story is claiming to be real, search for the headline elsewhere. If it’s truly noteworthy, at least one other site will report on the event.
AI technology often generates a finger or two too many on hands, and a deepfake creates eyes that may have a soulless or dead look to them. Also, there may be shadows in places where they wouldn’t be natural, and the skin tone may look uneven. In deepfaked videos, the voice and facial expressions may not exactly line up, making the subject look robotic and stiff.
Fake images are tough to spot, and they’ll likely get more realistic the more the technology improves. Awareness of emerging AI threats better prepares you to take control of your online life. There are quizzes online that compare deepfake and AI art with genuine people and artworks created by humans. When you have a spare ten minutes, consider taking a quiz and recognizing your mistakes to identify malicious fake art in the future.
To give you more confidence in the security of your online life, partner with McAfee. McAfee+ Ultimate is the all-in-one privacy, identity, and device security service. Protect up to six members of your family with the family plan, and receive up to $2 million in identity theft coverage. Partner with McAfee to stop any threats that sneak under your watchful eye.
The post How to Spot Fake Art and Deepfakes appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Malware—the term seems to be at the center of the news every day, with each headline telling of a new way the cyber threat has inserted itself into our lives. From an entire attack campaign on banks worldwide, to a strain residing within medical devices, to a variant that has learned to self-heal, the list of malware-based attacks goes on. And as they do, it’s becoming more and more clear that today’s malware has not only become adaptive, but has learned how to spread its wings further than before, to devices beyond laptops and phones, and in a way that creates a longevity behind each cyberattack it spearheads.
However, though it is important to understand the many forms that malware, or malicious software, takes, it’s crucial to first and foremost grasp what it is.
The abbreviated term for malicious software, “malware,” is a generic term used to describe any type of software or code specifically designed to exploit a computer/mobile device or the data it contains, without consent. Most malware is designed to have some financial gain for the cybercriminal, as crooks typically use it to extract data that they can leverage over victims. That information can range anywhere from financial data, to healthcare records, to personal emails and passwords—the possibilities of what sort of information can be compromised have become endless.
So how exactly can these cybercriminals get their hands on so much data? Since its birth over 30 years ago, malware has found a variety of vessels to help it enact attacks. This includes email attachments, malicious advertisements on popular sites (malvertising), fake software installations, USB drives, infected apps, phishing emails, and even text messages.
Now, these are just a few of the ways malicious software can be delivered–but there are also different kinds of malware itself. To name a few:
Now that you know what malware is, how it can be delivered, and the many forms it takes, it’s time to learn how you can protect yourself against it:
The post Malware: 5 Tips for Fighting the Malicious Software appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It all feels so harmless. Who isn’t even alittle curious which celebrity is their look-a-like or what ’80s song best matches their personality? While some of these fun little quizzes and facial recognition-type games that pop up on social media are advertiser-generated and harmless, others have been carefully designed to steal your data.
According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) consumers need to beware with the IQ tests, quizzes that require you to trade information. Depending on the goal of the scam, one click could result in a new slew of email or text spam, malicious data mining, or even a monthly charge on your phone bill.
Besides the spammy quizzes, scammers also use click bait, that are headlines designed to get your click and your data. Such headlines often promise juicy info on celebrities and may even legitimate human interest stories that claim, “and you won’t believe what happened next.” While some of those headlines are authored by reputable companies simply trying to sell products and compete for clicks, others are data traps that chip away at your privacy.
The best defense against click bait is knowledge. Similar to the plague of fake news circulating online, click bait is getting more sophisticated and deceptive in appearance, which means that users must be even more sophisticated in understanding how to sidestep these digital traps.
Our digital landscape is peppered with fake news and click bait, which makes it difficult to build trust with individuals and brands who have legitimate messages and products to share. As you become savvy to the kinds of data scams, your discernment and ability to hold onto your clicks will become second nature. Continue to have fun, learn, connect, but guard your heart with every click. Be sure to keep yor devices protected while you do!
The post Are You Getting Caught by Click Bait? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Scammers now have new tools to lure people who are looking for love online, by reeling in potential victims with artificial intelligence (AI). Thanks to the aid of popular AI tools like ChatGPT, scammers can potentially generate anything from seemingly innocent intro chats to full-blown love letters in seconds, all ready to dupe their victims on demand.
Tactics like these are typical of “catfishing” in dating and romance scams, where the scammer creates a phony online persona and uses it to lure their victim into a relationship for financial gain. Think of it as a bait-and-hook approach, where the promise of love is the bait, and theft is the hook.
And as explained above, baiting that hook just got far easier with AI.
Sound farfetched? After all, who would fall for such a thing? It turns out that a sophisticated AI chatbot can sound an awful lot like a real person seeking romance. In our latest “Modern Love” research report, we presented a little love letter to more than 5,000 people worldwide and asked them if it was written by a person or by AI:
My dearest,
The moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that my heart would forever be yours. Your beauty, both inside and out, is unmatched and your kind and loving spirit only adds to my admiration for you.
You are my heart, my soul, my everything. I cannot imagine a life without you, and I will do everything in my power to make you happy. I love you now and forever.
Forever yours …
One-third of the people (33%) thought that a person wrote this letter, 31% said an AI wrote it, and 36% said they couldn’t tell one way or another.
What did you think? If you said that a person wrote the letter, you got hoodwinked. An AI wrote it.
The implications are concerning. Put plainly, scammers can turn on the charm practically at will with AI, generating high volumes of romance-laden content for potentially high volumes of victims. And as our research indicates, plenty of people are ready to soak it up.
Worldwide, we found:
Chatting with a stranger is one thing. Yet how often did it lead to a request for money or other personal information? More than half the time.
Scammers love a good story, one that’s intriguing enough to be believable, such as holding a somewhat exotic job outside of the country. Common tales include drilling on an offshore oil rig, working as a doctor for an international relief organization, or typically some sort of job that prevents them from meeting up in person.
Luckily, this is where many people start to catch on. In our research, people said they found out they were being catfished when:
Of course, the true telltale sign of an online dating or romance scam is when the scammer asks for money. The scammer includes a little story with that request too, usually revolving around some sort of hardship. They may say they need to pay for travel or medical expenses, a visa or other travel documents, or even customs fees to retrieve an item that they say is stuck in the mail. There’s always some kind of twist or intriguing complication that seems just reasonable enough such that the victim falls for it.
Scammers will often favor payment via wire transfers, gift cards, and reloadable debit cards, because they’re like cash in many regards—once you fork over that money, it’s as good as gone. These forms of payment offer few protections in the event of scam, theft, or loss, unlike a credit card charge that you can contest or cancel with the credit card company. Unsurprisingly, scammers have also added cryptocurrency to that list because it’s notoriously difficult to trace and recover.
In all, a romance scammer will typically look for the easiest payment method that’s the most difficult to contest, reimburse, or trace back to the recipient. Requests for money, particularly in these forms, should raise a major red flag.
What makes online dating and romance scams so malicious, and so difficult to sniff out, is that scammers prey on people’s emotions. This is love we’re talking about, after all. People may not always think or act clearly to the extent that they may wave away their doubts—or even defend the scammer when friends or family confront them on the relationship.
However, an honest look at yourself and the relationship you’re in provides some of the best guidance around when it comes to meeting new people online:
Scammers, although arguably heartless, are still human. They make mistakes. The stories they concoct are just that. Stories. They may jumble their details, get their times and dates all wrong, or simply get caught in an apparent lie. Also, keep in mind that some scammers may be working on several victims at once, which is yet another opportunity for them to get confused and slip up.
In the cases where scammers may use AI tools to pad their conversations, you can look for several other signs. AI still isn’t always the smoothest operator when it comes to language. AI often uses short sentences and reuses the same words, and sometimes it generates a lot of content without saying much at all. What you’re reading may seem to lack a certain … substance.
Scammers are likely to use all kinds of openers. That text you got from an unknown number that says, “Hi, where are you? We’re still meeting for lunch, right?” or that out-of-the-blue friend request on social media are a couple examples. Yet before that, the scammer had to track down your number or profile some way or somehow. Chances are, all they needed to do was a little digging around online.
Be critical of the invitations you receive. Out-and-out strangers could be more than a romance scammer, they could be a fake account designed to gather information on users for purposes of cybercrime, or they can be an account designed to spread false information. There are plenty of them too. In fact, in Q3 of 2022 alone, Facebook took action on 1.5 billion fake accounts. Reject requests from strangers.
How did that scammer get your phone number or contact information in the first place? It could have come from a data broker site. Data brokers are part of a global data economy estimated at $200 billion U.S. dollars a year fueled by thousands of data points on billions of people scraped from public records, social media, third-party sources, and sometimes other data broker sites as well. With info from data broker sites, scammers compile huge lists of potential victims for their spammy texts and calls.
Our Personal Data Cleanup can help remove your info from those sites for you. Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info. It also provides guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and can even manage the removal for you depending on your plan. It also monitors those sites, so if your info gets posted again, you can request its removal again.
Online protection software can protect you from clicking on malicious links that a scammer may send you online, while also steering you clear of other threats like viruses, ransomware, and phishing attacks in general. It can look out for your personal information as well, protecting your privacy by monitoring the dark web for your email, SSN, bank accounts, credit cards, and other info that a scammer or identity thief may put to use. With identity theft a rather commonplace occurrence today, security software is really a must.
Worldwide, we found that 30% of men (and 26% of all adults) said they plan to use artificial intelligence tools to put their feelings into words. Yet, there’s a flipside. We also found that 49% of respondents said they’d be offended if they found out the note they received had been produced by a machine.
So why are people turning to AI? The most popular reason given for using AI as a ghostwriter was that it would make the sender feel more confident (27%), while others cited lack of time (21%) or lack of inspiration (also 21%), while 10% said it would just be quicker and easier and that they didn’t think they’d get found out.
It’s also worth noting that true romance seekers have called upon AI to kick off chats in dating apps, which might take the form of an ice-breaking joke or wistful comment. Likewise, AI-enabled apps have started cropping up in app stores, which can coach you through a conversation based on contextual cues like asking someone out or rescheduling a date. Some can even create AI-generated art on demand to share a feeling through an image.
It may be better than opening a conversation with an otherwise dull “hey,” yet as our research shows, there are risks involved if people lean on it too heavily—and prove to be quite a different person when they start talking on their own.
It’s important to remember that an AI chatbot like ChatGPT is a tool. It’s not inherently good or bad. It’s all in the hands of the user and how they choose to apply it. And in the case of scammers, AI chatbots have the potential to do a lot of harm.
However, you can protect yourself. In fact, you can still spot online dating and romance scams in much the same way as before. They still follow certain rules and share the same signs. If anything, the one thing that has changed is this: reading messages today calls for extra scrutiny. It will take a sharp eye to tell what’s real and what’s fake.
As our research showed, online dating and romance scams begin and end with you. Thinking back to what we learned as children about “stranger danger” goes a long way here. Be suspicious and, better yet, don’t engage. Go about your way. And if you do find yourself chatting with someone who requests money or personal information, end it. Painful as the decision may be, it’s the right decision. No true friend or partner, one you’ve never seen or met, would rightfully ask that of you.
Editor’s Note:
Online dating and romance scams are a crime. If you think that you or someone you know has fallen victim to one, report it to your authorities and appropriate government agencies. In the case of identity theft or loss of personal information, our knowledge base article on identity theft offers suggestions for the specific steps you can take in specific countries, along with helpful links for local authorities that you can turn to for reporting and assistance.
The post Could ChatGPT Cause Heartbreak with Online Dating Scams? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
If you’re like most people, you like to stay connected whether you are traveling or just on the go. That’s why it can be tempting to connect to free, public Wi-Fi networks, but you should know that these networks could open you up to some serious risks.
Public Wi-Fi networks often lack a security measure called encryption, which scrambles the information sent from your computer or device to the router so strangers cannot read it. Without this security measure in place, the information you send over these networks can potentially be intercepted by cybercrooks.
This information could include your banking and social media passwords, as well as your identity information. A nosy cybercriminal could also potentially snoop on you by watching which websites you visit, and what you type into web forms.
In fact, it is so easy to steal your information over unsecured networks cybercrooks sometimes set up malicious Wi-Fi hotspots in high-traffic areas, like airports, with the intention of grabbing users’ information.
That’s why if you have to connect when you’re away, you should only use secure and well-advertised Wi-Fi networks. You can usually tell if they use encryption because they require a password to join.
If you have to do something sensitive online, like check your bank account balance or make a purchase, try to stick to webpages that start with “HTTPS” rather than just “HTTP”. The “S” stands for secure and indicates that the site uses encryption to protect your data. You can also look for a green lock icon at the beginning of the browser address, which indicates that the website connection is secure.
If you are on your mobile phone, you can skip the Wi-Fi network altogether and connect using the cellular network. It is somewhat more secure since it’s harder for cybercrooks to sniff out your individual data from others on the network.
If you travel a lot, consider investing in a Virtual Private Network (VPN), which is a piece of software that allows you to create a secure connection to another network over the Internet. Anyone potentially trying to snoop on you will only see that you are connected to the VPN, and not what you are doing.
Of course, the most important thing is to remember that using public Wi-Fi is always risky, and requires some extra steps to protect your data.
The post Why You Need to Watch Out When Using Public Wi-Fi appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Written by James Schmidt
Editor’s Note: We often speak of online scams in our blogs, ones that cost victims hundreds if not thousands of dollars. This account puts a face on one of those scams—along with the personal, financial, and emotional pain that they can leave in their wake. This is the story of “Meredith,” whose aunt “Leslie” fell victim to an emerging form on online elder fraud. Our thanks to James for bringing it forward and to “Meredith’s” family for sharing it, all so others can prevent such scams from happening to them.
“Embarrassing. Simply embarrassing.” She shook her head. “It’s too raw. I can’t talk about it right now. I need time.”
Her aunt had been scammed. To the tune of $100,000 dollars. My colleague—we both work in the security industry—felt a peculiar sense of loss.
“I work in this industry. I thought I’d done everything right. I’ve passed on enough warnings to my family and friends to ensure they’d avoid the fate of the scammed. Simply because I’m in this industry does not imply my circle is always aware of all the threats to them, even if I do my best to teach them.”
“My mental state, recently, borders on shame; this feeling, you know? How could someone working in my industry have something like this happen to a family member?”
I told her many people working in other industries cannot control what happens to people in their families even if people in that industry had knowledge that could have helped them or otherwise avoided a problem altogether.
“I know, but this simply should never have happened! My aunt is one of the smartest, most conscientious people I know, and she fell for this. It’s crazy and I can’t wrap my head around it.”
My colleague, let’s call her Meredith (not her real name as she’s a bit ashamed to know this happened to a family member), told me the beginnings.
Let’s call her aunt Leslie.
Her story unfolds, the overall picture a pastiche of millions of people in the United States today. Her aunt is retired, bored, lonely, and isolated. She feels adrift without something to occupy her time; she was looking for companionship, connections, someone (anyone) to talk to. Her feelings intensified during the pandemic. She morphed into perfect prey for scammers of what is now known as the “Pig Butchering Scam.”
The term “Pig Butchering” has a visceral and raw feel to it, which falls right in line with how brutal this scam can be. It’s a long con game, where the scammer befriends the victim and encourages them to make small investments through the scammer, which get bigger and bigger over time. The scammer builds trust early with what appear to be small investment wins. None of it is legit. The money goes right into the scammer’s pocket, even as the scammer shows the victim phony financial statements and dashboards to show off the bogus returns. Confidence grows. The scammer wrings even larger sums out of the victim. And then disappears.
It was a targeted attack that started innocuously enough with a “fake wrong number”. An SMS arrives. A text conversation starts. The scammer then apologizes but tells Leslie someone gave them the number to initiate the text.
The scammer then uses emotional and psychological techniques to keep Leslie hooked. “How are you, are you having a nice day?” Leslie, being bored and interested, engages willingly.
The scammer asks to talk directly, not via text: and a phone conversation ensues. The scammer proceeds to describe—in very soothing detail—what they are doing, helping people, like Leslie, invest their “hard-earned money” into something that will make them more money, to help them out in retirement.
Of course, it is too good to be true.
“The craziest part of all of this is my aunt refuses—to this day—to believe she’s been scammed!”
She still thinks this scammer is a “friend” even though the entire family is up in arms over this, all of whom beg her aunt to “open her eyes.”
“My aunt still thinks she’d going to see that money again, or even make some money, which is crazy. The scammers are so good at emotional intelligence; really leveraging heartstrings and psychological makeup of the forlorn in society. My aunt finally agreed to stop sending more money to the scammers, but only after the entire family threatened to cut her off from the rest of the family. It took a lot to get her to stop trusting the scammers.”
Meredith feels this is doubly sad as the aunt in question is not someone they’d ever imagine would in this predicament. She was always the upright one, always the diligent and hardworking and the best with money. She is smart and savvy and we could never imagine her to be taken by these people and taken so easily. It boggles the mind.”
She did start to change in the last few years. And the pandemic created a weird situation. Retirement, loneliness from loss of a partner, and the added burden of the pandemic created a perfect storm for her to open herself up to someone willingly, simply for the sake of connection.
“No one deserves this. It has rocked my family to the core. It is not only about the money, but we’ve found family bonds stretched. She believes these random people, these scammers, more than she believes her own family. Have we been neglectful of our aunt? Does she no longer put her faith in people she knows, rather gives money to complete strangers?”
Being a security professional does not provide magical protection. We are more aware of scams and scammers, and how they work, and what to look for, and we try to do all we can to keep our family aware of scams out there in the big wide world, but we are human. We fall short.
Diligence is action. Awareness is action. Education is action.
We need to be better, all of us, at socializing risky things. We need to consistently educate our family and friends to protect themselves, not only via security software (which everyone should have as default) but by providing tips and tricks and warnings for things we all need to be on the lookout. This is not a one-time thing. The cliché holds true: “If you see something say something.” Repetition helps.
In today’s world, the need for protecting people’s security, identity, and privacy is critical to keeping them safe. Scammers long stopped focusing on attacking only your computer. Now focus more than ever on YOU: your identity, your privacy, your trust. If they get you there, they soon get your money.
As for contributing factors to scammers success with their victims, such as loneliness, isolation, and boredom, they all have remedies. Make connections with your loved ones, especially those easily tagged as vulnerable, those you feel might be at risk. Reach out. It may be hard sometimes due to distance and other factors but make it a point to connect. There is a reason these scammers are succeeding. They are stepping into roles of companions to people who are desperate for connection.
Most people are greatly saddened at seeing other people being “taken.” Let’s work together to help stop the scammers.
Look out for each other, and get your people protected!
Editor’s Closing Note:
If you or someone you know suspects elder fraud, the following resources can help:
For further reading on scams and scam prevention, check out the guides in our McAfee Safety Series, which provide in-depth advice on protecting your identity and privacy—and your family from scams. They’re ready to download and share.
The post A Scam in the Family—How a Close Relative Lost $100,000 to an Elder Scam appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Written by James Schmidt
Editor’s Note: We often speak of online scams in our blogs, ones that cost victims hundreds if not thousands of dollars. This account puts a face on one of those scams—along with the personal, financial, and emotional pain that they can leave in their wake. This is the story of “Meredith,” whose aunt “Leslie” fell victim to an emerging form on online elder fraud. Our thanks to James for bringing it forward and to “Meredith’s” family for sharing it, all so others can prevent such scams from happening to them.
“Embarrassing. Simply embarrassing.” She shook her head. “It’s too raw. I can’t talk about it right now. I need time.”
Her aunt had been scammed. To the tune of $100,000 dollars. My colleague—we both work in the security industry—felt a peculiar sense of loss.
“I work in this industry. I thought I’d done everything right. I’ve passed on enough warnings to my family and friends to ensure they’d avoid the fate of the scammed. Simply because I’m in this industry does not imply my circle is always aware of all the threats to them, even if I do my best to teach them.”
“My mental state, recently, borders on shame; this feeling, you know? How could someone working in my industry have something like this happen to a family member?”
I told her many people working in other industries cannot control what happens to people in their families even if people in that industry had knowledge that could have helped them or otherwise avoided a problem altogether.
“I know, but this simply should never have happened! My aunt is one of the smartest, most conscientious people I know, and she fell for this. It’s crazy and I can’t wrap my head around it.”
My colleague, let’s call her Meredith (not her real name as she’s a bit ashamed to know this happened to a family member), told me the beginnings.
Let’s call her aunt Leslie.
Her story unfolds, the overall picture a pastiche of millions of people in the United States today. Her aunt is retired, bored, lonely, and isolated. She feels adrift without something to occupy her time; she was looking for companionship, connections, someone (anyone) to talk to. Her feelings intensified during the pandemic. She morphed into perfect prey for scammers of what is now known as the “Pig Butchering Scam.”
The term “Pig Butchering” has a visceral and raw feel to it, which falls right in line with how brutal this scam can be. It’s a long con game, where the scammer befriends the victim and encourages them to make small investments through the scammer, which get bigger and bigger over time. The scammer builds trust early with what appear to be small investment wins. None of it is legit. The money goes right into the scammer’s pocket, even as the scammer shows the victim phony financial statements and dashboards to show off the bogus returns. Confidence grows. The scammer wrings even larger sums out of the victim. And then disappears.
It was a targeted attack that started innocuously enough with a “fake wrong number”. An SMS arrives. A text conversation starts. The scammer then apologizes but tells Leslie someone gave them the number to initiate the text.
The scammer then uses emotional and psychological techniques to keep Leslie hooked. “How are you, are you having a nice day?” Leslie, being bored and interested, engages willingly.
The scammer asks to talk directly, not via text: and a phone conversation ensues. The scammer proceeds to describe—in very soothing detail—what they are doing, helping people, like Leslie, invest their “hard-earned money” into something that will make them more money, to help them out in retirement.
Of course, it is too good to be true.
“The craziest part of all of this is my aunt refuses—to this day—to believe she’s been scammed!”
She still thinks this scammer is a “friend” even though the entire family is up in arms over this, all of whom beg her aunt to “open her eyes.”
“My aunt still thinks she’d going to see that money again, or even make some money, which is crazy. The scammers are so good at emotional intelligence; really leveraging heartstrings and psychological makeup of the forlorn in society. My aunt finally agreed to stop sending more money to the scammers, but only after the entire family threatened to cut her off from the rest of the family. It took a lot to get her to stop trusting the scammers.”
Meredith feels this is doubly sad as the aunt in question is not someone they’d ever imagine would in this predicament. She was always the upright one, always the diligent and hardworking and the best with money. She is smart and savvy and we could never imagine her to be taken by these people and taken so easily. It boggles the mind.”
She did start to change in the last few years. And the pandemic created a weird situation. Retirement, loneliness from loss of a partner, and the added burden of the pandemic created a perfect storm for her to open herself up to someone willingly, simply for the sake of connection.
“No one deserves this. It has rocked my family to the core. It is not only about the money, but we’ve found family bonds stretched. She believes these random people, these scammers, more than she believes her own family. Have we been neglectful of our aunt? Does she no longer put her faith in people she knows, rather gives money to complete strangers?”
Being a security professional does not provide magical protection. We are more aware of scams and scammers, and how they work, and what to look for, and we try to do all we can to keep our family aware of scams out there in the big wide world, but we are human. We fall short.
Diligence is action. Awareness is action. Education is action.
We need to be better, all of us, at socializing risky things. We need to consistently educate our family and friends to protect themselves, not only via security software (which everyone should have as default) but by providing tips and tricks and warnings for things we all need to be on the lookout. This is not a one-time thing. The cliché holds true: “If you see something say something.” Repetition helps.
In today’s world, the need for protecting people’s security, identity, and privacy is critical to keeping them safe. Scammers long stopped focusing on attacking only your computer. Now focus more than ever on YOU: your identity, your privacy, your trust. If they get you there, they soon get your money.
As for contributing factors to scammers success with their victims, such as loneliness, isolation, and boredom, they all have remedies. Make connections with your loved ones, especially those easily tagged as vulnerable, those you feel might be at risk. Reach out. It may be hard sometimes due to distance and other factors but make it a point to connect. There is a reason these scammers are succeeding. They are stepping into roles of companions to people who are desperate for connection.
Most people are greatly saddened at seeing other people being “taken.” Let’s work together to help stop the scammers.
Look out for each other, and get your people protected!
Editor’s Closing Note:
If you or someone you know suspects elder fraud, the following resources can help:
For further reading on scams and scam prevention, check out the guides in our McAfee Safety Series, which provide in-depth advice on protecting your identity and privacy—and your family from scams. They’re ready to download and share.
The post A Scam in the Family—How a Close Relative Lost $100,000 to an Elder Scam appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s common practice to pull down the window shades at night. Homeowners invest in high fences. You may even cover the PIN pad when you type in your secret four-digit code at ATMs. Privacy is key to going about your daily life comfortably in your surroundings. Why shouldn’t privacy also extend to your digital surroundings?
This Data Privacy Day, round out your privacy protection toolbox with McAfee’s help so you can live your best online life safely.
An easy way to instantly boost the privacy of your every online move is to always connect to a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN scrambles your connected device’s internet session, meaning that it’s impossible for a cybercriminal to eavesdrop on your online comings and goings. VPNs are especially crucial for when you connect to public Wi-Fi networks or networks for which you cannot vouch for their security. Cybercriminals often lurk on public Wi-Fi networks at hotels, coffee shops, and libraries and pounce on users who connect their devices without the protection of a VPN.
Digital privacy not only implies remaining hidden from nefarious eyes, but also from the prying eyes of pesky advertisers. A VPN can assist with that too! When you have a VPN enabled, it confuses advertisers and targeted ads. The less information they have, the more privately you can surf online.
To improve your online privacy, it’s important to first know how safe you currently are. When you can identify your weakest digital privacy habits, you can make targeted improvements to them. Luckily, McAfee Protection Score can help you do just that! Protection Score is a helpful privacy tool that rates your current digital safety. Then, based on your score, the tool offers suggestions on how to boost your score.
For instance, Protection Score searches for your personally identifiable information (PII) on the dark web. If it finds a copy of your government ID or your financial records on a dubious site, your score will tank. While it may be alarming to have a low Protection Score, you can feel good that you’re making positive waves, hopefully before a cybercriminal takes advantage of your PII and uses it to steal your identity.
There are several easy ways to boost your score that require very little effort but have a huge payoff. Connecting to a VPN and running an antivirus scan on your device are just two things you can do and each only takes a few seconds. Changing your habits and turning your online safety around doesn’t have to be overwhelming! In some cases, there are services that’ll even do the work for you, like the service we’ll talk about next.
To round out your privacy protection toolbox, consider signing up for McAfee Personal Data Cleanup. This service is a great companion to Protection Score. While Protection Score identifies all the areas where you can improve your security, Personal Data Cleanup is a service that will remove your information from the web’s riskiest sites.
Did you know that, on average, a person has their PII for sale on 31 sites? Plus, 95% of people haven’t even given their permission and have their personal information for sale on data brokerage sites. Data brokerage sites are legal and anyone can buy your information. Online advertisers are the usual clients, but a cybercriminal can jump in and buy valuable PII, as well.
You should care about data privacy every day not just when the calendar reminds you on Data Privacy Day. Take the steps and invest in the right solutions to shore up your online defenses. McAfee+ Ultimate is an all-in-one service that includes unlimited VPN, Protection Score, a full-service Personal Data Cleanup, and 13 other high-quality identity, privacy, and device security tools.
Live your online life more confidently with McAfee, knowing that cybercriminals are less likely to slip by and damage your credit, identity, or online reputation.
The post 3 Tools to Round Out Your Privacy Protection Toolbox appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Authored by Dennis Pang
Online protection software. Antivirus. The two words get used interchangeably often enough. But sure enough, they’re different. And yet directly related when you take a closer look.
The term “antivirus” has been with us for decades now, dating back to the first software that was designed to prevent computers from getting malware—malicious code, like viruses, that would lock up computers, scramble data, or otherwise damage computers and the data on them. Prime examples of these early types of malware include 1999’s “Melissa” virus spreads by infected email attachments and the even more devastating “ILOVEYOU” virus that incurred billions in damages worldwide.
There’s a good reason why people default to the word “antivirus” so easily. Viruses have been on our collective minds for some time. And computer purchases have often been accompanied by the question, “Do you have antivirus for your computer?” By and large, the notion of antivirus has become pretty much engrained.
Yet look ahead to today and you can see how dramatically things have changed since those early days. We still need antivirus, that’s for sure. But it takes far more than that to live life safely online right now. And that’s where online protection software comes in.
Online protection software protects you. It includes antivirus, yet it further protects your identity and privacy in addition to your devices.
The way we use our computers, tablets, and phones nowadays shows the reason why we need such broad protection. We conduct so much of our lives online. We bank, we shop, we plan our finance online. We also run portions of our homes with smart devices and smart speakers. Increasingly, we track our health and wellness with connected devices too—like workouts on our phone and biometrics with consumer-grade and even medical-grade devices.
All of this creates data. Data about who we are, what we’re doing, when we’re doing it, how often, and where. That’s precious information. Private information. Personal information. And understandably, that needs to be protected.
Put simply, today’s threats have evolved. While viruses and malware remain a problem, today’s bad actors are out for the bigger games. Like stealing personal and financial info for identity theft. Moreover, organizations large and small collect data from your devices and the things you do on them, personal data that many share and sell for profit. Some of this data collection gets quite exacting, compiled from a broad range of public sources that can include records like bankruptcies, real estate sales, and birth records—plus private sources that can further include your shopping habits, the people you chat with, and what your daily travels look like based on location information captured from your smartphone.
If you find yourself surprised by this, you’re not alone. Tremendous volumes of data collection activity occur without people’s knowledge or consent.
Now as to why anyone would want any of that kind of data about you, consider the multi-billion-dollar industry of online data brokers. They compile thousands of data points from millions of people and put these vats of data up for sale to anyone who’ll buy them. That could be advertisers, potential employers, private investigators, and background checkers. And it could be bad actors as well who could use your own data to spam, harass, impersonate, or otherwise harm you.
Once, so many of these intrusions on our privacy and identity were difficult to spot, let alone prevent. For example, your personal info gets caught up in a data breach and winds up posted for sale on the dark web. How are you to know that before it’s too late and thief racks up umpteen charges on your debit card? Also, with dozens and dozens of data brokers out there, how do you track down which ones have information posted about you and then request to have it taken down? And what if online identity theft happens to you and you’re faced with the time and dollar costs it involves to set things right?
So just as online threats have evolved, so has online protection software. We go about so much of our day online, and online protection like our own McAfee+ helps you do it more privately and more safely. It’s quite comprehensive, and the various plans for McAfee+ include:
For certain, protections like these remain a primary focus of ours, because they protect you. And that’s who thieves and bad actors are really after—you, your information, your accounts, and even your identity. Expect us to continue to roll out more protections that look after you in this way and more.
So, while antivirus and online protection software are different, they work together. Antivirus provides strong device security, which complements the additional privacy and identity features included with online protection. That reflects how times have changed. Once it was enough to protect our devices from viruses and malware. Now we have to protect ourselves as well. Antivirus alone won’t do it, but antivirus as part of online protection will.
The post The Big Difference Between Online Protection Software and Antivirus appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Are you an online oversharer? Do you give your full birthday to all your online shopping accounts? Have a few companies you have accounts with been breached but you didn’t take any action at the time? If you have bad digital habits, now is an excellent time to reset your digital presence.
In isolation, these small digital transgressions don’t seem like a problem; however, cybercriminals can gather the bits and pieces of information you release into the world and Frankenstein them together to create believable impersonations or entirely new identities.
To protect your identity, here are a few ways to limit the amount of personally identifiable information (PII) you share online, plus a few tools that can help you identify and close your current security holes.
Most digital bad habits seem insignificant; however, the more bad habits you have that pile-up, the more at risk your PII and your identity can be. Check out this list of three common habits that you should consider breaking today and why.
When you sign up for new online shopping accounts, some companies ask for your birthday, your age, your middle name, and primary and secondary phone numbers and email addresses. While it might be nice to receive a special coupon on your birthday, you may want to reconsider volunteering unnecessary private details. To compromise you can sign up with a nickname and leave your birth year blank. That way, if a cybergang ever breaches the company, the criminals won’t get far with your personal details. To steal an identity and ruin someone’s credit, sometimes all it takes it a full name, birthday, and phone number.
Do you post your every thought and movement on social media? While curating the perfect online profile can be fun, it can also be dangerous to your online safety. For instance, posting “get to know you” quizzes are a gold mine for social engineers and cyber criminals, as the results often reveal potential password inspiration, security question answers, and your likes and dislikes. From here, criminals can take educated guesses at your passwords or tailor a social engineering scheme that’s most likely to fool you. Consider setting your social media profiles to private and blocking followers you don’t know personally. Or, just keep parts of your life a mystery to the wider world.
We can all agree that increasingly strict password requirements are leading to longer and more complex passwords that are confusing to cyber criminals and to the rightful account holders, too! It’s tempting to reuse passwords to reduce the burden on your memory, but this puts your valuable PII in danger. Password and username combinations are often information that’s leaked in company breaches. In what’s called a brute force attack, a cybercriminal can plug that same pairing into hundreds of websites and wait for a hit. Since unique passwords for all your dozens of accounts is imperative, entrust their safekeeping to a password manager.
If you’re feeling uneasy about your online habits and the effect they may have had on your online safety, McAfee Protection Score gives you the information you need to take charge and make changes. Protection Score not only tells you how safe (or unsafe) you are, but the tool also offers suggestions on how you can raise your score, and thus be safer online. The service monitors data breaches and indicates when your email was part of a leak. Protection Score also dives into the dark web so you don’t have to. If your government ID or financial information appears, your score will take a large hit.
Protection Score not only tells you how safe (or unsafe) you are, but the tool also offers suggestions on how you can raise your score, and thus be safer online. The sooner you know your weak points, the quicker and more completely you can fortify your defenses and clean up after months (or years) of bad habits. Knowledge is power in the right against cyber criminals, so Protection Score is an excellent partner to help adopt smarter habits on the path to better online security.
With McAfee+ Ultimate, you not only get a Protection Score but a host of other top-rate tools to protect your identity, retain your online privacy, and help you recover from an identity theft. Running an antivirus, connecting to a VPN and installing web protection on your browser are all ways to increase your Protection Score, and these features are available with McAfee’s most thorough privacy, identity, and device protection service.
Make 2023 the year of living online confidently and safely!
The post New Year, New You: Start Fresh With McAfee Protection Score appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Ransomware. Even the name sounds scary.
When you get down to it, ransomware is one of the nastiest attacks a hacker can wage. They target some of our most important and precious things—our files, our photos, and the information stored on our devices. Think about suddenly losing access to all of them and being forced to pay a ransom to get access back. Worse yet, paying the ransom is no guarantee the hacker will return them.
That’s what a ransomware attack does. Broadly speaking, it’s a type of malware that infects a network or a device and then typically encrypts the files, data, and apps stored on it, digitally scrambling them so the proper owners can’t access them. Only a digital key can unlock them—one that the hacker holds.
Nasty for sure, yet you can take several steps that can greatly reduce the risk of it happening to you. Our recently published Ransomware Security Guide breaks them down for you, and in this blog we’ll look at a few reasons why ransomware protection is so vital.
The short answer is pretty bad—to the tune of billions of dollars stolen from victims each year. Ransomware targets people and their families just as explained above. Yet it also targets large organizations, governments, and even companies that run critical stretches of energy infrastructure and the food supply chain. Accordingly, the ransom amounts for these victims climb into millions of dollars.
A few recent cases of large-scale ransomware attacks include:
Who’s behind such attacks? Given the scope and scale of them, it’s often organized hacking groups. Put simply, these are big heists. It demands expertise to pull them off, not to mention further expertise to transfer large sums of cryptocurrency in ways that cover the hackers’ tracks.
As for ransomware attacks on people and their families, the individual dollar amounts of an attack are far lower, typically in the hundreds of dollars. Again, the culprits behind them may be large hacking groups that cast a wider net for individual victims, where hundreds of successful attacks at hundreds of dollars each quickly add up. One example: a hacker group that posed as a government agency and as a major retailer, which mailed out thousands of USB drives infected with malware.
Other ransomware hackers who target people and families are far less sophisticated. Small-time hackers and hacking groups can find the tools they need to conduct such attacks by shopping on the dark web, where ransomware is available for sale or for lease as a service (Ransomware as a Service, or RaaS). In effect, near-amateur hackers can grab a ready-to-deploy attack right off the shelf.
Taken together, hackers will level a ransomware attack at practically anyone or any organization—making it everyone’s concern.
Hackers have several ways of getting ransomware onto one of your devices. Like any other type of malware, it can infect your device via a phishing link or a bogus attachment. It can also end up there by downloading apps from questionable app stores, with a stolen or hacked password, or through an outdated device or network router with poor security measures in place. And as mentioned above, infected storage devices provide another avenue.
Social engineering attacks enter the mix as well, where the hacker poses as someone the victim knows and gets the victim to either download malware or provide the hacker access to an otherwise password-protected device, app, or network.
And yes, ransomware can end up on smartphones as well.
While not a prevalent as other types of malware attacks, smartphone ransomware can encrypt files, photos, and the like on a smartphone, just as it can on computers and networks. Yet other forms of mobile ransomware don’t have to encrypt data to make the phone unusable. The “Lockerpin” ransomware that has struck some Android devices in the past would change the PIN number that locked the phone. Other forms of mobile ransomware paste a window over the phone’s apps, making them unusable without decrypting the ransomware.
Part of avoiding ransomware involves reducing human error—keeping a watchful eye open for those spammy links, malicious downloads, bogus emails, and basically keeping your apps and devices up to date so that they have the latest security measures in place. The remainder relies on a good dose of prevention.
Our Ransomware Security Guide provides a checklist for both.
It gets into the details of what ransomware looks like and how it works, followed by the straightforward things you can do to prevent it, along with the steps to take if the unfortunate ends up happening to you or someone you know.
Ransomware is one of the nastiest attacks going because it targets our files, photos, and information, things we don’t know where we’d be without. Yet it’s good to know you can indeed lower your risk with a few relatively simple steps. Once you have them in place, chances are a good feeling will come over you, the one that comes with knowing you’ve protected what’s precious and important to you.
The post Your Guide to Ransomware—and Preventing It Too appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It has a way of sneaking up on you. Credit theft and fraud.
Maybe it’s happened to you. Maybe it’s happened to a friend or family member. There’s a call from the bank, a notification in your financial app, or a charge on the statement that’s beyond explanation. Someone else has tapped into your funds. Or worse yet, someone stole your identity and took out a loan in your name. You find out only after it’s happened.
That’s the trick with credit theft and fraud. People typically discover it after the damage is done. Then they’re left picking up the pieces, which can cost both time and money. Not to mention a potential knock to their credit score.
However, you can help keep it from happening to you. Our recently published Credit Protection Security Guide breaks down several ways. Here we’ll get into a quick introduction on the topic and show how you can prevent against credit theft and fraud better than ever before.
It’s an unfortunate reality in the world we live in today. Credit theft and fraud are something we all need to look out for, particularly as we increasingly shop and conduct our finances online, potentially exposing that information to thieves. Some figures estimate that for nearly every $100 in purchases made with debit and credit cards worldwide, somewhere around 7 cents can be stolen or fraudulent. As you can imagine, that figure adds up quickly, to the tune of more than $28 billion globally each year.
The flipside is this: today we have plenty of tools that make protecting our credit far easier than they ever were before. Up until now, that called for a time-consuming and sometimes rather manual process. You had to check credit separately with the different bureaus, place locks and freezes the same way, scan each credit report closely for suspicious activity, and so forth.
Now, online protection software can take much of that work off your hands. Comprehensive protection like McAfee+ has plans that offer credit monitoring, identity monitoring, and even identity theft protection & restoration—all quickly spotting any changes, notifying you if your personal information pops up on the dark web, and providing $1 of coverage toward restoring your credit along with the help of a licensed recovery pro if the unexpected happens to you.
Another thing online protection can do for you removes your personal information from those “people finder” and data broker sites. Identity thieves lean on those sites because they contain valuable information that they can piece together to commit theft and fraud in someone else’s name. If you think about your identity as a big jigsaw puzzle, these sites contain valuable pieces that can help complete the picture—or just enough to take a crack at your credit.
In fact, personal information fuels a global data trading economy estimated at $200 billion U.S. dollars a year. Run by data brokers that keep hundreds and even thousands of data points on billions of people, these sites gather, analyze, buy, and sell this information to other companies as well as to advertisers. Likewise, these data brokers may sell this information to bad actors, such as hackers, spammers, and identity thieves who would twist this information for their own purposes. In short, data brokers don’t discriminate. They’ll sell personal information to anyone.
Getting your info removed from these sites can seem like a daunting task. (Where do I start, and just how many of these sites are out there?) Our Personal Data Cleanup can help by regularly scanning these high-risk data broker sites for you and info associated with you like your home address, date of birth, and names of relatives—along with other detailed information about you that could include marriage licenses, voter registration and motor vehicle records, even real estate records too. It identifies which sites are selling your data, and depending on your plan, automatically requests removal.
How things have changed. Even as thieves have gotten savvier in the digital age, so have we. Collectively, we have a growing arsenal of ways that we can keep on top of our credit and protect ourselves from credit theft and fraud.
Our Credit Protection Security Guide breaks it all down in detail. In it, you’ll learn more about how thieves work, ways you can secure your credit online and off, how to monitor and lock it down, plus protect your mobile wallets too. It’s thorough. Yet you’ll find how straightforward the solution is. A few changes in habits and a few extra protections at your side will go a long way toward prevention—helping you avoid that call, text, or notification that your credit has been compromised.
In all, you can take control of your credit and make sure you’re the only one putting it to good use.
The post Your Guide to Protecting Your Credit appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Pledging to follow healthier habits is consistently the most popular new year’s resolution. That January 1st promise looks different to everyone: snacking less often, going to the gym more often, drinking more water, drinking less soda, etc. This year, instead of a juice cleanse subscription, opt for a healthier habit that’s not an unappetizing shade of green: follow this digital detox, instead! In three easy steps, you can make great strides in improving your digital wellness.
There are various aspects of your digital habits that you should consider updating for a more private and safer online life. For starters, update your passwords. Do you reuse the same password for multiple online accounts? Doing so puts your personally identifiable information (PII) at great risk. For example, if a business with which you have an online shopping account is breached by a cybercriminal, your login and password combination could make it on the dark web, through no fault of your own. Then, through a brute force attack, a criminal could use that same password and username combo to walk into your banking or tax filing accounts.
Remembering unique, complicated passwords and passphrases for your dozens of online accounts would be impossible. Luckily, there’s software that remembers them for you! It’s called a password manager, which acts as a vault for all your login information. Just remember one master password, and you can be confident in the security of your accounts and never have to deal with the hassle of forgetting passwords.
Another aspect of updating you should adopt in 2023 is making an effort to always upgrade to the latest software updates on all your devices. The easiest way to do this is to turn on automatic updates. From there, you don’t need to take any further action! Apps and operating systems (like Apple, Android, and Windows) often release updates to patch security vulnerabilities. When you run outdated software, there’s a chance a cybercriminal could take advantage of that security gap.
Finally, make sure that you keep updated on the latest security headlines. Consider setting up news alerts to notify you when a breach occurs at a company that you frequent or have an account with. Speed is often key in making sure that your information remains safe, so it’s best practice to have your finger on the pulse on the security news of the day.
A new year digital detox can be a whole family affair. Connect with your family, anyone connected to your home network, and your elderly relatives to get everyone on the same page with security best practices. Here are some common online security snags people of all ages encounter:
Everyone has an oversharer on their newsfeed. Alert your family members of the dangers of posting too much about their personal life. When someone takes those “get to know you” quizzes and posts their answers, cybercriminals can use that post to take educated guesses at your passwords. Additionally, social engineers can tailor social media scams to specific people in order to increase the chances of tricking someone into sending money or sharing valuable personal or banking details.
While spam filters catch a lot of phishing emails, phishers are getting smarter by the day and are making their attempts more and more believable. Connect with your loved ones and make sure they know how to recognize phishing emails, texts, and social media direct messages. Telltale signs of a phishing message include:
If you’re ever unsure if a message is a phishing attempt, the best course of action is to just delete it. If the “sender” is a well-known institution, follow up with a phone call using the official customer service number listed on their website. The phisher may also claim to be someone you know personally. In that case, give the loved one in question a phone call. It’s a good excuse to reconnect and have a nice conversation!
In the quest for free streams of the latest new show or movie, people often encounter unsafe sites that hide malware, spyware or other types malicious links and programs. Some types of malware can jump from one device to others connected to the same home Wi-Fi network. That’s why it’s important to make sure everyone under your roof practices excellent digital security habits. One wrong click could sink an entire household. Consider signing up your family for a safe browsing extension that can notify you when you stray onto a risky site. So, instead of putting your device at risk during movie night, connect with your friends or loved ones over one copy of a safely and officially purchased version.
As with any new health regimen, immediately zooming from zero to a hundred will likely be overwhelming and result in failure. The same goes for adopting new digital safety habits. If you try to do too much at once, all the security measures you put in place will likely get in the way of your daily online activities. The more inconvenient it is, the more likely you may be to cut corners; thus, negating all the progress you’ve made.
Being cybersafe doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy your connected devices to the fullest. It just means that you may need to act with more intention and slow down before volunteering personal details online or clicking on links.
To supplement your digital detox, consider signing up for McAfee+ Ultimate to make 2023 the year for a safer online you. McAfee+ Ultimate includes all the tools you need to live your best online life safely and privately, including a password manager, web protection, unlimited VPN and antivirus, and $1 million in identity theft coverage and restoration for peace of mind.
Cheers to a digitally smart 2023!
The post Start the New Year Right With This 3-Step Digital Detox appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Happy Download Day! (Yes, there’s a day for that.) Today is an excellent day to share downloading best practices to keep all your devices safe from malicious content. It’s tempting to download “free” shows, movies, and video games, but the consequences of doing so can be quite expensive. All it takes is for one malicious download to compromise your identity or leak your banking information to cybercriminals.
Luckily, there are a few ways to keep your devices and personally identifiable information (PII) safe. Here’s how!
How many streaming services do you subscribe to? Two? Ten? No matter how many premium entertainment subscriptions you have, the hottest new show always seems to be on the channel you can’t access. This is a common scenario that often drives people to download episodes from websites that claim crystal-clear, safe downloads. In actuality, these sites could harbor malware, spyware, or other types of malware that lurk in the shadows until an unsuspecting person downloads them to their desktop, tablet, or cellphone.
Malware, which stands for malicious software, often hides behind legitimate-looking links or downloadable content. It’s only until it’s on your device that you realize there’s a criminal hiding behind it. For example, earlier in 2022, a ransomware program (a type of malware) disguised itself as a Microsoft system update. The criminal behind the scheme then threatened leaking or permanently deleting sensitive files if the person didn’t pay the ransom.
Once malware infects one device, some malware programs can infect an entire home network and spread to other connected devices.1 From there, the cybercriminal can steal the online shopping, banking, or personal details of a whole household and either sell their findings on the dark web or keep it for themselves.
Before you download anything to any of your devices, go through this checklist to help you determine the safety of most content:
Overall, while downloading entertainment for free is appealing to people on a budget, it’s better to avoid doing so altogether. The risk isn’t worth it. Consider scheduling a watch party with a friend or family member who has the subscription service you’re seeking.
In case you slip up and accidentally download malware, spyware, or ransomware, McAfee+ Ultimate can defend your devices, remove the software, and monitor the dark web to make sure your PII wasn’t compromised. McAfee antivirus is compatible with macOS, iOS, and Android devices and Chromebooks, so you can regularly scan all your devices for programs that shouldn’t be there. If the worst does happen and a cybercriminal gets a grip on your personal information, McAfee can back you up with $1 million in identity theft coverage and restoration and continuous identity monitoring.
Browse confidently and enjoy your devices to the fullest! Just remember these safe downloading tips and partner with McAfee for peace of mind.
1Federal Trade Commission, “Malware from illegal video streaming apps: What to know”
The post Celebrate National Download Day With This Safe Downloading Checklist appeared first on McAfee Blog.
There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it: A stolen identity creates a mess. Once they have a few key pieces of personally identifiable information (PII), an identity thief can open new credit lines, create convincing new identities, and ruin an innocent person’s good credit.
If you suspect you’ve been affected by identity theft, acting quickly is key to stopping the thief and repairing the damage. Here are the definitive five steps of identity remediation, or the process of restoring and protecting the privacy of your identity.
With a stolen identity in hand, thieves can open new lines of credit or apply for large loans using someone else’s excellent credit score for leverage. If undetected, fraudsters can run up huge bills, never pay them, and in turn, ruin the credit score that you spent years perfecting. When you suspect or confirm that your identity has been compromised and you’re in the United States, alert the three major credit bureaus: Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian.
Freezing your credit means that no one (not even you) can open a new credit card or bank account. This prevents criminals from misusing your identity. Initiating a credit freeze is free and it doesn’t affect your credit score.
Once you suspect a criminal has stolen your identity, file a report with the Federal Trade Commission. Its official identity theft website includes a form for you to detail the circumstances. From there, the FTC will investigate.
It’s important to file a report because law enforcement can get involved and hopefully stop the criminal from striking again. Also, an official document from law enforcement or the FTC may help your bank and the credit bureaus resolve the damage.
Whenever a company with which you have an account is breached, the first step you should take is to quickly change your password. The same goes for when your identity is compromised with the added step of getting in touch with your banks and asking their fraud department to issue you new credit and debit cards and put them on alert for possible suspicious charges.
Having unique passwords for all your accounts is crucial to keeping them secure. For instance, if one of your accounts is breached and a cybercriminal lifts that username and password combination, they may then attempt to use it on other sites. To ensure you have strong passwords and passphrases for every site, consider using password manager software. Password managers are incredibly secure and make it so you only have to remember one password ever again.
In addition to freezing your credit, you may have to sync up with each bureau to remedy any damage the identity thief may have done to your credit. Each bureau’s fraud department is very familiar with these scenarios, so their customer service department is experienced and more than willing to help you work through it.
Once you’ve cleaned up the immediate mess made by an identity thief, it’s important to continuously monitor your identity in case the thief is biding their time or pieces of your PII are still circulating on the dark web. Plus, the headache of one compromised identity incident is enough for someone to never want it to happen again. Identity monitoring is a very thorough process that will give you peace of mind that you’ll be protected and can enjoy your online life safely.
These five steps, while important, can be tedious. It may require a lot of patience to sit on hold and sift through all the relevant forms. Luckily, McAfee is an excellent partner who can help you with all your identity remediation needs with just one service: McAfee+ Ultimate. For example, security freeze is an easy way to put a halt on your credit. McAfee’s identity monitoring service monitors up to 60 unique types of personal details. If your PII appears on the dark web, Personal Data Cleanup can remove it.
Recover and move forward confidently after an identity theft with McAfee by your side.
The post Everything You Need to Know About Identity Remediation appeared first on McAfee Blog.
For many Aussies, identity theft was always something that happened to other people. People on TV, usually. But the recent spate of data breaches at Optus, Medibank and Energy Australia has made many of us pay far more attention than ever to one of the fastest growing crimes in our country.
According to the Department of Home Affairs, 1 in 4 Aussies will be the victim of identity theft over the course of their lives with an annual economic impact of more than $2 billion. And with the financial fallout from the recent data breaches only just starting to be counted, these statistics will no doubt increase dramatically next year.
Identity theft is when a cybercriminal gains access to your personal information to steal money or gain other benefits. Armed with your personal info, they can apply for real identity documents in your name but with another person’s photograph. This enables them to then apply for loans or benefits in your name, sign up for memberships or even apply for credit cards.
And it goes without saying that the financial and emotional fallout from identity theft can be huge. Since the Optus and Medibank hacking stories broke just a few months ago, there has been multiple stories of Aussie families who have had their identities stolen and who are in a world of pain. This Melbourne family who have had over $40,000 stolen from ATM withdrawals alone is just one example.
Your personal information is any piece of information or data that can confirm who you are or how to find you. It may be a single piece of information, or several pieces used together. It’s often referred to as personally identifiable information (PII). So, it includes your name, parents’ name, address, date of birth, phone numbers, email address, usernames/passwords or passphrases, bank account details, school or university attended, location check-ins even RSVPS for events.
Every time you register with a new shopping site or social media platform, you will be asked to share some personally identifiable information. However, what you share may be stolen or even misused – just think about the recent list of Australian companies who had their customers’ private information stolen by hackers. So that’s why you need to ensure you are only sharing your information with trusted online sites and take every possible step to protect your personal information online.
While there are no guarantees in life, there are steps you can take to ensure your online identity is as safe as possible. Here are my top 5 tips:
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) is a no-brainer because it makes a hacker’s life a lot harder. In short, it requires the user to provide two or more verification factors to gain access to an account or app. This might be a text, email or even a code generated by an authentication app. So, even if a hacker has your password and username, they still need that final piece of information before they can get their hands on your account!
Now this may take a bit of work to set up but using a unique and complex password on every account is one of the best things you can do to protect your online identity. And here’s the rationale – if you use the same password on all your accounts and your login details are stolen then hackers have access to all the accounts that are accessed with that password. Yikes!!! So, a unique password for each account is a great measure. I love using a password manager to make this process a little easier. Not only do they generate complex passwords, but they remember them too! All you need to do is remember your Master Password which needs to be extremely complex!!!
Updates are most commonly about addressing security weaknesses. And yes, I know they can be a pain but if you ignore them, you are essentially making it easier for hackers to find their way into your life via weak spots. And don’t forget to ensure your security software remains updated too!
I always recommend keeping a backup of all your important info in case something goes wrong. This should include all your photos, key documents and all your personally identifiable information. A hard drive works well but saving to the cloud is also a good option. I once dropped a hard drive and lost treasured family photos, so the cloud is my personal preference.
We all know knowledge is power so investing in top notch security and identity monitoring software will help keep you ahead of threats. McAfee+, McAfee’s new all in one privacy, identity and device protection solution is a fantastic way for Aussies to protect themselves online. It features identity monitoring and a password manager but also an unlimited VPN, a file shredder, protection score and parental controls. And the Rolls Royce version called McAfee+ Advanced, also offers subscribers additional identity protections including access to licensed restoration experts who can help you repair your identity and credit, in case you’re affected by a data breach. It also gives subscribers access to lost wallet protection which help you cancel and replace your ID, credit cards if they are lost or stolen.
Public, unsecured Wi-Fi can make life so much easier when you’re out and about but it’s also a tried and tested way for scammers to access your personal information. Unsecured Wi-Fi is free Wi-Fi that is available in public places such as libraries, cafes, or shopping centres. So, instead of using Wi-Fi, just use the data in your phone plan. Or alternatively invest in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that cleverly encrypts everything you share on your device.
About 2 months ago, I embarked on a project to clean up my online life. I’m working through the list of sites I have accounts with and am closing those I no longer use, I’m also doing a huge password audit to ensure they are all unique to each site and are super complex, thanks to my password manager. Now, I’m not quite done yet, but things are in better shape than they were. Why not consider doing the same? With the holiday season fast approaching, why not dedicate a little of your poolside time to practicing a little cyber hygiene.
Till next time, keep those identities safe!
Alex
The post The Best Way To Protect Your Online Identity appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Payment applications make splitting restaurant bills, taxi fares, and household expenses so much easier. Without having to tally totals at the table or fumble with crumpled bills, you and your companions can spend less stress and more time on the fun at hand.
There are various payment apps available, and the company that may first come to mind is PayPal. PayPal is regarded as a safe platform where security and strong encryption are a priority; however, a recent and advanced phishing scam is putting PayPal users at risk of giving up large sums of money and their personally identifiable information (PII).1
Let’s look at this “triple-pronged” PayPal phishing scam and review some tips to help you identify and proceed should you encounter it.
The typical part of this three-sided scam is the phishing email component. According to one source, the phishing email comes from a legitimate-looking PayPal service email address. Luckily, the typos, odd punctuation, extra spaces, and grammar errors in the body of the email give away that it is a phishing attempt. Remember, phishing emails are often worded poorly or have errors. Large companies, especially ones like PayPal, have teams of content experts vetting all automated messages for such mistakes, so several mistakes in an email should set off your alarm bells. Proceed with caution and do not click on any links in the message.
The email also included wording that encouraged the user to act quickly or be charged a lot of money. That’s another trademark of phishing emails: urgency. Take a deep breath and make sure to reread carefully all emails that “require” a quick response. Don’t be scared by dire consequences. Phishers rely on people to rush and not give themselves time to listen to their better judgement.
The PayPal phishing email included a support phone number that claimed it was toll free. In actuality, it was an international phone number. So, if the recipient of the phishing email didn’t quite believe the message but wanted to follow up, the scam could catch them with what’s called a one-ring phone scam.2 This occurs when someone unknowingly calls an international phone number and then gets charged by their phone company for the long-distance call.
The best way to avoid one-ring phone scams is to never call a number you don’t recognize. Always go to an organization’s official website to find their contact information.
The third dimension of this PayPal scam was the international phone number in the phishing email connected the caller directly with the scammer who posed as the PayPal fraud department. The “customer service representative” then asked prying personal and financial questions to glean enough PII to break into a PayPal account or compromise the caller’s identity. This is the most damaging part of the scam. An excellent customer support team may be able to reimburse you your lost money; however, once your personal details are in nefarious hands, you can’t take them back.
In addition to never calling numbers you haven’t verified, never give out passwords and never give out more personal information than you need to. Even in legitimate customer service calls, it’s not rude to ask why the representative requires the information they’re asking for. In a fake call, questions like that may fluster the scammer, so keep an ear tuned to their tone.
Overall, our best advice for handling suspicious emails is to delete them. If it’s truly important, the sender will contact you again. And if a thief somehow stole money from one of your payment apps, the customer service team should be able to walk you through the steps to recover it.
The transfer and handling of large sums of money would make anyone nervous. To give you peace of mind, consider partnering with a service that can help you recover should you ever fall for a scheme and compromise your PII. McAfee+ Ultimate helps you live your best life in private, and the service includes credit monitoring with all three credit bureaus, security freeze, and expert online support to help you navigate any scams you encounter.
Having McAfee+ can protect you from email phishing scams like this. Here are some of the top agencies to report this scam to, if it happens to you: Paypal Fraud Department, Federal Trade Commision , Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency USA.gov IC3
“Report it. Forward phishing emails to reportphishing@apwg.org (an address used by the Anti-Phishing Working Group, which includes ISPs, security vendors, financial institutions, and law enforcement agencies). Let the company or person that was impersonated know about the phishing scheme.” – FTC.gov
1ZDNET, “Watch out for this triple-pronged PayPal phishing and fraud scam.”
2Federal Communications Commission, “‘One Ring’ Phone Scam.”
The post A PayPal Email Scam Is Making the Rounds: Here’s How to Identify and Avoid It appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Even with the holidays in full swing, scammers won’t let up. In fact, it’s high time for some of their nastiest cons as people travel, donate to charities, and simply try to enjoy their time with friends and family.
Unfortunate as it is, scammers see this time of year as a tremendous opportunity to profit. While people focus giving to others, they focus on taking, propping up all manner of scams that use the holidays as a disguise. So as people move quickly about their day, perhaps with a touch of holiday stress in the mix, they hope to catch people off their guard with scams that wrap themselves in holiday trappings.
Yet once you know what to look for, they’re relatively easy to spot. The same scams roll out every year, sometimes changing in appearance yet remaining the same in substance. With a sharp eye, you can steer clear of them.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday in the books, we can look forward to what’s next—a wave of post-holiday sales events that will likewise draw in millions of online shoppers. And just like those other big shopping days, bad actors will roll out a host of scams aimed at unsuspecting shoppers. Shopping scams take on several forms, which makes this a topic unto itself, one that we cover thoroughly in our Black Friday & Cyber Monday shopping scams blog. It’s worth a read if you haven’t done so already, as digs into the details of these scams and shows how you can avoid them.
However, the high-level advice for avoiding shopping scams is this: keep your eyes open. Deals that look too good to be true likely are, and shopping with retailers you haven’t heard of before requires a little bit of research to determine if their track record is clean. In the U.S., you can turn to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for help with a listing of retailers you can search simply by typing in their names. You can also use https://whois.domaintools.com to look up the web address of the shopping site you want to research. There you can see its history and see when it was registered. A site that was registered only recently may be far less reputable than one that’s been registered for some time.
Plenty of new tech makes its way into our homes during the holiday season. And some of that tech can be a little challenging to set up. Be careful when you search for help online. Many scammers will establish phony tech support sites that aim to steal funds and credit card information. Go directly to the product manufacturer for help. Often, manufacturers will offer free support as part of the product warranty, so if you see a site advertising support for a fee, that could be a sign of a scam.
Likewise, scammers will reach out to you themselves. Whether through links from unsolicited emails, pop-up ads from risky sites, or by spammy phone calls, these scammers will pose as tech support from reputable brands. From there, they’ll falsely inform you that there’s something urgently wrong with your device and that you need to get it fixed right now—for a fee. Ignore these messages and don’t click on any links or attachments. Again, if you have concerns about your device, contact the manufacturer directly.
With the holidays comes travel, along with all the online booking and ticketing involved. Scammers will do their part to cash in here as well. Travel scams may include bogus emails that pose as reputable travel sites telling you something’s wrong with your booking. Clicking a link takes you to a similarly bogus site that asks for your credit card information to update the booking—which then passes it along to the scammer so they can rack up charges in your name. Other travel scams involve ads for cut-rate lodging, tours, airfare, and the like, all of which are served up on a phony website that only exists to steal credit card numbers and other personal information.
Some of these scams can look quite genuine, even though they’re not. They’ll use cleverly disguised web addresses that look legitimate, but aren’t, so don’t click any links. If you receive notice about an issue with your holiday travel, contact the company directly to follow up. Also, be wary of ads with unusually deep discounts or that promise availability in an otherwise busy season or time. These could be scams, so stick with reputable booking sites or with the websites maintained by hotels and travel providers themselves.
Donations to an organization or cause that’s close to someone’s heart make for a great holiday gift, just as they offer you a way to give back during the holiday season. And you guessed it, scammers will take advantage of this too. They’ll set up phony charities and apply tactics that pressure you into giving. As with so many scams out there, any time an email, text, direct message, or site urges you into immediate action—take pause. Research the charity. See how long they’ve been in operation, how they put their funds to work, and who truly benefits from them.
Likewise, note that there some charities pass along more money to their beneficiaries than others. As a general rule of thumb, most reputable organizations only keep 25% or less of their funds for operations, while some less-than-reputable organizations keep up to 95% of funds, leaving only 5% for advancing the cause they advocate. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a site full of resources so that you can make your donation truly count. Resources like Charity Watch and Charity Navigator, along with the BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance can also help you identify the best charities.
The holidays also mean a flight of big-time sporting events, and with the advent of online betting in many regions scammers want to cash in. This scam works quite like shopping scams, where bad actors will set up online betting sites that look legitimate. They’ll take your bet, but if you win, they won’t pay out. Per the U.S. Better Business Bureau (BBB), the scam plays out like this:
“You place a bet, and, at first, everything seems normal. But as soon as you try to cash out your winnings, you find you can’t withdraw a cent. Scammers will make up various excuses. For example, they may claim technical issues or insist on additional identity verification. In other cases, they may require you to deposit even more money before you can withdraw your winnings. Whatever you do, you’ll never be able to get your money off the site. And any personal information you shared is now in the hands of scam artists.”
You can avoid these sites rather easily. Stick with the online betting sites that are approved by your regional gambling commission. Even so, be sure to read the fine print on any promo offers that these sites advertise because even legitimate betting sites can freeze accounts and the funds associated with them based on their terms and conditions.
A complete suite of online protection software, such as McAfee+ Ultimate can offer layers of extra security. In addition to more private and secure time online with a VPN, identity monitoring, and password management, it includes web browser protection that can block malicious and suspicious links that could lead you down the road to malware or a phishing scam—which antivirus protection can’t do alone. Additionally, we offer $1M identity theft coverage and support from a recovery pro, just in case.
And because scammers use personal information such as email addresses and cell phone numbers to wage their attacks, other features like our Personal Data Cleanup service can scan high-risk data broker sites for your personal information and then help you remove it, which can help reduce spam, phishing attacks, and deny bad actors the information they need to commit identity theft.
That’s why they enjoy the holidays so much. With all our giving, travel, and charity in play, it’s prime time for their scams. Yet a little insight into their cons, along with some knowledge as to how they play out, you can avoid them.
Remember that they’re playing into the hustle and bustle of the season and that they’re counting on you to lower your guard more than you might during other times of the year. Keep an eye open for the signs, do a little research when it’s called for, and stick with reputable stores, charities, and online services. With a thoughtful pause and a second look, you can spare yourself the grief of a scam and fully enjoy your holidays.
The post Unwrapping Some of the Holiday Season’s Biggest Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Do yourself a favor: Open a new browser tab and head to your search engine of choice. Type in your full name and home address. Then, see what pops up.
Are the results sparking an ember of unease in the back of your brain? Whether you’re a private person online or you’re comfortable sharing your daily life updates on social media, there are likely to be several personal details about you on sites that shouldn’t have that information. Some of these sites may be data brokerage websites.
Data brokerage sites are legal and are mostly used by annoying advertisers, though cybercriminals may also use them maliciously. The average person has their information for sale on 31 data brokerage sites, and 95% of people have their personal information on sale without their permission.
So how do you scrub the internet of your personal details to keep your identity secure? McAfee Personal Data Cleanup is a service that prevents your personal information from being collected and sold online. Here’s why you should consider taking a few easy steps now to give you peace of mind about the security of your personally identifiable information (PII).
Attack surface is a term usually applied to corporate security, but it’s a great visualization for everyday people going about their personal online errands and entertainment. An attack surface is the number of possible entry points a cybercriminal could weasel their way through to get at your valuable and private information. Entry points include your social media profiles, your online shopping accounts, and data brokerage sites. The fewer entry points you have, the harder it is for cybercriminals to find and exploit them.
While Social Security Numbers (SSNs) are generally revered as the piece of PII to guard most closely, a cybercriminal can still damage your identity with just your name and an address, email address, or phone number. For example, they can request new passwords or multifactor authentication one-time passcodes to break their way into online banking or shopping accounts. Security breaches are happening to huge companies all over the world. All it takes is for your SSN to be leaked in one of them, for a cybercriminal to piece together your digital clone and use it to harm your identity or credit.
Personal Data Cleanup minimizes your attack surface by removing as much PII as possible that’s floating around the internet, just waiting for someone to buy it.
When you’re aware of how many unauthorized vendors are selling your PII, it could be the wakeup call you need start adopting more cautious online habits. For instance, oversharing on social media leaks a lot of valuable details that a savvy criminal can then use to take educated guesses at your passwords or craft a social engineering plot catered just to you.
The present is as good a time as any to start protecting your identity for the future; however, getting started is often the most difficult step. It can seem overwhelming to reach out to every data brokerage site individually and request they remove your info. Personal Data Cleanup can be your partner not only in beginning the cleanup process but in monitoring your data security to keep your online presence as minimal as possible. The service scans the internet’s riskiest sites and then, before deleting your information from these sites, runs it by you to confirm. Then, it will continually monitor those same sites, as your information will likely reappear every two to four months.
Do not underestimate the tenacity of a cybercriminal. Even for people who have the attitude that their PII is bound to be somewhere online and that it’s no big deal, McAfee Personal Data Cleanup manages three key steps in the data removal process: scanning, removing, and monitoring. So, even if you’re not convinced that data brokerage sites are a threat, the process is too easy to put off any longer!
For those who are concerned about their online privacy, full-service Personal Data Cleanup is included in McAfee+ Ultimate, which is the complete package to let you live your online life in private. McAfee+ Ultimate also includes identity monitoring and identity theft resolution services, unlimited VPN, credit lock, and much more.
In 2021, more than 1.4 million identity theft complaints were filed to the Federal Trade Commission.1 Identity theft can occur to anyone, so take steps today, starting with data brokerage sites, to live a more secure and more private digital life.
1Federal Trade Commission, “New Data Shows FTC Received 2.8 Million Fraud Reports from Consumers in 2021”
The post McAfee Personal Data Cleanup: Your Partner in Living a More Private Online Life appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Have you ever been browsing online and clicked a link or search result that took you to a site that triggers a “your connection is not private” or “your connection is not secure” error code? If you’re not too interested in that particular result, you may simply move on to another result option. But if you’re tempted to visit the site anyway, you should be sure you understand what the warning means, what the risks are, and how to bypass the error if you need to.
A “your connection is not private” error means that your browser cannot determine with certainty that a website has safe encryption protocols in place to protect your device and data. You can bump into this error on any device connected to the internet — computer, smartphone, or tablet.
So, what exactly is going on when you see the “this connection is not private” error?
For starters, it’s important to know that seeing the error is just a warning, and it does not mean any of your private information is compromised. A “your connection is not private” error means the website you were trying to visit does not have an up-to-date SSL (secure sockets layer) security certificate.
Website owners must maintain the licensing regularly to ensure the site encryption capabilities are up to date. If the website’s SSL certificate is outdated, it means the site owners have not kept their encryption licensing current, but it doesn’t necessarily mean they are up to no good. Even major websites like LinkedIn have had momentary lapses that would throw the error. LinkedIn mistakenly let their subdomain SSL certificates lapse.
In late 2021, a significant provider of SSL certificates, Let’s Encrypt, went out of business. When their root domain officially lapsed, it created issues for many domain names and SSL certificates owned by legitimate companies. The privacy error created problems for unwitting businesses, as many of their website visitors were rightfully concerned about site security.
While it does not always mean a website is unsafe to browse, it should not be ignored. A secure internet connection is critical to protecting yourself online. Many nefarious websites are dangerous to visit, and this SSL certificate error will protect you from walking into them unaware.
SSL certification standards have helped make the web a safer place to transact. It helps ensure online activities like paying bills online, ordering products, connecting to online banking, or keeping your private email accounts safe and secure. Online security continues to improve with a new Transport Layer Security (TLS) standard, which promises to be the successor protocol to SSL.
So be careful whenever visiting sites that trigger the “connection is not private” error, as those sites can potentially make your personal data less secure and make your devices vulnerable to viruses and malware.
Note: The “your connection is not private” error is Google Chrome‘s phrasing. Microsoft Edge or Mozilla Firefox users will instead see a “your connection is not secure” error as the warning message.
If you feel confident that a website or page is safe, despite the warning from your web browser, there are a few things you can do to troubleshoot the error.
Remember, you are taking your chances anytime you ignore an error. As we mentioned, you could leave yourself vulnerable to hackers after your passwords, personal information, and other risks.
Your data and private information are valuable to hackers, so they will continue to find new ways to try and procure it. Here are some ways to protect yourself and your data when browsing online.
As we continue to do more critical business online, we must also do our best to address the risks of the internet’s many conveniences.
A comprehensive cybersecurity tool like McAfee+ Ultimate can help protect you from online scams, identity theft, and phishing attempts, and ensure you always have a secure connection. McAfee helps keep your sensitive information out of the hands of hackers and can help you keep your digital data footprints lighter with personal data cleanup.
With McAfee’s experts on your side, you can enjoy everything the web offers with the confidence of total protection.
The post “This Connection Is Not Private” – What it Means and How to Protect Your Privacy appeared first on McAfee Blog.
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What color jersey will you be sporting this November and December? The World Cup is on its way to television screens around the world, and scores of fans are dreaming of cheering on their team at stadiums throughout Qatar. Meanwhile, cybercriminals are dreaming of stealing the personally identifiable information (PII) of fans seeking last-minute vacation and ticket deals.
Don’t let the threat of phishers and online scammers dampen your team spirit this World Cup tournament. Here are three common schemes cybercriminals will likely employ and a few tips to help you dribble around their clumsy offense and protect your identity, financial information, and digital privacy.
Phishers will be out in full force attempting to capitalize on World Cup fever. People wrapped up in the excitement may jump on offers that any other time of the year they would treat with skepticism. For example, in years past, fake contests and travel deals inundated email inboxes across the world. Some companies do indeed run legitimate giveaways, and cybercriminals slip in their phishing attempts among them.
If you receive an email or text saying that you’re the winner of a ticket giveaway, think back: Did you even enter a contest? If not, treat any “winner” notification with skepticism. It’s very rare for a company to automatically enter people into a drawing. Usually, companies want you to act – subscribe to a newsletter or engage with a social media post, for example – in exchange for your entry into their contest. Also, beware of emails that urge you to respond within a few hours to “claim your prize.” While it’s true that real contest winners must reply promptly, organized companies will likely give you at least a day if not longer to acknowledge receipt.
Traveling is rarely an inexpensive endeavor. Flights, hotels, rental cars, dining costs, and tourist attraction admission fees add up quickly. In the case of this year’s host country, Qatar, there’s an additional cost for American travelers: visas.
If you see package travel deals to the World Cup that seem too good to pass up … pass them up. Fake ads for ultra-cheap flights, hotels, and tickets may appear not only in your email inbox but also on your social media feed. Just because it’s an ad doesn’t mean it comes from a legitimate company. Legitimate travel companies will likely have professional-looking websites with clear graphics and clean website copy. Search for the name of the organization online and see what other people have to say about the company. If no search results appear or the website looks sloppy, proceed with caution or do not approach at all.
Regarding visas, be wary of anyone offering to help you apply for a visa. There are plenty of government-run websites that’ll walk you through the process, which isn’t difficult as long as you leave enough time for processing. Do not send your physical passport to anyone who is not a confirmed government official.
Even fans who’ve given up on watching World Cup matches in person aren’t out of the path of scams. Sites claiming to have crystal clear streams of every game could be malware spreaders in disguise. Malware and ransomware targeting home computers often lurk on sketchy sites. All it takes is a click on one bad link to let a cybercriminal or a virus into your device.
Your safest route to good-quality live game streams is through the official sites of your local broadcasting company or the official World Cup site. You may have to pay a fee, but in the grand scheme of things, that fee could be a lot less expensive than replacing or repairing an infected device.
Here’s an excellent rule to follow with any electronic correspondence: Never send anyone your passwords, routing and account number, passport information, or Social Security Number. A legitimate organization will never ask for your password, and it’s best to communicate any sensitive financial or identifiable information over the phone, not email or text as they can easily fall into the wrong hands. Also, do not wire large sums of money to someone you just met online.
Don’t let scams ruin your enjoyment of this year’s World Cup! With these tips, you should be able to avoid the most common schemes but to boost your confidence in your online presence, consider signing up for McAfee+. Think of McAfee+ as the ultimate goalkeeper who’ll block any cybercriminals looking to score on you. With identity monitoring, credit lock, unlimited VPN and antivirus, and more, you can surf safely and with peace of mind.
The post Watch Out for These 3 World Cup Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
What you paid for your home, who lives there with you, your age, your children, your driving record, education, occupation, estimated income, purchasing habits, and any political affiliations you may have—all pretty personal information, right? Well, there’s a good chance that anyone can find it online. All it takes is your name and address.
Thankfully, there’s something you can do about it.
But first, go ahead and give it a try. Type your name and address in a search bar and see what comes up. If you’re like most people, your search results turned up dozens of sites with your information on them. Some sites offer bits of it for free. Other sites offer far more detailed information, for a price.
Who’s behind all this? Data brokers. All part of a global data economy estimated at $200 billion U.S. dollars a year fueled by thousands of data points on billions of people scraped from public records, social media, third-party sources, and sometimes other data broker sites as well.
The result? A chillingly accurate picture of you.
So accurate, that reporters and law enforcement will often use profiles from data broker sites to dig up a person’s background. And so could scammers and thieves.
Ever wonder how you end up with all those spam calls and texts? Look no further than the data brokers. They help scammers compile the calling and texting lists they use. Yet spammy calls and texts are just part of the problem with these sites. They can give thieves the tools they need to steal your identity.
How? Visualize your identity as a jigsaw puzzle. Every bit of personal information makes up a piece, and if you cobble enough pieces together, a scammer or thief could have enough information to steal your identity. And data brokers compile all those pieces in one place and offer up them up in droves.
If you’re wondering if this activity is legal or at least regulated in some way, it largely isn’t. For example, the U.S. has no federal laws that require data brokers to remove personal information from their sites if requested to do so. On the state level, Nevada, Vermont, and California have legislation in place aimed at protecting consumers from having their data disclosed on these sites. Other legislation is being considered, yet as of this writing there’s very little on the books right now.
With next to no oversight, data brokers continue to collect personal information, which may or may not be accurate. It may be out of date or flat out wrong. Likewise, as it is with any large data store, data brokers are subject to hacks and attacks, which may lead to breaches that release detailed personal information onto the dark web and into the hands of bad actors.
Put plainly, data brokers collect, buy, and sell high volumes of personal information, often in ways that leave no trace that it’s happening to you—or that the information is correct in any way.
All this can feel like it’s out of your control. And maybe the search you did on yourself made you a little uneasy. (Understandable!) Yet you have plenty of ways you can curb this activity and even remove your information from some of the riskiest data broker sites as well.
It starts by finding out which sites have information on you, followed by filing requests to have it removed. Yet with dozens and dozens of these sites proliferating online, this can be a time-consuming process. Not to mention a frustrating one. We created McAfee+ so people can not only be safe but feel safe online, particularly in a time when there’s so much concern about identity theft and invasion of our online privacy. McAfee+ contains a comprehensive set of tools, such as Personal Data Cleanup which are designed to help protect your online privacy.
Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info. It also provides guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and can even manage the removal for you depending on your plan.
And because getting your info removed once isn’t a guarantee that a data broker won’t collect and post it again, Personal Data Cleanup can continually monitor those sites. So should your info get posted again, you can request its removal again as well.
The other way you can thwart data brokers involves cleaning up your tracks when you go online, essentially leaving a smaller amount of data in your wake that they can collect and resell.
Searching for your name and address can turn up some surprises and introduce you to the world of data brokers, the dozens and dozens of companies that collect, buy, and sell your personal information. While data brokers sell this information to companies for advertising and marketing purposes, they will also sell that information to hackers, scammers, and thieves. Simply put, they don’t discriminate when selling your personal info. That puts more than just your privacy at risk, it can put your identity at risk as well. By selling your personal information, it can give bad actors the info they need to commit identity fraud and theft.
While cleaning up personal information from these sites is often a difficult and time-consuming task, tools like our Personal Data Cleanup can now dig out the sites where your personal info is posted and can help you remove it. Moreover, you now have several tricks and tactics you can use to reduce the amount of personal data these sites can collect. In all, you now have far more control over what data brokers can collect, buy, and sell than you had before. And now is most certainly a time to take that control given all the time we spend online and the many ways we rely on it to help us work, play, and simply get things done.
The post How much of your personal info is available online? A simple search could show you plenty. appeared first on McAfee Blog.
With the shopping bonanzas of Black Friday and Cyber Monday comes a flurry of deals and offers, some of which are too good to be true. Unfortunately, the latter instances often become scams run by fraudsters seeking to take advantage of the shopping frenzy. In this article, we will discuss some of the most notorious Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams that you should keep an eye out for.
Scammers are skilled manipulators who know how to twist human emotions to their advantage. They create a sense of urgency, fear, or stress, which are heightened during the holiday season rush. As people scramble to get the best deals and hard-to-get items, they often let their guard down, making them easy targets for these fraudsters. Knowing how to identify these scams is the first step to safeguarding yourself from becoming a victim.
Whether you’re a seasoned online shopper or just getting started, this guide will help you identify the top online shopping scams today and stay one step ahead to enjoy a safer, more secure shopping experience:
As everyone is hurrying to grab the best deals during the holiday season, keeping track of all the orders can be challenging. Scammers leverage this situation, sending fake order confirmations via email or text. These seemingly legit confirmations often contain malware or phishing links that the scammers use to steal your identity. The best strategy is to track your orders directly from the seller’s website or platform.
Similar to the fake order scam, fraudsters send fake package tracking notifications as an email attachment or link. Actual retailers will never send tracking numbers via an attachment. Scammers use these tactics to infect your device with malware or direct you to phishing sites. As always, visit the seller’s site to get accurate tracking information for your order.
Scammers are skilled at creating fake email addresses and URLs that resemble those of legitimate companies. These phishing emails often lead to scam sites that capture your login credentials and payment information. Avoid clicking on email links; it’s safer to type the URL manually and search for deals.
→ Dig Deeper: 7 Ways to Tell If It’s a Fake
Scarcity is a prime tool for scammers. They create fake websites offering popular items that are generally hard to find. These scams can result in you paying for a product you’ll never receive and the scammer possessing your payment details. The Better Business Bureau provides useful reviews to help verify the legitimacy of a product or seller.
During the holiday season, there’s a surge in charity donations, and scammers know this trend. They set up bogus charities and employ high-pressure tactics to get you to donate. Be wary of organizations that accept payment only through gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers resources to ensure your donations reach legitimate charities.
Amidst the whirlwind of savings and special offers, there’s a lurking concern that every savvy shopper should be aware of – scams. Protecting yourself from potential scams during these shopping bonanzas is paramount. Several strategies are available to help you stay one step ahead of potential scammers and ensure a safe and successful shopping experience during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here are strategies you can follow:
One of the simplest ways to avoid scammers is to shop from familiar and reputable online retailers. If you’re unsure about a retailer, the U.S. Better Business Bureau provides listings to help you research their reputation.
Secure websites start with “https,” with the extra “s” standing for “secure.” You’ll often see a padlock icon in the address bar of your browser. If you don’t see these security indicators, avoid purchasing on that website.
McAfee Pro Tip: When you’re visiting a website, it’s important to keep your radar up for a few essential clues that tell you whether it’s safe or not. Sure, we’ve talked about the ‘https’ thing in the web address, but there are other giveaways, too, like phony icons and symbols, how well the website’s put together, how fast it loads, and a bunch of other stuff. Want to know more about how to check out if a website’s the real deal or not? Check how to tell whether a website is safe.
In this scam, fraudsters lure victims with advertisements offering significant discounts on popular products. These advertisements usually contain a link redirecting you to a fraudulent website where your personal and financial information gets stolen. Always cross-check the offered prices with those on the manufacturer’s or well-known retailers’ websites. Also, check if the seller provides complete contact information. A lack of information or a recently registered website should raise a red flag.
During the holiday season, a gift exchange scam often resurfaces on social media. The concept is simple: you buy a gift worth a certain amount, typically $10, and supposedly receive several gifts in return. However, the only person who benefits is the scammer who initiated the scheme. This type of scam is not only deceptive but also illegal. If you encounter such a scheme on social media, report it immediately.
→ Dig Deeper: 6 Tips for Protecting Your Social Media Accounts
Scammers love gift cards! They use emails or text messages to trick you into thinking you’ve received a gift card from a friend or family member. These messages often contain links that, when clicked, install malware on your device or steal your personal information. Always verify the source before clicking on any links. And remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Beware of new e-commerce sites offering popular items at massive discounts. Scammers often create fake e-commerce sites that vanish after collecting money from their victims. Always research the seller’s reputation before making a purchase. If you can’t find any reviews or feedback about the seller, it’s better to avoid the risk.
→ Dig Deeper: 8 Ways to Know If Online Stores Are Safe and Legit
Smishing is a scam where fraudsters send text messages posing as reputable companies to trick individuals into revealing personal information. During the holiday season, these messages often link to a supposed deal or gift. However, the link usually leads to a fraudulent website designed to steal your data. Treat unsolicited print messages with caution, and never click on suspicious links.
While the holiday season brings joy and excitement, it also increases online shopping scams. Scammers use a variety of tactics, including fake order confirmations, phony tracking numbers, bogus websites, and nonexistent e-tailers, to trick their victims. To protect yourself, always verify the source before clicking on any links, research sellers before purchasing, and avoid deals that seem too good to be true. By being vigilant and taking precautions, you can safely navigate through the holiday shopping frenzy and prevent yourself from falling victim to these Black Friday and Cyber Monday scams. And, of course, don’t forget to equip your devices with security solutions further to improve your security, privacy, and finances.
The post Black Friday and Cyber Monday Scams: Beware of the Pitfalls appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Automobile manufacturer Toyota recently announced a data breach that may have exposed the emails of up to 300,000 customers for a period of nearly five years.
Toyota says the breach is the result of a subcontractor posting source code for Toyota’s “T-Connect” app on the software development platform GitHub in December 2017. This code included an access key to the data server that hosted the e-mail addresses and customer management numbers of T-Connect users. The publicly available source code was found on September 15th, 2022, at which time Toyota changed the access key.
Toyota customers affected by this data breach include T-Connect users who registered their email on the Toyota T-Connect site since July 2017.
According to Toyota’s announcement and apology no other personal information such as customer names, phone numbers, and credit cards were affected. (Note that this announcement was published in Japanese—you can use your browser to translate.)
The company further could not confirm whether this information was in fact accessed. However, the company could not deny the possibility that it was at some point during that five-year period.
Toyota said that it will individually send an apology and notification to the registered email address of any customer whose information may have been leaked.
Any time a data breach occurs, it means that your personal information could end up in the hands of a bad actor. Different pieces of personal information can be more useful to them than others. Some are directly useful, such as a Social Security Number or credit card information because they uniquely identify you. Others are indirectly helpful, like device IDs, browsing history, geolocation information, and internet protocol addresses. On their own, such information will not uniquely identify you. Yet with enough indirect information, and in the right combination, a bad actor could use them to piece together your identity.
In light of this, there are a few steps you can take to protect yourself in the aftermath of a data breach, which involves a combination of preventative steps and some monitoring on your part.
Given that email addresses may have been compromised, Toyota specifically warned its customers about the possibility of phishing attacks and other unsolicited emails that may contain malware or links to malicious sites. While it’s always wise to keep a skeptical eye open for unsolicited messages that ask you for information or that contain attachments you weren’t expecting, it’s particularly important after breaches. If you receive such emails, delete them, and don’t click on any links or attachments.
Also note that bad actors may launch phishing attacks where they pose as Toyota, all with the aim to steal personal information. Such emails can clearly look like a scam, such as when they include typos, grammatical errors, or sloppy graphics. Others can look far more sophisticated, almost like a legitimate email. Learning how to tell the two apart can take a little skill, and you can check out this quick read so you can spot and protect yourself from phishing scams.
A complete suite of online protection software can offer layers of extra security. In addition to more private and secure time online with a VPN, identity monitoring, and password management, it includes web browser protection that can block malicious and suspicious links that could lead you down the road to malware or a phishing scam—which antivirus protection can’t do alone. Additionally, we offer $1M identity theft coverage and support from a recovery pro, just in case.
As far as passwords go, strong and unique passwords are best, which means never reusing your passwords across different sites and platforms. Using a password manager will help you keep on top of it all, while also storing your passwords securely. Moreover, changing your passwords regularly may make a stolen password worthless because it’s out of date.
Because so many accounts use an email address as the username, and because email addresses were exposed in the Toyota leak, updating your passwords across your accounts can provide an extra level of protection.
While a strong and unique password is a good first line of defense, enabling two-factor authentication across your accounts will help your cause by providing an added layer of security. It’s increasingly common to see nowadays, where banks and all manner of online services will only allow access to your accounts after you’ve provided a one-time passcode sent to your email or smartphone. If your accounts support two-factor authentication, enable it.
An identity monitoring service can monitor everything from email addresses to IDs and phone numbers for signs of breaches so you can take action to secure your accounts before they’re used for identity theft. Personal information harvested from data breaches can end up on dark web marketplaces where it’s bought by other bad actors so they can launch their own attacks. McAfee’s monitors the dark web for your personal info and provides early alerts if your data is found on there, an average of 10 months ahead of similar services. We also provide guidance to help you act if your information is found.
As mentioned earlier, information stolen in a data breach may indirectly identify you. Yet when pieced together with other information, it can then directly identify you. Cad actors can complete this identity picture puzzle with information provided by data brokers that buy and sell personal information online. However, you can take some control over this. Our Personal Data Cleanup service scans high-risk data broker sites for your personal information and then helps you remove it—which denies bad actors the information they may need to commit identity theft.
If your personal information gets caught up in a data leak or breach, take the steps to protect yourself. Should that information get into the hands of bad actors, it could lead to follow-on attacks such as phishing attempts, account hacks, and, in extreme cases, identity crime.
Further, as in the case of Toyota, it can take months or even years for companies to discover leaks and breaches. From there, it can take yet longer before a company announces the leak or breach. Together, that leaves bad actors with plenty of opportunity to commit all kinds of identity crime in the meantime.
Because of this, taking preventative steps to secure and monitor your identity can help protect you from harm—even if your information wasn’t involved in an attack. With data leaks and breaches of all sizes now commonplace, a proactive stance offers far better protection than reactionary measures taken after the fact.
The post Toyota Data Breach Exposes Customer Data – What You Can Do to Protect Yourself appeared first on McAfee Blog.
“I’ll just Uber home.”
Who hails a taxi anymore? These days, city streets are full of double-parked sedans with their hazards on, looking for their charges. Uber is synonymous with ridesharing and has made it so far into our culture that it’s not just a company name but a verb.
Uber’s reputation has ebbed and flowed since its creation in 2009, and it’s taken another hit recently as more details are coming to light about a massive 2016 cybersecurity breach and the chief security officer’s attempts to cover it up.
In 2016, a ransomware group trawled the internet and gathered Uber’s credentials that opened the door into the company’s server database. The cybercriminals then stole the information of customers and drivers alike and held it for a $100,000 Bitcoin ransom. Joe Sullivan, Uber’s chief security officer at the time, paid the ransom and the criminal group agreed to delete the information they uncovered. While it’s not uncommon for large corporations to give in to cybercriminals and dole out huge ransom payments, Sullivan is facing potential jail time because he didn’t report the incident to the Federal Trade Commission. He was recently found guilty of wire fraud and concealing a felony from authorities.
Uber account holders had their personally identifiable information in nefarious hands without their knowledge. The cybercriminals allegedly downloaded the names, email addresses and phone numbers of 57 million Uber customers and drivers, plus the license plate numbers of 600,000 drivers.1
Organizations have a responsibility to their customers to report any cyberbreaches. With a full name, email address, and phone number, cybercriminals can inflict a lot of damage on an innocent person’s credit, steal money from online accounts, or invade someone’s digital privacy. Customers must act swiftly to put the proper safeguards in place, but they can’t do that if they don’t even know a breach has happened! The longer a cybercriminal has to poke and prod someone’s digital footprint, the more havoc they can wreak and profits they can gain.
Acting swiftly is key to keeping your personally identifiable information (PII) private after a breach, though there are a few measures you can take right now that could prevent your information from being compromised. Here’s what you can do before and after a breach.
One way to shrink your attack surface – or the number of possible entry points into your digital life – is to regularly vet your online accounts and apps. For example, when you’re cleaning your closet, it’s common to donate or trash any clothing you haven’t worn in a year. The same method works for your digital life. If you haven’t logged into a shopping site or mobile gaming app in over a year, it’s unlikely that you will use them anytime soon, so it’s time to say goodbye and delete it.
McAfee credit lock and security freeze are other preventive measures that can keep your credit safe in case your PII is ever compromised. These services make it easy to prevent one or all three major credit bureaus from accessing your credit. In turn, this prevents anyone other than you from opening a bank account, applying for a loan, or making a substantial purchase. If you’re not planning on needing a credit report, it’s a great practice to freeze your credit.
When you first hear of a company’s data leak with which you have an account, the first step you should take is to change your account password. Login and password combinations are often compromised in a data breach. Make sure your new password is strong and is not a duplicate of a password you use elsewhere.
Next, consider running a Personal Data Cleanup scan. Personal Data Cleanup checks risky data broker sites and alerts you if your information appears on any of them. From there, you can take steps to remove your information.
Finally, for the next few weeks, keep close tabs on your financial, online, and email accounts. Watch for suspicious activities like purchases you didn’t make, electronic receipts, notifications, or mailing lists that you didn’t sign up for. McAfee+ Ultimate can help you here with its identity monitoring and full-service Personal Data Cleanup. McAfee+ gives you a partner to alert you and help you recover if your digital privacy is compromised.
Protecting your identity and digital privacy is a two-way street. While identity and privacy protection tools go a long way, individuals also have a responsibility to remain vigilant and take quick action if they suspect their information is compromised. And the ultimate responsibility lies with companies to alert the authorities and their customers after a data leak and to take serious steps to shore up their security to make sure it never happens again.
1The Verge, “Former Uber security chief found guilty of covering up massive 2016 data breach”
The post 57 Million Users Compromised in Uber Leak: Protect Your Digital Privacy and Identity appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Have you seen that small pop-up on your phone or laptop that says your password has been compromised?
Simple and weak passwords are prone to guesswork, and attackers can force their way in if the password length is too short. Attackers can easily guess simple passwords like your birthday, email account, or one of your former phone numbers.
A long password made up of a random string of characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols, is considered strong security against data breaches.
Creating a strong password for each of your accounts is the best way to protect your sensitive information. Coming up with a unique password for every account and learning each one by heart can be challenging. This is where a password generator can help you create a random password. Password generators are also beneficial when you want to change an old password.
The next challenge is storing your passwords safely so that you can keep track of each of your account’s login information. McAfee True Key is another tool to streamline your password security and management. Simply sign in once using a master password, and True Key will auto-save and autofill your passwords for you whenever you want to access one of your accounts.
A password generator is a software that creates random passwords for its users. A random password generator will construct passwords of any length using numbers, letters, and symbols. You can also add customizations to your randomly generated password, such as using only alphanumeric characters with no symbols. Using a password generator is considered a great way to secure your data. Without a strong password to secure your data, you risk financial fraud and identity theft.
In addition to stealing your money, a hacker who controls your account can apply for new credit cards and reduce your credit score.
With the rapid growth of security failure and cybercrime, a strong password from a password generator can protect your data against fraud and malware attacks. Traditional password attacks include brute force attacks, rainbow tables, and dictionary attacks.
A strong password consisting of a long string of ambiguous characters, including alphanumeric and symbols, can shield against this. Whenever you are asked to update a password on one of your account websites, you can immediately create a strong password using a password generator. It’s also a healthy practice to update passwords every three months. You can accomplish this easily using a password generator.
The password strength directly correlates to the computing power needed to crack it. Here are the key elements of a strong password:
A good password generator tool works by creating a random password using “cryptographically secure” random values. In other words, these passwords cannot be predicted by attackers even if they replicate the algorithm employed by the generator. This makes such password generators an incredibly safe and effective way to create unique passwords. In addition to their security, password generators let you tailor your new password to a preferred length and complexity.
You can generate a slew of unique passwords in an instant. Once you find one you like, your password generator can save it for you. Some secure password generators like McAfee True Key also combine password management in their functions. Bid goodbye to the hassle of individually signing into every account with a unique password. You can store all of your unique passwords and sign in to any of your accounts using a single master password.
You can get a range of features with your password generator to improve your data security. Here are some useful characteristics to look for in a good password generator:
McAfee True Key can help you generate strong passwords while also serving as a place to store all of your unique passwords. True Key protects your passwords by scrambling them using AES-256, one of the strongest encryption algorithms available. With factors of your choosing, only you can decrypt and access your sensitive information on True Key by signing in using a single master password.
Access all of your data on True Key by signing in using your secure master password. Every time you sign in to your True Key account, your identity will be verified using at least two factors of your choosing. You can customize your profile by adding more sign-in factors; the more you add, the more secure your information.
True Key is supported by iOS, Android, Mac, and PC devices, meaning you can sign in from any of these operating systems. You also get local data encryption and cross-device syncing across all of these devices. Supported browsers include Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari. McAfee respects your privacy, which means your passwords are not accessible to anyone but you. Your data will never be sold or shared with any third parties.
Your password determines your data security. Data breaches can involve cases of identity theft and financial fraud. Create strong passwords for every account to keep your online data free from financial fraud and malicious intent. You can accomplish this using a strong password generator. Ensure your password generator uses cryptographically secure random variables, so hackers can’t predict your passwords even if they have access to the algorithm used for the generator.
In addition to creating unique passwords, a password generator also serves as a secure place to store your passwords. Most people assume they are safe when storing passwords in a document on their PC. If a hacker gains access to your device, they can read the document containing all of your sensitive passwords. Prevent this by using a password manager, which requires a master password and two-factor authentication to log in.
Get these benefits and more completely free when you install McAfee True Key. And to protect yourself even more, consider McAfee+
The post Strong Password Generators appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
Every October, the National Cybersecurity Alliance selects a theme around which to publish extensive awareness resources and practical tips to help you improve your cybersecurity.1 This year’s theme is “It’s easy to stay safe online.” With the number of cyberthreats and breaches dominating the headlines, it can seem like a Herculean task to cover all your bases; however, with just four easy habits, you can actually protect yourself against a large percentage of these threats!
Don’t be scared of hackers, phishers, or cybercriminals this month. Leave that to the ghosts, ghouls, and your upcoming holiday social calendar.
Multifactor authentication (MFA) is an excellent way to frustrate cybercriminals attempting to break into your online accounts. MFA means that you need more than a username and password to log in, such as a one-time code sent to by email, text, or through an authentication app or a face or fingerprint scan. This adds an extra layer of security, because a thief would have to have access to your device, your email, or be able to trick a biometric reader to get into your online account.
Most online sites offer the option to turn on MFA. While it may add an extra few seconds to the login process, it’s well worth it. Username and password combinations can be up for sale on the dark web following a breach. With these in hand, a cybercriminal could then help themselves to your online bank account, online medical records, and possibly your identity. When an account is secured with MFA, a criminal may quickly move on to another target that’s easier to crack.
Most sites won’t even let you proceed with creating an account if you don’t have a strong enough password. A strong password is one with a mix of capital and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. What also makes for an excellent password is one that’s unique. Reusing passwords can be just as risky as using “password123” or your pet’s name plus your birthday as a password. A reused password can put all your online accounts at risk, due to a practice called credential stuffing. Credential stuffing is a tactic where a cybercriminal attempts to input a stolen username and password combination in dozens of random websites and to see which doors it opens.
Remembering a different password for each of your online accounts is almost an impossible task. Luckily, password managers make it so you only have to remember one password ever again! Password managers, like the one available in McAfee+. safeguard all your passwords in one secure desktop extension or cellphone app that you can use anywhere. McAfee+ is secured with one of the most secure encryption algorithms available, and multifactor authentication is always standard.
It’s best to create passwords or passphrases that have a secret meaning that only you know. Stay away from using significant dates, names, or places, because those are easier to guess. You can also leave it up to your password manager to randomly generate a password for you. The resulting unintelligible jumble of numbers, letters, and symbols is virtually impossible for anyone to guess.
Software update notifications always seem ping on the outskirts of your desktop and mobile device at the most inconvenient times. What’s more inconvenient though is having your device hacked. Another easy tip to improve your cybersecurity is to update your device software whenever upgrades are available. Most software updates include security patches that smart teams have created to foil cybercriminals. The more outdated your apps or operating system is, the more time criminals have had to work out ways to infiltrate them.
Consider enabling automatic updates on all your devices. Many major updates occur in the early hours of the morning, meaning that you’ll never know your devices were offline. You’ll just wake up to new, secure software!
You’ve likely already experienced a phishing attempt, whether you were aware of it or not. Phishing is a common tactic used to eke personal details from unsuspecting or trusting people. Phishers often initiate contact through texts, emails, or social media direct messages, and they aim to get enough information to hack into your online accounts or to impersonate you.
Luckily, it’s usually easy to identify a phisher. Here are a few tell-tale signs for be on the lookout for:
Never engage with a phishing attempt. Do not forward the message or respond to them and never click on any links included in their message. The links could direct to malicious sites that could infect your device with malware or spyware.
Before you delete the message, block the sender, mark the message as junk, and report the phisher. Reporting can go a long way toward hopefully preventing the phisher from targeting someone else.
The best complement to your newfound excellent cyberhabits is a toolbelt of excellent services to patch any holes in your defense. McAfee+ includes all the services you need to boost your peace of mind about your online identity and privacy. You can surf public Wi-Fis safely with its secure VPN, protect your device with antivirus software, scan risky sites for your personally identifiable information, and more!
This October, make a commitment to improving your cybersecurity with the guidance of the National Cybersecurity Alliance and McAfee.
1National Cybersecurity Alliance, “Cybersecurity Awareness Month”
The post 4 Easy Things You Can Do Today to Improve Your Cybersecurity appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Our all-new ransomware coverage is now available, ready to help just in case—all backed by expert advice to help you find the quickest and best possible path to recovery.
Ransomware coverage from McAfee can reimburse you up to $25,000 for losses resulting from a ransomware threat, including financial losses and ransom fees. You’ll find this ransomware coverage included with our McAfee+ Ultimate plan.
As well as eligibility for ransomware reimbursement, our team of experts can help you:
However, it’s important to realize that ransomware is unlike any other attack. When ransomware locks someone out of their device or encrypts their data and files so they can’t use them, a demand is usually made for money. Sometimes, paying the ransom results in the device being made accessible again or the files being decrypted. Yet like any ransom case, this result is not always guaranteed. There are plenty of cases where people pay the ransom but never get their data or access to their devices back.
Again, our coverage includes guidance from our expert advisers to help walk you through your options should the worst happen to you. You won’t be in it alone—particularly as you look to recover from what can be a complicated attack.
As the name implies, ransomware is a type of malware that holds your device or information for ransom. It may lock your computer or smartphone entirely or it may you out of your files by encrypting them so that you can’t access them. Whether it’s a hacker or a cybercrime organization behind the attack, the bad actor involved holds the key to unlock those files—and promises to do so. For a price. And as mentioned above, sometimes that doesn’t happen, even if you pay.
Ransomware can infect your devices several different ways:
Ransomware has seen quite the evolution over the years. Its origins date back to the late 1980s, where malware-loaded floppy disks were sent to users who installed them under false pretenses. There the malware would lie in wait until the user rebooted their computer for the 90th time and presented with a digital ransom note.
From there, ransomware attacks on individuals became more sophisticated, and more lucrative, with the advent of the internet and the millions of everyday users who flocked to it. Using phishing emails, malware downloads from phony sites, and compromised software and networks, hackers rapidly expanded their ransomware reach.
However, yet more lucrative for hackers and organized cybercriminals were public and private organizations. Shifting their attacks to so-called “big game” targets, hackers and organized cybercriminals have used ransomware to extort money from hospitals, city governments, financial institutions, and key energy infrastructure companies, to name just a few. Seeing further opportunity, ransomware attackers then began targeting smaller and mid-sized businesses as well. While the ransom demands account for lower amounts, these organizations often lack dedicated cybersecurity teams and the protections that come along with them, making these organizations easier to victimize.
Meanwhile, the body of malicious code and attack packages used to launch ransomware attacks has only grown. As a result, small-time hackers and hacking groups can find the tools they need to conduct an attack for sale or for lease as a service (Ransomware as a Service, or RaaS). In effect, these bad actors can simply access a dark web marketplace and figuratively pull a ready-to-deploy attack off the shelf.
As a result, ransomware remains a concern for individuals, even as businesses and governmental bodies of all sizes deal with its threat.
What makes ransomware so damaging is just how much effort it can take to undo. Setting aside the sophisticated attacks on businesses and governments for a moment, even those “off-the-shelf” attacks that some hackers will launch against individuals go beyond the average user’s ability to undo. For example, there are some known attacks with known methods of decrypting the data, however, that requires knowing specifically which attack was used. Attempting to undo the encryption with the wrong solution can potentially encrypt that data even more.
So without question, the best defense against ransomware is prevention. Comprehensive online protection software gives you the tools you need to help avoid becoming a ransomware victim. A few include:
Moreover, you can protect yourself further by backing up your files and data. A cloud storage solution,121cwdv 1765ujb n4yh that’s secured with a strong and unique password, offers one path. Likewise, you can back up your files on an external disk or drive, making sure to keep it disconnected from your network and stored in a safe place.
Also as mentioned in the bullets above, keep your operating system and apps current with the latest updates. Beyond making improvements in your operating system and apps, updates often also address security issues that hackers often use to compromise devices and apps.
Lastly, stay alert. Keep an eye out for sketchy links, attachments, websites, and messages. Bad actors will pull all kinds of phishing tricks to lure you their way, places where they try to compromise you, your devices, and data.
Taken together, the combination of online protection software and a few preventative steps can greatly reduce the chance that you’ll fall victim to ransomware. From there, you also have the assurance of our ransomware coverage, ready to get on the path to recovery, just in case.
The post All-New Ransomware Coverage Opens Up the Path to Recovery appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Password protection is one of the most common security protocols available. By creating a unique password, you are both proving your identity and keeping your personal information safer. However, when every account you have requires a separate password, it can be an overwhelming task. While you should be concerned about the safety of your data, you also want to avoid the frustration of forgetting your password and being blocked from the information you need. However, the benefits of using strong, unique passwords outweigh the occasional inconvenience.
The main benefit of a strong password is security. Hackers work quickly when they are trying to access accounts. They want to steal as much information as they can in as short a time as possible. This makes an account with a strong password less inviting because cracking the code is much more involved.
A strong password also limits the damage that hackers can do to your personal accounts. A common strategy involves cracking the passwords of less secure sites with limited personal information. The hackers hope that they can use the password from your gym membership app to access information in your online banking account. Strong password protection prevents this situation.
When someone is registering an online account, it can be tempting to blaze through the password process. In order to move quickly, there are several poor password practices that people employ.
A password is considered strong when it is difficult for a hacker to crack it quickly. Sophisticated algorithms can run through many password combinations in a short time. A password that is long, complex and unique will discourage attempts to break into your accounts.
If you want a password that is memorable but strong, you can easily turn a phrase into a layered, complex password. In this process, it is important to note that you should not use personal information that is available online as part of your phrase.
Now, you have a password that you can remember while challenging the algorithms hackers use.
When you consider the number of accounts you need to protect, coming up with a properly layered password is a time-consuming task. Even if you are able to decide on a memorable phrase, there are just too many accounts that need passwords. A password manager is a helpful tool to keep you safe while you are online. It acts as a database for all of your passwords. Each time you create a new code, it stores it so that you can automatically enter it later. You only need to remember a single password to access the tools of your manager.
Most managers can also do the work of creating complex, layered passwords for your accounts. These will be a string of random numbers, letters and characters. They will not be memorable, but you are relying on the manager to do the memorizing. These machine-generated passwords are especially helpful for accounts you rarely access or that do not hold significant information.
For critical accounts like your bank account or a work-related account, it can be helpful to keep an offline list of your passwords. Complex passwords are meant to be difficult to remember. You may recall the phrase but not all the detailed changes that make it layered. Keeping a document on a zip drive or even in a physical paper file or journal will allow you to access your information if your hardware fails or you are switching to a new system.
Cracking passwords is just one of the strategies hackers use to steal information. In addition to using strong passwords, it is important to employ comprehensive security software. Strong passwords will help protect your online accounts. Strong overall security will keep your hardware and network safe from danger.
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Fears and phobias. We all have them. But what are your biggest ones? I absolutely detest snakes but spiders don’t worry me at all. Well, new research by McAfee shows that cybercriminals and the fear of being hacked are now the 5th greatest fear among Aussies.
With news of data breaches and hacking crusades filling our news feed on a regular basis, many of us are becoming more aware and concerned about the threats we face in our increasingly digital world. And McAfee’s latest confirms this with hackers making their way into Australia’s Top 10 Fears.
According to research conducted by McAfee, snakes are the top phobia for Aussies followed by spiders, heights and sharks. Cybercriminals and the fear of being hacked come in in 5th place beating the dentist, bees, ghosts, aeroplane travel and clowns!
Aussie Top 10 Fears and Phobias
Fears and phobias develop when we perceive that we are at risk of pain, or worse, still, death. And while almost a third of respondents nominated snakes as their number one fear, there is less than one-in-fifty thousand chance of being bitten badly enough by a snake to warrant going to hospital in Australia, according to research from the Internal Medicine Journal.
In contrast, McAfee’s analysis of more than 108 billion potential online threats between October and December, identified 202 million of these threats as genuine risks. With a global population of 7.5 billion, that means there is approximately a one in 37 chance of being targeted by cybercrime. Now while this is not a life-threatening situation, these statistics show that chance of us being affected by an online threat is very real.
According to the research, 82% of Aussies believe that being hacked is a growing or high concern. And when you look at the sheer number of reported data breaches so far this year, these statistics make complete sense. Data breaches have affected Bunnings staff, Federal Parliament staff, Marriott guests, Victorian Government staff, QLD Fisheries members, Skoolbag app users and Big W customers plus many more.
Almost 1 in 5 (19%) of those interviewed said their top fear at work is doing something that will result in a data security breach, they will leak sensitive information or infect their corporate IT systems.
The fear that we are in the midst of a cyberwar is another big concern for many Aussies. Cyberwar can be explained as a computer or network-based conflict where parties try to disrupt or take ownership of the activities of other parties, often for strategic, military or cyberespionage purposes. 55% of Aussies believe that a cyberwar is happening right now but we just don’t know about it. And a fifth believe cyber warfare is the biggest threat to our nation.
Being proactive about protecting your online life is the absolute best way of reducing the chances of being hacked or being affected by a data breach. Here are my top tips on what you can now to protect yourself:
Using a password manager to create unique and complex passwords for each of your online accounts will definitely improve your online safety. If each on your online accounts has a unique password and you are involved in a breach, the hacker won’t be able to use the stolen password details to log into any of your other accounts.
Storing your financial data within your browser and being able to populate online forms quickly within seconds makes the autofill function very attractive however it is risky. Autofill will automatically fill out all forms on a page regardless of whether you can see all the boxes. You may just think you are automatically entering your email address into an online form however a savvy hacker could easily design an online form with hidden boxes designed to capture your financial information. So remove all your financial information from Autofill. I know this means you will have to manually enter information each time you purchase but your personal data will be better protected.
One of the easiest ways for a cybercriminal to compromise their victim is by using phishing emails to lure consumers into clicking links for products or services that could lead to malware, or a phoney website designed to steal personal information. If the deal seems too good to be true, or the email was not expected, always check directly with the source.
It’s important to put the right security solutions in place in order to surf the web safely. Add an extra layer of security to your browser with McAfee WebAdvisor.
I know public Wi-Fi might seem like a good idea, but if consumers are not careful, they could be unknowingly exposing personal information or credit card details to cybercriminals who are snooping on the network. If you are a regular Wi-Fi user, I recommend investing in a virtual private network or (VPN) such as McAfee Secure VPN which will ensure your connection is completely secure and that your data remains safe.
While it is tempting, putting our head in the sand and pretending hackers and cybercrime don’t exist puts ourselves and our families at even more risk! Facing our fears and making an action plan is the best way of reducing our worry and stress. So, please commit to being proactive about your family’s online security. Draw up a list of what you can do today to protect your tribe. And if you want to receive regular updates about additional ways you can keep your family safe online, check out my blog.
‘till next time.
Alex x
The post Aussies Fear Snakes, Spiders and Getting Hacked appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Here’s one way you can help reduce your chances of identity theft: remove your personal information from the internet.
And chances are, you have more personal information posted online than you think.
According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers registered 1.4 million identity theft complaints in 2021, all part of a year where consumers reported losing $5.8 billion to fraud overall—a 70% increase over the year prior.
What fuels all this theft and fraud? Access to personal information.
Scammers and thieves can get a hold of personal information in several ways, such as through phishing attacks that lure you into handing it over, malware that steals it from your devices, by purchasing your information on dark web marketplaces, or as a result of information leaked in data breaches, just to name a few.
However, scammers and thieves have other resources to help them commit theft and fraud—data broker sites, places where personal information is posted online for practically anyone to see. Which makes removing your info from them so important, from both an identity and privacy standpoint.
Think of data broker sites as huge repositories of personal information. Search your name and address online and you’ll see. You’ll likely find dozens of sites that turn up information about you, some of which offer a few pieces for free and others that offer far more information for a price.
Data brokers collect and then aggregate personal information from several sources, including:
Data brokers also buy personal information from other data brokers. As a result, some data brokers have thousands of pieces of data for billions of individuals worldwide.
What could that look like? A broker may know how much you paid for your home, your education level, where you’ve lived over the years and who your lived with, your driving record, and possibly your political leanings. A broker may also know your favorite flavor of ice cream and your preferred over-the-counter allergy medicine thanks to information from loyalty cards. Further, they may also have health-related information from fitness apps. The amount of personal information can run that broadly, and that deeply.
With information at this potential level of detail, it’s no wonder that data brokers rake in an estimated at $200 billion U.S. dollars worldwide every year.
On the legitimate side, it’s used by advertisers to create targeted ad campaigns. With information sold by data brokers, they can generate lists based on highly specific criteria, such as shopping histories, personal interests, and even political leanings as mentioned above. Likely without you being aware of it—and likely with no way to contest that information if it’s incorrect.
Other legitimate uses include using these sites for background checks. Law enforcement, reporters, and employers will use data brokers as a starting point for research because the leg work has largely been done for them. Namely, data brokers have aggregated a person’s information already, which is an otherwise time-consuming process.
If this seems a little shady, it’s still legal. As of now, the U.S. has no federal laws that regulate data brokers or require data them to remove personal information if requested. A few states, such as Nevada, Vermont, and California, have legislation in place aimed at protecting consumers. Meanwhile, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union has stricter rules about what information can be collected and what can be done with it. Still, the data broker economy thrives.
On the darker side, scammers and thieves use personal information for identity theft and fraud. With enough personal information gathered from enough sources, they can create a high-fidelity profile of their victims. One that gives them enough information to open new accounts in their name.
So, from the standpoint of both privacy and identity, cleaning up your personal information online makes a great deal of sense.
Let’s review some ways you can remove your personal information from data brokers and other sources on the internet.
The process starts with finding the sites that have your information. From there, you can request to have it removed. Yet as mentioned above, there are dozens and dozens of these sites. Knowing where to start is a challenge in of itself, as is manually making the requests once you have identified the sites that post and sell information about you.
Our Personal Data Cleanup can do the work for you. Personal Data Cleanup scans some of the riskiest data broker sites and shows you which ones are selling your personal info. It also provides guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and can even manage the removal for you depending on your plan. It also monitors those sites, so if your info gets posted again, you can request its removal again.
As of September 2022, Google accounts for just over 92% of search engine market share worldwide. Aside from being a search engine, Google offers a myriad of other services and applications, such as Gmail and Google Maps. While Google offers plenty of tools for productivity, travel, work, and play for free, they still come at a cost—the gathering and analysis of your personal information.
You can limit the data Google associates with you by removing your name from Google search results with a removal request. This will disable anyone online from getting any results if they search your name. (Note that this will not remove your information from the original sites and sources where it’s posted.) Moreover, Google collects all your browsing data continuously. You have the option to turn on “Auto Delete” in your privacy settings to ensure that the data is deleted regularly and help limit the amount of time your sensitive data stays vulnerable.
You can also occasionally delete your cookies or use your browser in incognito mode to prevent websites from being tracked back to you. Go to your Google Chrome settings to clear your browser and cookie history.
As discussed above, data brokers can collect information from public social media profiles. You can minimize your presence on social media to the bare minimum. Make a list of the ones you use or have used in the past. If there are old accounts that you no longer use or websites that have gone by the wayside like Myspace or Tumblr, you may want to deactivate them or consider deleting them entirely.
For social media platforms that you still may use regularly, like Facebook and Instagram, consider adjusting your privacy settings to ensure that your personal information on these social media platforms is the bare minimum. For example, on Facebook you can lock your profile, while on Instagram you can stay private.
If you’ve ever published articles, written blogs, or created any content online, it might be a good time to consider taking it down if it is no longer serving a purpose. Depending on what you’ve posted, you may have shared personal details about your life. Additionally, you might be mentioned by other people in various social media posts, articles, or blogs. It is worth reaching out to these people to request them to take down posts with sensitive information.
Social media and online articles that host your personal information are often used when businesses or hackers are doing “internet scrapes” to find better ways to use your targeted information. Asking your friends or third-party sites to remove that information can help protect your privacy.
Another way you can tidy up your digital footprint online involves deleting all the unnecessary phone apps that you no longer need or use. Even when apps are not open or in use, they may be able to track personal information such as your real-time location and even your payment details if you have a paid subscription to the app.
Some apps even sell this data as it can be extremely advantageous to other companies, which they use to target certain consumer segments and profiles for advertising. Try to share as little information with apps as possible if you’re looking to minimize your online footprint, and provide them access to your photos, contacts, and location only on as-needed basis and only when the app is in use. Your phone’s app and location services settings will give you the tools to do it.
In addition to the steps above, comprehensive online protection software can keep you more private and minimize your risk of cybercrime. It can include:
So while it may seem like all this rampant collecting and selling of personal information is out of your hands, there’s plenty you can do to take control. With the steps outlined above and strong online protection software at your back, you can keep your personal information more private and secure.
The post 5 Steps to Removing Your Personal Information From the Internet appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Ever hear of a crime called skimming? It may not be as dramatic a crime as assault or Ponzi schemes, but it can cause significant problems to you as your savings account can be wiped out in a flash.
Picture a scrawny nerd tampering with an automated teller machine (ATM)—the machine you use with your debit card to get cash. The thief places a device over the slot through which you slide your debit card. You have no idea it’s there. You swipe your card, and the device “skims” or reads your card’s information. In the middle of the night, the thief creeps back, removes the skimming device, downloads your data, burns it to a blank ATM card, makes a fat withdrawal and goes home with the loot. Or they could download your information from the skimmer and then use your information to make online purchases or access your account. Either way, they could clean you out before you wake up next morning!
Now, to be successful, the criminal not only needs a skimming device, they also need to attach a tiny wireless camera to capture your PIN. These cameras are usually concealed in the lighting fixture above the keypad, in a brochure near the machine, or attached directly to the ATM.
To protect yourself from being skimmed, and generally staying safe when using your debit or credit cards, follow these tips:
Stay safe from skimming!
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