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If you’re thinking about crypto, one of the first things you’ll want to do is get yourself a good wallet.
Topping the several important things a new cryptocurrency investor needs to think about is security. Rightfully so. Cryptocurrency is indeed subject to all kinds of fraud, theft, and phishing attacks, just like the credentials and accounts we keep online.
But here’s the catch. Lost or stolen cryptocurrency is terrifically difficult to recover. By and large, it doesn’t enjoy the same protections and regulations as traditional currency and financial transactions. For example, you can always call your bank or credit card company to report theft or contest a fraudulent charge. Not the case with crypto. With that, you’ll absolutely need a safe place to secure it. Likewise, in the U.S. many banks are FDIC insured, which protects depositors if the bank fails. Again, not so with crypto.
So, when it comes to cryptocurrency, security is everything.
Cryptocurrency theft offers hackers an immediate payoff. It’s altogether different from, say, hacking the database of a Fortune 500 company. With a data breach, a hacker may round up armloads of personal data and information, yet it takes additional steps for them to translate those stolen records into money. With cryptocurrency theft, the dollars shift from the victim to the crook in milliseconds. It’s like digital pickpocketing. As you can guess, that makes cryptocurrency a big target.
And that’s where your wallet will come in, a place where you store the digital credentials associated with the cryptocurrency you own. The issue is doing it securely. Let’s take a look at the different wallets out there and then talk about how you can secure them.
Broadly, there are two general categories of wallets. First, let’s look at what these wallets store.
A wallet contains public and private “keys” that are used to conduct transactions. The public key often takes the form of an address, one that anyone can see and then use to send cryptocurrency. The private key is exactly that. Highly complex and taking many forms that range from multi-word phrases to strings of code, it’s your unique key that proves your ownership of your cryptocurrency and that allows you to spend and send crypto. Needless to say, never share your private key.
With that, there are two ways to store your keys—in a hot wallet or a cold wallet.
Hot Wallets:
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Cold Wallets:
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As you can see, the benefit of a hot wallet is that you can load it up with cryptocurrency, ready for spending. However, it’s the riskiest place to store cryptocurrency because it’s connected to the internet, making it a target for hacks and attacks.
In addition to that, a hot wallet is connected to a cryptocurrency exchange, which makes the transfer of cryptocurrencies possible. The issue with that is all cryptocurrency exchanges are not created equal, particularly when it comes to security. Some of the lesser-established exchanges may not utilize strong protocols, likely making a target for attack. Even the more established and trusted exchanges have fallen victim to attacks—where crooks have walked away with millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars.
While the funds in cold wallets are far less liquid, they’re far more secure because they’re not connected to the internet. In this way, cold wallets are more vault-like and suitable for long-term storage of larger sums of funds. But cold wallets place a great deal of responsibility on the holder. They must be stored in a physically secure place, and be backed up, because if you lose that one device or printout that contains your cryptocurrency info, you lose the cryptocurrency altogether. Within the cold wallet category, there are a few different types:
Several manufacturers make storage devices specifically designed to store cryptocurrency, complete with specific features for security, durability, and compatibility with many (yet not always all) of the different cryptocurrencies on the market. An online search will turn up several options, so doing your homework here will be very important—such as which devices have the best track record for security, which devices are the most reliable overall, and which ones are compatible with the crypto you wish to keep.
Storing cryptocurrency information on a computer or laptop that’s disconnected from the internet (also known as “air-gapped”) is a storage method that’s been in place for some time. However, because computers and laptops are complex devices, they may be less secure than a simpler, purpose-built cryptocurrency device. In short, there are more ways to compromise a computer or laptop with malware that a determined hacker can use to steal information in some rather surprising ways. (Like noise from a compromised computer fan passing information in a sort of Morse Code or generating electromagnetic signals on a compromised computer that nearby devices can use to skim information.)
Ah, good old paper. Write down a code and keep it secure. Simple, right? In truth, creating a paper wallet can be one of the most involved methods of all the cold storage options out there. Bitcoin offers a step-by-step walkthrough of the process that you can see for yourself. Once done, though, you’ll have a piece of paper with a public address for loading cryptocurrency into your paper cold wallet, along with a private key. One note: Bitcoin and others recommend never reusing a paper cold wallet once it’s connected to a hot wallet. You should go through the process of creating a new cold paper wallet each time.
Physical coins are a special case and are relatively new on the scene. They’re a physical coin minted with a tamper-resistant sticker that indicates the actual value of the coin. Like other methods of cold wallet storage, this calls for keeping it in a safe place, because it’s pretty much like a wad of cash. And like cash, if it’s stolen, it’s gone for good. Also note that a cryptocurrency holder must work with a third party to mint and deliver the coin, which has its own costs and risks involved.
With that look at wallets, let’s see what it takes to secure them. It may seem like there’s plenty to do here. That’s because there is, which goes to show just how much responsibility falls on the shoulders of the cryptocurrency holder. Of course, this is your money we’re talking about, so let’s dive into the details.
Whatever form your storage takes, back it up. And back it up again. Cryptocurrency holders should make multiple copies just in case one is lost, destroyed, or otherwise inaccessible. For example, one story that’s made the rounds is of a IT engineer in the UK who accidentally threw away an old hard drive with his cryptocurrency key on it, one that held 7,500 bitcoins, worth millions of dollars. Redundancy is key. Back up the entire wallet right away and then often after that.
With redundant backups in place, store them in places that are physically secure. It’s not uncommon for crypto holders to use fireproof safes and safe deposit boxes at banks for this purpose, which only highlights the earlier point that a wallet is as good as cash in many ways.
This will help prevent malware from stealing crypto, whether or not your device is connected to the internet. Comprehensive online protection software will give you plenty of other benefits as well, including identity theft monitoring and strong password management, two things that can help you protect your investments, and yourself, even further.
Updates often address security issues, ones that hackers will of course try to exploit. Keep everything current and set automatic updates wherever they are available so that you have the latest and greatest.
Just as your bank and other financial accounts offer MFA, do the same here with your crypto. Some extra security-conscious crypto investors will purchase a device for this specific purpose for yet greater protection, such as a separate phone with texting capability. This keeps their crypto transactions separate from the multitude of other things they do on their everyday smartphone, effectively putting up a wall between these two different digital worlds.
Two things fall under this category. One, the less you say about the crypto investments you make, the less word gets around, which can help keep hackers out of the loop. Particularly on social media! Two, consider setting up a unique email account that you only use for crypto. The less you associate your crypto accounts with other financial accounts like your banking and online payment apps, the more difficult it is to compromise several accounts in one fell swoop.
Just like hackers send phishing emails with an eye on accessing your bank accounts, credit cards, and so on, they’ll do much the same to get at your crypto accounts. The target may be different, that being your crypto, but the attack is very much the same. An email will direct you to a hacker’s website, using some sort of phony pretense, get-rich-quick-scheme, or scare tactic. Once there, they’ll ask for private key information and then simply steal the funds. And it’s not just email. Hackers have used online ads to phish for victims as well.
As you can see, these security measures rely almost exclusively on you. If something happens to you, that could make recovering your funds a real problem. Consider reaching out to someone you trust and let them know where you’re storing your wallets and information. That way, you’ll have some assistance ready in the event of an emergency or issue.
The very things that define cryptocurrency—the anonymity of ownership, the lack of banking institutions, the light or non-existent regulation—all have major security implications. Add in the fact that you’re your own safety net here and it’s easy to see that crypto is something that requires plenty of planning and careful through before diving into. Getting knowledgeable about security, how you’ll protect your crypto, should absolutely top your list before investing.
The post Cold Wallets, Hot Wallets: The Basics of Storing Your Crypto Securely appeared first on McAfee Blog.
As a gamer, you love the stuff you’ve racked up over the years—that rare Fortnite skin from six seasons ago, a complete set of Tier 20 armor in World of Warcraft, or a Steam account loaded with your favorite titles. Hackers love it too. Because they can make money off it.
Hackers have been stealing and reselling online gaming accounts for some time now. Yet the recent 400 percent rise in online gaming theft shouldn’t come as a surprise, particularly as so many of us turned to games for entertainment lately. As people leveled up, gathered loot, and filled their libraries with games in the cloud, hackers saw the opportunity.
The opportunity is this: gaming accounts have a street value. The virtual items and perks we acquire through gaming take time, effort, participation, and sometimes just good luck to build up. In a way, we’ve worked hard to earn our fun. Meanwhile, others out there are willing to take a shortcut. There are those who’ll pay for a well-stocked gaming account that someone else has built up, and hackers are more than willing to hijack accounts from innocent victims and sell them online.
Put simply, the virtual goods in your gaming accounts are like any other good. They have value. And just like anything else you value, they’re worth protecting. That’s exactly what we’ll help you do here.
First up, let’s take a quick look at the different ways digital goods get moved and sold out there—just to get a sense of the marketplaces that have cropped up around gaming and where hackers fit into the mix.
And there are several. Over the years we’ve seen all kinds of gaming marketplaces crop up, whether they’re sanctioned marketplaces built inside of online games, gray marketplaces that exist outside of games, and dark marketplaces where stolen accounts and goods are exchanged.
As a gamer, you’re likely familiar with any number of sanctioned auction houses and marketplaces that are built right into online games, all designed and supported by the game’s developers. A classic example is the long-running auction house in World of Warcraft where players can buy and sell items with in-game currency, the World of Warcraft gold piece. And as marketplaces can go, the rarer and more coveted the item, the higher the price the seller can get for it. In fact, there are plenty of articles on how to play the markets for profit, in a quasi-stock market-like fashion, and all within the legitimate boundaries of the game.
In recent years, we’ve also seen the rise of in-game currencies that players can purchase for cash, again by design and with the support of the developer. A couple of examples are the World of Warcraft Tokens and Minecraft tokens and coins. What you can do with such tokens and coins varies from game to game, yet players can use them to acquire in-game currency, items, or paid to play time.
Increasingly common are in-game stores that allow players to purchase items and perks with cash, just like any other online store. Taken together with all the other ways a player can round up items in a game, it’s easy to see how a gamer’s account can grow into something somewhat unique and valuable over time, simply by playing and participating in the game.
With the time it takes for a player to level up a powerful character and acquire the items that can come along with it, there are out-of-game organizations that will, for a fee, do that work for a player in return for payment. Essentially it involves a player starting a gaming account, rolling up a character, and then handing over the account to a “booster” who will play the game on the owner’s behalf. When the agreed-upon level is reached, the booster hands back the character to the owner.
Of course, there are all kinds of potential problems with this. Strictly from a security standpoint, this means an account owner is handing over their credentials to a stranger, with no real guarantee that this stranger simply won’t change the account password, never hand back the account, and simply walk away with any funds that may have been paid upfront.
Further, “boosting” and other similar services may be against the user agreement the player signed when joining up for the game. For example, World of Warcraft recently updated its policy, stating that they now,
[P]rohibit organizations who offer boosting, matchmaking, escrow, or other non-traditional services, including those offered for gold. World of Warcraft accounts found to be in violation of this policy are subject to account actions. These actions can include warnings, account suspensions and, if necessary, permanent closure of the disruptive World of Warcraft account(s).
So while “boosting” services may not be illegal themselves, they can run counter to user agreements and may lead to cases of fraud when a booster service fails to fulfill its commitment or simply locks a player out of their own account.
Then there’s the theft and resale of online game accounts, clear examples of digital goods illegally changing hands. Stolen accounts make their way into dark web marketplaces and ads on chat platforms and social media, thanks to hackers who’ve cracked previously legitimate accounts and then packaged them up for sale. In some instances, cybercriminals will sell entire game collections, such as online gaming platform accounts where gamers may have purchased and have access to dozens and dozens of games stored in the cloud.
The method behind this theft is much like a credit card or bank account hack. Often using credentials lifted from a data breach, hackers will take known usernames and passwords and feed them into a credential stuffing application—which can then attempt to access hundreds, even thousands, of accounts through automated login requests.
Given that many users out there use the same passwords across their accounts makes them an easy target for this practice and can reap a large harvest of cracked accounts. From there, the account can be accessed, have its password changed, and then made ready for advertising and sale, where an account can be resold for a few dollars, or for potentially thousands depending on what the account contains.
There’s plenty you can do. A few simple steps on your part can drop some serious roadblocks in the way of a hacker who’s looking to crack your account or target you for a scam.
Each of your accounts should have its own strong, unique password. No repeats. And if you have some sixty-plus accounts across all the shopping, banking, gaming, and forum posting you do, not to mention your apps, that sounds like a lot of work. Because it is. Although it doesn’t have to be. A password manager can do the work for you by creating and storing strong, unique passwords for you.
Data breaches happen all the time now, striking businesses both large and small. If a business or organization where you have an online account gets breached, change your password right away. Related to the above, make sure the passwords across your other accounts are strong and unique. It’s not uncommon for hackers to try breaching passwords in other accounts, all in the hope that the victim is using the same or a similar password on other accounts as well.
Several gaming services offer multi-factor authentication (MFA) as a means of protecting accounts. In addition to requiring a username and password to log in, MFA further verifies account activity by sending a unique code to the email address or text to a device you own, which makes gaining illegal access that much tougher for hackers. Some gaming platforms even support an authentication app, such as the Battle.net Authenticator, offered by Blizzard. In all, the occasional extra clicks required by MFA can really save you some massive headaches by preventing theft. If you have MFA as an option, strongly consider using it.
Phishing attacks have made the jump from email to bogus ads on social media and in search too. In short, a phishing attack involves the hacker posing as a well-known company or organization with the intent of fooling you into providing your username and password. With that, they can drain your account, whether it’s money from your bank account or goods in your gaming account. Spotting phishing attacks can call for a sharp eye nowadays because some hackers can make the phishing emails and sites they use look like the real thing. Comprehensive online protection software will include web protection that can spot bogus links and sites and warn you away from them, even if they look legit.
Spearphishers are a special sort, in that they make more targeted attacks. While a phisher will send out an email blast or attempt to rope in a high volume of victims with an ad, a spearphisher will send a direct message to specific, potential victims. You may have seen or heard of this in massively multiplayer online games where an otherwise unknown player sends a message to another with a link to a website, complete with the promise of loot, in-game currency, or services to level up characters. Ignore and don’t visit that link. Chances are it’s a scammer, or at least someone who may be breaking the game’s user agreement by offering such services.
Whether you’re downloading a mod, an expansion, or a new game itself, go with a reputable online store or source. Hackers will drop malware into all kinds of files and applications, games included. Given that such malware could log keystrokes that steal login info, inject ransomware code to hold your device and data hostage, or simply wreak havoc on your files and things, it can have implications for more than just your gaming accounts and the virtual assets you have with them.
Hackers know there’s good money in gaming accounts. They wouldn’t bother with them otherwise. Realizing that your gaming account has value is the first step to protecting it.
In addition to taking the steps above, consider comprehensive online protection software. It offers defense in breadth and depth, covering everything from device security, privacy, and identity protection. However, if you want an even faster and safer gaming experience, gamer security is worth looking into. In addition to strong security features, it also offers performance-enhancing technologies that prioritize system resources and keep your gameplay going smooth.
In all, keep in mind that gaming accounts are serious business for hackers. Put up your defenses. Then get out and enjoy yourself, knowing that you have made it far, far tougher for them to ruin your fun.
The post Lock Down & Level Up: Protect Your Online Gaming from Hackers appeared first on McAfee Blog.
We’re excited to bring you the latest edition of the McAfee 2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report. After all, when you know the challenges you face, it’s easier to be confident online. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at some leading examples of techniques that cybercriminals are using to trick or defraud you via your mobile phone. These examples are some of the more sophisticated attacks, using real logos, quality graphics, and personalized messages. We hope this provides a useful resource for protecting your digital life, mobile devices, and personal information so that you can enjoy a safe life online with your family.
Cybercriminals are upping their game, using personal information and high-quality graphics to make their malware look like legitimate apps or official messages. Because these attacks are successful at defrauding significant numbers of mobile users out of their money and information, more criminals will jump on this approach or expand their malicious campaigns. Let’s take a look at some of the different techniques being used by scammers to fool mobile users.
Mobile smishing (aka phishing text messages) are attacks using personalized greetings in text messages that pretend to be from legitimate organizations to appear more credible. These messages often link to websites with authentic logos, icons, and other graphics, prompting the user to enter personal information or download an app. Users should be extra careful about text messages from unknown sources and should go directly to the organization’s website to validate requests.
Cheating tools and hacking apps are popular ways to get extra capabilities in mobile games. Criminals are exploiting this by promoting game hacking apps that include malicious code on legitimate messaging channels. If installed, the malware steals account credentials for social media and gaming accounts. Gamers should use caution when installing game hacks, especially if they request superuser permissions.
Cryptocurrencies are providing new opportunities for mobile device attacks. The latest ploy is phony apps that promise to mine coins in the cloud for a monthly fee. Fake reviews and a low cost make them sound too good to be true—and they are. These apps just take the money without doing any coin mining. With no actual malicious code, these apps are hard to detect, so users should be suspicious of being promised hundreds or thousands of dollars of crypto coins for just a few dollars a month.
Another attack uses a variety of fake apps with slick graphics to trick users into premium subscriptions. Hundreds of these apps promise features such as mobile games or photo editing and are supported by plenty of fake five-star reviews. When installed, the apps ask for the user’s phone number and verification PIN and use them to sign up for premium text services that direct payments to the criminals. Users should read reviews looking for vague statements, repetitive wording, and a mix of five-star and one-star ratings. For a deeper dive into the scams, be sure to view full report.
While threat tactics continue to change as criminals adapt and respond to detection and enforcement techniques, there are a few steps users should take to limit their exposure and risk.
While some malicious apps do make it through the app store screening process, most of the attack downloads appear to be coming from social media, fake ads, and other unofficial app sources. Before downloading something to your phone, do some quick research about the source and developer. Many of these scams have been flagged by other people.
Many malicious apps get the access they need by asking the user to grant them permission to use unrelated privileges and settings. When installing a new app, take a few moments to read these requests and deny any that seem unnecessary, especially for superuser access and accessibility services.
Developers are actively working to identify and address security issues. Both operating systems and apps should be frequently updated so that they have the latest fixes and security protections.
Cybercriminals often flood their Google Play apps with fake five-star reviews. Many fake or malicious apps only have a mix of five-star and one-star reviews. The five-star ones typically have vague statements and repetitive wording, giving clues that they are submitted by bots. Compare them to the one-star reviews for insight on the app’s real capabilities.
Devices that are behaving unusually may just have a basic tech issue but it can also be a sign of being hacked. Follow up when something is not quite right, check recent changes or contact tech support from the mobile device vendor or security software provider.
Comprehensive security software across all devices, whether they are computers, tablets, or smartphones, continues to be a strong defensive measure to protect your data and privacy from cyber threats.
We hope this report helps you stay on the lookout for these and other mobile threats so you can safely and confidently enjoy your life online.
The post McAfee 2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The White House recently reissued a warning to American businesses in response to the unprecedented economic sanctions the U.S. has imposed on Russia for the Ukraine invasion, stating, “There is now evolving intelligence that Russia may be exploring options for potential cyberattacks.”
Along with this statement, the White House published a fact sheet outlining the new and ongoing steps the government is taking to protect its infrastructure and technologies, along with steps that private businesses can take to protect themselves from attacks as well.
Of course, any successful attack on government operations and the operations of private businesses could potentially affect households as well—such as in the case of data breaches where data or information is stolen from a system, often the personal data and information of individuals.
Word of potential attacks understandably leaves people feeling uncertain and may further leave them wondering if there’s anything they can do to protect themselves. With regards to data breaches and the cases of identity theft that typically follow, there are several steps people can take to keep safer online.
Let’s break down what a data breach looks like, how it can affect you, and what you can do in advance of a breach to protect yourself.
We’ve certainly seen data breaches make the news over the years, which are often (but not always) associated with malicious hackers or hacker organizations. A quick list of some of the largest and most impactful breaches we’ve seen in recent years:
Healthcare facilities have seen their data breached, along with the operations of popular restaurants. Small businesses find themselves in the crosshairs as well, with one report stating that 43% of data leaks target small businesses. Those may come by way of an attack on where those businesses store their records, a disgruntled employee, or by way of a compromised point-of-sale terminal in their store, office, or location.
What differs with the White House warning is who may end up being behind these potential attacks—a nation-state rather than what are financially motivated hackers or hacking groups. (Some research indicates that nearly 90% of breaches are about the money.) However, the result is the same. Your personal information winds up loose in the world and possibly in the hands of a bad actor.
The fact is that plenty of our information is out there on the internet, simply because we go about so much of our day online, whether that involves shopping, banking, getting results from our doctors, or simply hopping online to play a game once in a while.
Naturally, that means the data in any given breach will vary from service to service and platform to platform involved. Certainly, a gaming service will certainly have different information about you than your insurance company. Yet broadly speaking, there’s a broad range of information about you stored in various places, which could include:
As to what gets exposed and when you might find out about it, that can vary greatly as well. One industry research report found that 60% of breaches were discovered in just days from the initial attack while others could take months or even longer detect. Needless to say, the timeline can get rather stretched before word reaches you, which is a good reason to change your passwords regularly should any of them get swept up in a breach. (An outdated password does a hacker no good—more on that in a bit.)
The answer is plenty. In all, personal information like that listed above has a dollar value to it. In a way, your data and information are a kind of currency because they’re tied to everything from your bank accounts, investments, insurance payments—even tax returns and personal identification like driver’s licenses.
With this information in hand, a crook can commit several types of identity crimes—ranging from fraud to theft. In the case of fraud, that could include running up a bill on one of your credits cards or draining one of your bank accounts. In the case of theft, that could see crooks impersonate you so they can open new accounts or services in your name. Beyond that, they may attempt to claim your tax refund or potentially get an ID issued in your name as well.
Another possibility is that a hacker will simply sell that information on the dark marketplace, perhaps in large clumps or as individual pieces of information that go for a few dollars each. However it gets sold, these dark-market practices allow other fraudsters and thieves to take advantage of your identity for financial or another gain.
The succinct answer is to sign up for an identity protection service. It can monitor dozens of types of personal information and then alert you if any of them are possibly being misused, so you can address any issues right away before they become a potentially much bigger problem.
Further, pairing identity protection with online protection software can protect you even more. With an all-up view of your overall online security—how well you’re protecting yourself and your identity online—it can guide you through steps that can shore up your protection and make you safer still.
When a business, service, or organization falls victim to a breach, it doesn’t always mean that you’re automatically a victim too. Your information may not have been caught up in it. However, it’s best to act as if it was. With that, we strongly suggest you take these immediate steps.
Given the possibility that your password may be in the hands of a bad actor, change it right away. Strong, unique passwords offer one of your best defenses against hackers. Update them regularly as well. As mentioned above, this can protect you in the event a breach occurs and you don’t find out about it until well after it’s happened. You can spare yourself the upkeep that involves a password manager that can keep on top of it all for you. If your account offers two-factor authentication as part of the login process, make use of it as it adds another layer of security that makes hacking tougher.
If you spot unusual or unfamiliar charges or transactions in your account, bank, or debit card statements, follow up immediately. That could indicate improper use. In general, banks, credit card companies, and many businesses have countermeasures to deal with fraud, along with customer support teams that can help you file a claim if needed.
As outlined above, identity protection like ours can monitor a broad set of your personal information and provide you guidance for making it more secure, in addition to getting help from a professional recovery specialist.
For an even closer look at identity theft, we have two articles that can help guide the way if you think you’re a victim, each featuring a series of straightforward steps you can take to set matters right:
No matter how uncertain news of possible cyberattacks may any of us feel, you can take steps to set some of that uncertainty aside. An identity protection service is a strong first move against possible identity theft, as is pairing it with online protection software that keeps you safer online overall. Likewise, knowing the signs of possible identity theft and what you can do to address it right away offer further assurance still—like having the services of a professional recovery specialist to help.
In all, there’s no need to leave yourself wondering at the news from the White House. As an individual, you have it in your power to make yourself and your family safer than they are now.
The post White House Announces Possible Rise in Cyberattacks—What You Can Do to Stay Safe appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Let’s play a game. Go to the Photos app on your phone and look at the total number of videos and images on your device – all those precious memories of family vacations, clips from your favorite concert, and countless snapshots of your furry companion. Next, open your laptop or desktop and check to see how many documents you have saved — perhaps all the research reports you have saved to defend your graduate thesis or an important slideshow you’re presenting to your boss on Monday. If you had to guess, would you say the total number of these various pieces of data is into the thousands? Now imagine if all this data was suddenly gone. What would you do?
You might be thinking, “That will never happen to me.” However, this situation is more common than you think. More than 60 million computers will fail worldwide this year, and over 200,000 smartphones are lost or stolen every year. That’s why we’re celebrating World Backup Day by sharing how you can properly back up your files and find peace of mind knowing that your data is safe and sound.
A backup is a separate copy of your important and sentimental digital files and information. Storing all that data in one place, like a personal computer or smartphone, can prove unsafe. Creating another copy of that data through a backup will ensure that it’s stored and kept safe somewhere else should your device get wiped or stolen.
It’s important to recognize that data loss isn’t something that only happens to huge corporations or unsuspecting victims in spy movies. Everyone is susceptible to data loss or theft and backing up that data is an easy step to protect all your information and prevent cybercriminals from taking what isn’t theirs.
Data is one of the most important assets in the modern world. As we illustrated earlier, people collect countless files that contain valuable information they want to keep safe. Luckily, there are two common and inexpensive ways that a user can store their data and their ever-important backups.
Although “the cloud” became a major buzzword years ago, its definition is still cloudy for some folks. The cloud exists in remote data centers that you can access via the internet. Any data you’ve uploaded to the cloud exists on dedicated servers and storage volumes housed in distant warehouses, often situated on campuses full of such warehouses. Data centers are owned by cloud service providers, who are responsible for keeping the servers up and running.
To keep your data physically safe from theft and destruction, and to make sure it’s available whenever you want to access it, data centers run extensive cooling systems to keep the electronics from overheating and have at least one backup generator in case of power outages. But how do they make sure that this data is secure in the cybersphere? Cloud systems use authentication processes like usernames and passwords to limit access, and data encryption to protect data that is stolen or intercepted. However, it’s important to remember that passwords can be hacked. Typically, the service provider holds the encryption keys to your data, meaning that rogue employees could, theoretically, access it. Likewise, your data could also potentially be searched and seized by government entities.
This begs the question: Trust or don’t trust? Because cloud storage companies live and die by their reputation, you can rest assured knowing that they go to great lengths to use the most advanced security techniques and provide the most reliable service possible. To help ensure the security of your data should you choose to store or back it up to the cloud, keep anything truly sensitive in a private cloud behind a firewall.
With an external hard drive, you can manually back up all your data and files yourself onto a physical device that you can access anytime. These drives are a reliable way to achieve data redundancy. An external hard drive doesn’t rely on internet access like cloud-based services and is an easy fix when transferring data to a new device. However, using external hard drives requires a more hands-on approach to backing up your data. It’s your responsibility to regularly perform backups yourself and store your hard drive in a safe location. While cloud solutions offer huge amounts of storage, storage space on hard drives are limited, so you may have to purchase more than one device. Look for an external drive with at least a terabyte of space to accommodate all your data, which tends to accumulate quickly.
As you’re cleaning out your garage and tidying up your home, take the same care to do some digital spring cleaning this World Backup Day. Give your devices, apps, and online accounts a good decluttering and gain more peace of mind knowing that all your valuable data is stored in a safe, secure place … and that you have a backup in case something goes awry. Remember, proactivity goes a long way toward shoring up your cybersecurity and protecting your information.
The post It’s World Backup Day! Here’s How You Can Preserve Your Files appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The recent WannaCry ransomware attack that infected more than 250,000 computers worldwide was a good reminder to everyone about staying vigilant when it comes to internet safety.
After all, many of us stay connected most of the time, whether it’s on our laptops or mobile devices, giving cybercriminals a wide range of opportunities to go after our personal and financial information, as well as our privacy.
The good news is that safeguarding your internet security, and preventing an attack like WannaCry, can be as simple as keeping your software up-to-date, and taking other preventative measures. The key is knowing which threats to look out for, and when you are taking potential risks.
Let’s start by talking about our mobile devices. Although many of us have been taught to look out for viruses and other threats on our computers, we don’t always realize that our mobile devices are just as vulnerable as our desktops.
The truth is dangerous links and downloads can be easily accessed using mobile browsers and email. And, our devices can open us up to new threats like malicious apps or text messages, designed to steal your information.
And if you think you’re protected from many online threats because you are an Apple user, think again. McAfee Labs found in its latest Quarterly Threat Report that malware exploiting the Mac operating system has grown exponentially.
Another instance where we often don’t realize we’re at risk is when we use technology while travelling or away from home. Connecting to public Wi-Fi networks can be dangerous because many of these networks do not take the necessary steps to protect your data from being accessed by cybercrooks. It’s just as risky to use public or shared computers since the bad guys will sometimes infect them with malware or spyware designed to steal your information.
Our heavy use of social media is another area where we face new threats. Although these sites are made for sharing, we tend to share too much of our private information, opening us up to identity theft, or even harassment. That’s why we need to safely guard information such as our home address, employer, phone number, and email. It’s also wise to change your social media privacy settings to “friends only.” When we open our networks up to people who we don’t know in real life, we also open the door to potential scammers.
These scammers love to distribute phishing attacks on social media and via email and text. Their goal is to trick you into revealing personal or financial information. Take, for instance, the recent “Google Docs” attack, in which scammers sent out fake emails that appeared to come from a trusted source, asking recipients to click on a link to open a Google document, with the hopes of gaining access to their email login and contact information.
Account login information is highly valuable to scammers, since it can potentially allow them to login into or guess your banking passwords, and other crucial financial or identity information. This is a good reason to opt for the highest security settings on all your accounts, such as multi-factor authentication. This security measure asks you to provide an additional piece of information other than your password to verify your identity, such as entering a unique code that is sent to your mobile phone.
There are a lot of threats that we all need to be aware of, but by taking basic precautions and staying vigilant about what you share online you will be much better protected from cybercrime.
Tips to keep you safe:
Looking for more mobile security tips and trends? Be sure to follow @McAfee Home on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
The post Smart Tips for Staying Safer Online appeared first on McAfee Blog.
No one likes the feeling that someone is looking over their shoulder when they work, shop or surf online. But this is just what crooks and scammers do without our knowledge using “spyware.”
Spyware is a piece of software that can covertly gather information on you. It can track the websites you visit and even record what you type on your keyboard, including passwords and credit card numbers.
So, now the bad guys don’t have to steal your wallet to get access to your personal and financial information. All they need to do is trick you into installing spyware on your computer or device. Or they could install it themselves on public or shared computers using a USB drive, or similar device.
One of the more common forms of spyware found on shared computers is called a “keylogger.” It can record everything you type and send it back to the cybercrook. That’s why you should avoid using shared computers in hotels or public libraries, since they can be easily compromised.
Most spyware masquerades as legitimate software, such as free games or mobile apps. In fact, researchers believe that over three years, 1 million Google Play users downloaded a single piece of spyware alone. It appeared to be an official “System Update” application, but actually monitored the users’ location information and text messages without their knowledge.
Spyware can also easily spread online in the form of dangerous links in emails, and on social media or torrent sites, which offer free access to online content. That’s why you need to be careful where you click.
Another common form of spyware is called “adware.” Adware is used to display advertisements on your computer, or redirect your search inquiries to an advertiser’s website. Although this isn’t as harmful as spyware designed to steal your information, it is still invasive and annoying.
Since spyware is so prevalent and potentially harmful, putting both your private information and privacy at risk, it’s important that you take steps to protect yourself.
The post What is Spyware? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
I am renowned for getting myself into big messes – particularly in the kitchen when I’m cooking up a storm. And I’m totally fine being alone: chopping, stirring and baking until it’s time to clean up! And that’s when the overwhelm hits – I know I should clean as I cook but I never do! So, what do I do? Rally the troops! Yes siree! There’s nothing like another set of eyes or hands to help one wade through the overwhelm – I’m sure that’s why I had 4 kids!!
Many people tell me that they feel a similar way about their online life. They know they need to be doing more to keep themselves safe, but they are completely overwhelmed at where to start. With so much of our lives lived online, it’s not uncommon for one person to have over a hundred online accounts across multiple devices which makes it very hard to keep track of logins, data breaches, or security software.
And research conducted by McAfee shows that consumers know they need to take steps to protect themselves with 74% of users concerned about keeping information private online and 57% keen to be in more control of their personal information. Not surprisingly, since the pandemic started 47% of online consumers feel unsafe compared to just 29% beforehand.
So, to try and make this very overwhelming task that bit easier, McAfee has developed a new tool that allows you to find your own Protection Score. Think of your Protection Score like your credit score or sleep score except this one is a measure of your security online. The higher the score, the safer you are online. And the best part about the score is that helps users identify exactly where they need to pinpoint their focus to ensure they are as safe as possible online. Think of it as a set of experienced hands to help you wade through the overwhelm.
In less than a minute, the McAfee Protection Score will provide you with a pretty clear understanding of how safe you are online. Participants are given a mark between 0 and 1000 that is based on several factors: whether you have online protection and whether your details have been leaked in a security breach. Now, don’t be alarmed if your score is low because here’s the best bit – you will receive a list of exactly what you need to do to improve it and protect yourself from online threats! Phew – my competitive type A personality wouldn’t have coped if I was unable to fix it!
Let me give you an example, when I signed up, I was alerted to the fact that my email address had been involved in a breach, yes – I’m very human! So, it helped me remedy this by taking me to the appropriate page where I could update my password, and then, bingo, my score (and online safety) improved!!
And just to ensure you remain committed, every time you venture back to the Protection Score page, your results and action plan will be there waiting for you to ensure you stay on track and most importantly, to cut through that overwhelm!
Now, in case you were wondering, McAfee’s Protection Score is a first for the cybersecurity industry but good news – they’ve promised it will continue evolving. They will continue to add more features and opportunities to personalize so you can ensure you are living life to the full online!!
So, if you’re feeling overwhelmed at exactly what you need to do to get your online safety under control then McAfee’s Protection Score is exactly what you need. In less than a minute you’ll be able to get a clear understanding of where your online security sits and a personalized action plan so you can start addressing it right away! How good is that?
Till Next Time,
Alex
The post How To Secure Your Online Life? Find Your Protection Score! appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The humble internet browser. Dutifully taking you the places you want to go online, whether that’s the bank, the store, the movies, or even to work. All the more reason to make sure your browser gets every last bit of protection it can.
It’s easy to fire up your browser without a second thought. Arguably, it’s one of the first things many of us do when we hop on our computers. And because it’s often our literal window into important tasks like managing our finances, making payments, and so forth, hackers will absolutely target browsers in order to conduct their attacks. Whether it’s through vulnerabilities in the code that runs the browser, injecting malicious code into a browser session or any one of several other attack vectors, hackers will try to find a way to compromise computers via the browser.
What’s one of the best ways to keep your browser safe? In a word, update. By updating your browser, you’ll get the latest in features and functionality in addition to security fixes that can keep you safer out there.
Let’s take a closer look at what a safer browser is all about, how to update yours, and check out some additional things you can do to stay safer still.
Just as long as there have been browsers, there have been security vulnerabilities and issues. Among the first documented cases, one of the most noteworthy goes back to 1995 when researchers at the University of California, Berkeley uncovered a security issue with the way the Netscape browser handled online payments. Today, news of potential browser exploits and follow-on security measures to remedy them still make the headlines all across several types of popular browsers.
The reality of the issue is that browsers, humble as they may seem to us, are complex applications made up of myriad smaller applications to handle all manner of tasks that create your overall web browsing experience. And where there’s code, there’s room for error. Errors that hackers will look to exploit until an update comes along and fixes them.
Adding further functionality to your browser, and potentially further opportunities for hackers, are browser plug-ins and extensions. These are small apps that give your browser additional capabilities, like opening and editing documents, blocking ads, finding coupons, and even playing tabletop role-playing games in a browser as well. In short, there are thousands of them, often available in the various stores run by different browser developers.
Likewise, browser plug-ins and extensions can be prone to security issues just like the browser they’re installed in. Errors in their code may lead to exploits that hackers can take advantage of. Further, not all plug-ins and extensions are safe and secure to use. It’s not uncommon for malicious ones to turn up on third-party sites that steal user information, introduce malware, or that end up serving ads on a person’s computer, just to name a few of the nasty things they can do. Even official browser stores have had malicious plug-ins and extensions slip onto their shelves.
Lastly, even seemingly legitimate plug-ins and extensions can introduce privacy issues. Given that they’re on your browser and have been granted permissions to work with it, they could be collecting data—data which the developer may use, share, or resell. And it may be tough to know exactly what’s being collected and what’s being done with it. Yet like many smartphone app stores, browser stores are including links to developer privacy statements on the download page for the plug-ins and extensions they offer, giving people more insight into how their data is used. However, sometimes plug-ins and extensions get sold from one company to another where they not only change owners but privacy policies as well. In other words, that plug-in or extension on your computer may get sold to another company without your knowledge and subsequently decide to use your data in an entirely new way.
Given this landscape, there’s a clear case for updating your browser regularly, along with your plug-ins and extensions as well. Moreover, you might want to take a look at what plug-ins and extensions you’re running as well to ensure they’re secure and that they’re something you actually have use for.
Let’s take a look at how you can do all that.
Set up your browser to update automatically. This is relatively straightforward, and browser developers have pages that show you how it’s done. For example, sampling a few of the browsers out there:
As for updating your extensions, the browser developers have put together quick guides to help you what that too. The good news is that when you update your browser, your browser typically updates its associated plug-ins and extensions as well. However, note that your browser’s update cycle may not be in sync with the update cycle for your various plug-ins and extensions, so you may want to go in and update them on their own. These guides can help:
<h2>Take a look at your browser extensions—and see if you want them in the first place
What extensions am I even running? Now that’s a great question. And it’s not too tough to get the answer. In short, your browser’s menu will have an option that will give you an overview of what you have installed and which ones are enabled for use. Once more, each browser developer has their own way of going about this:
This is a good opportunity to give your extensions a hard look. Are they something you use? Are they something you want? Who developed that extension? What might they be doing with my data? Answering these questions may take a little work on your part—like searching for news, information, or reviews about the various extensions you have installed. If you don’t like what your research turns up, you can simply uninstall the extension in question.
A good general rule is this—the fewer apps and extensions you have, the fewer you have to update. Likewise, that’s ultimately fewer lines of code that may turn up a possible exploit. If it’s something you’re not using, consider getting rid of it.
<h2>Make your browser safer with web protection
Many browser-based attacks find their way to you through sketchy websites and downloads. Even ads that look legit but are not. As said before, hackers will try and find a way. One tool you can use to beat them at their game is browser protection, which helps prevent you from making that one wrong click that leads to malware.
In our case, we offer McAfee WebAdvisor, a lightweight app that helps keep you safe from threats while you browse and search the web. Specifically, it includes three types of protection that can help steer you clear of those sketchy websites and downloads.
It’s a free download, and it’s also included with our comprehensive online protection software. Either way, this provides you with yet another line of defense when it comes to browser-based attacks.
That’s the big reason to update right there. Updates give you one more way to prevent attacks by fixing known security issues. It’s true for your operating systems, your apps, your games, what have you. All of them rely on sometimes complex code, code which can sprout exploits, ones that hackers will use. Count your browser in that mix as well. Updating your browser, plus its plug-ins and extensions will help keep you safer online.
The post The Big Reason Why You Should Update Your Browser (and How to Do It) appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s the month of top seeds, big upsets, and Cinderella runs by the underdogs. With March Madness basketball cranking up, a fair share of online betting will sure to follow—along with online betting scams.
Since a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2018, individual states can determine their own laws for sports betting. Soon after, states leaped at the opportunity to legalize it in some form or other. Today, 30 states and the District of Columbia have “live and legal” sports betting, meaning that people can bet on single-game sports through a retail or online sportsbook or combination of the two in their state.
If you’re a sports fan, this news has probably been hard to miss. Or at least the outcome of it all has been hard to miss. Commercials and signage in and around games promote several major online betting platforms. Ads have naturally made their way online too, complete with all kinds of promo offers to encourage people to get in on the action. However, that’s also opened the door for scammers who’re looking to take advantage of people looking to make a bet online, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB). Often through shady or outright phony betting sites.
Let’s take a look at the online sports betting landscape, some of the scams that are cropping up, and some things you can do to make a safer bet this March or any time.
Among the 30 states that have “live and legal” sports betting, 19 offer online betting, a number that will likely grow given various state legislation that’s either been introduced or will be introduced soon.
If you’re curious about what’s available in your state, this interactive map shows the status of sports betting on a state-by-state level. Further, clicking on an individual state on the map will give you yet more specifics, such as the names of retail sportsbooks and online betting services that are legal in the state. For anyone looking to place a bet, this is a good place to start. This is further helpful for people who’re looking to get into online sports betting for the first time and is the sort of homework that the BBB advises people to do before placing a sports bet online. In their words, you can consider these sportsbooks to be “white-labeled” by your state’s gaming commission.
However, the BBB stresses that people should be aware that the terms and conditions associated with online sports betting will vary from service to service, as will the promotions that they offer. The BBB accordingly advises people to closely read these terms, conditions and offers. For one, “Gambling companies can restrict a user’s activity,” meaning that they can freeze accounts and the funds associated with them based on their terms and conditions. Also, the BBB cautions people about those promo offers that are often heavily advertised, “[L]ike any sales pitch, these can be deceptive. Be sure to read the fine print carefully.”
Where do scammers enter the mix? The BBB points to the rise of consumer complaints around bogus betting sites:
“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.”
If there’s a good reason you should stick to the “white labeled” sites that are approved by your state’s gaming commission, this is it. Take a pass on any online ads that promote betting sites, particularly if they roll out big and almost too-good-to-be-true offers. These may lead you to shady or bogus sites. Instead, visit the ones that are approved in your state by typing in their address directly into your browser.
In addition to what we mentioned above, there are several other things you can do to make your betting safer.
In addition to choosing a state-approved option, check out the organization’s BBB listing at BBB.org. Here you can get a snapshot of customer ratings, complaints registered against the organization, and the organization’s response to the complaints, along with its BBB rating, if it has one. Doing a little reading here can be enlightening, giving you a sense of what issues arise and how the organization has historically addressed them. For example, you may see a common complaint and how it’s commonly resolved. You may also see where the organization has simply chosen not to respond, all of which can shape your decision whether to bet with them or not.
Credit cards are a good way to go. One reason why is the Fair Credit Billing Act, which offers protection against fraudulent charges on credit cards by giving you the right to dispute charges over $50 for goods and services that were never delivered or otherwise billed incorrectly. Your credit card companies may have their own policies that improve upon the Fair Credit Billing Act as well. Debit cards don’t get the same protection under the Act.
Comprehensive online protection software will defend you against the latest virus, malware, spyware, and ransomware attacks plus further protect your privacy and identity. In addition to this, it can also provide strong password protection by generating and automatically storing complex passwords to keep your credentials safer from hackers and crooks who may try to force their way into your accounts. And, specific to betting sites, online protection can help prevent you from clicking links to known or suspected malicious sites.
With online betting cropping up in more and more states for more and more people, awareness of how it works and how scammers have set up their presence within it becomes increasingly important. Research is key, such as knowing who the state-approved sportsbooks and services are, what types of betting are allowed, and where. By sticking to these white-label offerings and reading the fine print in terms, conditions, and promo offers, people can make online betting safer and more enjoyable.
Editor’s Note:
If gambling is a problem for you or someone you know, you can seek assistance from a qualified service or professional. Several states have their own helplines, and nationally you can reach out to resources like http://www.gamblersanonymous.org/ or https://www.ncpgambling.org/help-treatment/.
The post How to Protect Yourself from March Madness Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
A-list celebrities and social media influencers are now adding their voices to the roar of other cryptocurrency fans asking you to join them in the investments of the future. It’s impossible to deny the grip cryptocurrencies have on the world today, for better or worse. In some industries, they speed the pace of business and for some, it’s a viable way to make ends meet and set up long-term investments. The cryptocurrency realm has also proven to be vulnerable to cybercriminals. For example, the Wormhole hack leaked $320 million, and cybercriminals have targeted crypto platforms with ransomware and mining app scams.
Whether you’re already in the cryptocurrency game or are thinking about taking the plunge, here’s what you need to know about crypto wallets and tips on how to keep yours safe from cybercriminals.
A cryptocurrency wallet, or crypto wallet, is a software product or a physical device that stores the public and private keys to your cryptocurrency accounts. Keys are strings of numbers and letters that encrypt and decrypt crypto transactions and secure crypto accounts. You can think of public keys as the routing and account numbers that appear at the bottom of paper checks. There’s not much a nefarious character can do with that information, and it’s totally normal to give that information to an acquaintance with whom you’re doing business. Private keys are like your online banking password or debit PIN. Those you must guard very closely because in the wrong hands, your hard-earned bank balance could disappear. A crypto wallet also allows you to transfer funds between crypto types and make transactions.
Here are a few basic types of crypto wallets to help you decide which type is right for you.
A non-custodial wallet means that you are the sole keeper of the keys to your crypto assets. If you forget your password, there’s no “forgot your password?” prompt to let you back in. While not having this safety net is a little nerve wracking, noncustodial wallets are considered the more secure option. You don’t have to worry about a security breach of a major corporation leaking your private key. If you’re responsible and confident that you’re prepared to look after your assets by yourself, this may be the best option for you.
A custodial wallet is a little less secure, but you have a third party helping you log in and manage your crypto accounts. Custodial wallets are often web-based, and the biggest tick in their pro column is that they’re generally very easy to use. While reputable custodial wallets take security very seriously, the threat of a breach is always a possibility, especially as crypto accounts are appealing targets to cybercriminals.
Hardware wallets, also known as cold wallets, are devices you can fit in the palm of your hand. Most models are Bluetooth-enabled devices that look like small remote controls or are flash drives. The device is secured by a PIN that you should never write down or share with anyone else. Also, you should designate a safe and private spot to store your hardware wallet. Similar to a noncustodial wallet, you are solely responsible for keeping track of the device and remembering the PIN. If you lose it, your crypto accounts are locked, and there’s no locksmith to open them for you. As long as you keep track of it, hardware wallets are very secure. Most models are equipped with malware- and virus-proofing security features.
Software wallets are downloaded and internet-connected mobile or desktop apps. They allow you to make transactions on the run, as you can access your crypto accounts from your phone. In that sense, they’re more convenient than hardware wallets. Additionally, software wallets have the same safety net as custodial wallets: if you lose your phone, forget your password, or require login assistance, the maker of the software can help you access your accounts. Software wallets are very secure when you enable their two-factor authentication login settings; however, since they connect to the internet, there’s always a chance a cybercriminal could break-in. Thus, hardware wallets are considered more secure than the software variety.
Check out these tips to ensure your assets are safe and secure in your crypto wallet:
Cryptocurrency value is reaching galactic heights like the spaceships depicted in prime-time ads. Don’t feel pressured to hop aboard the crypto rocket, but if you do decide to jump on, make sure you do your research carefully and make the best decisions for your crypto goals.
The post What Is a Crypto Wallet and How to Keep Your Wallet Secure? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Who loves tax season besides accountants? Scammers.
Emotions can run high during tax time. Even if you’re pretty sure you did everything right, you may still have a few doubts kicking around. Did I file correctly? Did I claim the right deductions? Will I get audited? As it turns out, these are the very same anxieties that criminals use as the cornerstone of their attacks.
So yes, crooks indeed love tax season. Particularly online. And they’ll bait your digital world with several proven types of scams in an effort to cash in on what can be a somewhat uncertain time.
The good news is that you have plenty of ways to protect yourself from these scams. Let’s look at what scammers typically have in store, along with some practical advice to protect yourself as you file your taxes—things you can do to keep crooks out of your business this tax season. Don’t delay, download McAfee’s tax season security guide to avoid the latest tax scams.
First, know that you’re probably doing a good job with your taxes. Less than 2% of returns get audited and most discrepancies or adjustments can get handled easily if you address them promptly.
Still, the wariness of the IRS and intricate tax laws makes for ripe pickings when it comes to hackers, who prey on people’s fear of audits and penalties. Common scams include fake emails, phone calls from crooks posing as IRS agents, and even robocalls that threaten jail time.
What are crooks looking to do with their scams? Several things:
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about at tax time without crooks in the mix.
Investigating the landscape even more closely, we can turn to the authority itself, as the IRS has published its most recent top 12 tax season scams, a broad list that includes:
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For a comprehensive look at each one of these scams, and for ways, you can steer clear of them, check our Guide to IRS & Tax Season Scams. However, there are some common threads to many of these scams.
For starters, plenty of tax scams involve crooks posing as an IRS employee, perhaps via a phone call or email, to glean personal information from you, or to demand payment—sometimes under the threat of penalties or even jail time. Crooks won’t hesitate to use strong-arm tactics like these and play on your fears. The good news is that such tactics are typically a sign that the contact isn’t legitimate. In fact, a quick way to spot a scam is to know what the IRS won’t do when they contact you. From the IRS.gov website, the IRS will not:
What will the IRS do? Usually, the IRS will first mail a notification to any taxpayer who owes taxes. IRS collection employees might call on the phone or make an unannounced visit to your home or business. If they require payment, the payment will always be to the U.S. Treasury. Read about other ways to know what the IRS won’t do when they contact you.
Scammers won’t limit themselves to posing as the IRS. They’ll act as an imposter in several other ways as well. For example, they may pose as a popular do-it-yourself tax brand, a tax preparer, or even as a phony charitable organization that promises any donations you make are tax-deductible.
Here, they may send you phony emails or direct messages or even ring you up with bogus telemarketing or robocalls designed to steal personal information.
In the cases where the scammers reach you online, the emails and messages they send will vary in their tone and polish—in other words, how authentic they appear. Some will look nearly legitimate and cause even the most hardened of digital skeptics to click on a phony link or download a sketchy attachment. Others, well, will look clearly like spam, complete with spelling and grammatical errors, along with clumsy use of logos, layouts, and design.
Taken together, both are ways that scammers get people to visit sites designed to compromise personal information … or to download malware like keyloggers that skim account passwords and ransomware that encrypt a victim’s files hold them hostage for a price.
Social media attacks also made the IRS Dirty Dozen. In a social media attack, scammers harvest information from social media profiles and turn it against their victims. Per the IRS, because “social media enables anyone to share information with anyone else on the Internet, scammers use that information as ammunition for a wide variety of scams. These include emails where scammers impersonate someone’s family, friends, or co-workers.”
With those personal details gleaned from social media, scammers will send phony links to scam sites, promote bogus charities, or flat-out ask for money or gift cards to “help them out” at tax time.
No question that bogus emails, messages, and phone calls remain a popular way for scammers to steal personal and financial information. Spam emails, messages, and the malicious links associated with them abound this time of year as well. It’s always to keep a critical eye open for these, and it’s particularly true during tax season.
View all emails with attachments and links with suspicion, even if they appear to come from a person, business, or brand you know. Confirm attachments with the people you know before opening. And if you receive a message or alert about an account of yours, visit that company or organization’s website directly to enquire into the status of your account rather than taking a chance by clicking on a link that could send you to a phony website.
One way to protect yourself from an identity thief from claiming a return in your name is to file yours before they do. In fact, 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.
Here’s another tool that can help you fight identity theft. And get this: it’s not only helpful, but it’s also free. Through the Federal Trade Commission, you are entitled to a free copy of your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting companies once every 12 months. In this report, you can find inaccuracies in your credit or evidence of all-out identity theft.
Keep in mind that you get one report from each of the reporting companies each year. That works out to three reports total in one year. Consider this: if you request one report from one credit reporting company every four months, you can spread your free credit report coverage across the whole year.
As with much of the guidance we offer around social media, one of the best ways to prevent such social media tax attacks is to make your profiles private so that only friends and family can see them. That way, scammers will have a far more difficult time reaching you. Moreover, consider paring back the information you share in your social media profiles, like your alma maters, birthday, mother’s maiden name, pet names—any personal information that a scammer may use to compromise your accounts or the security questions associated with them.
Protecting your devices with comprehensive online protection software can help block the phishing emails and suspicious links that make up many of these tax attacks. Likewise, it can further protect you from ransomware attacks like mentioned above. Additionally, our online Protection Score looks for weak spots in your protection and helps you shore them up, such as if discovers that your info was compromised or part of a data breach. From there, it guides you through the steps to correct the problem.
Further, consider online protection software that offers identity theft protection as well. A strong identity theft protection package offers cyber monitoring that scans the dark web to detect misuse of your personal info. With our identity protection service, we help relieve the burden of identity theft if the unfortunate happens to you with $1M coverage for lawyer fees, travel expenses, lost wages, and more.
The IRS offers steps you can take in the event you suspect fraud or theft. Their current resources include:
As mentioned above, you can get even more up to speed on the different tricks hackers are using by downloading our Guide to IRS & Tax Season Scams. It’s free, and it offers more ways you can protect your identity and information this tax season and year ‘round.
The post The IRS “Dirty Dozen” – Top Tax Season Scams to Steer Clear of This Year appeared first on McAfee Blog.
When Aussie school opened their doors this year, the lifespan of parents around the country drastically improved. The combination of homeschooling, working from home, and not going anywhere has completely drained many Aussie working parents, me included!! Many of us have been in survival mode – just focusing on the basics to get through!
Well, now we’re getting back to some sort of normal and we have a little more time to breathe, it’s time to focus on those overdue jobs and that includes doing an audit of your family’s online safety. Now, I know it might seem boring, but I promise you it’s worth the effort. So, I thought I’d share with you a checklist of what you need to do to ensure your family is as safe as possible when online. Let’s get started:
1. Passwords
Your first task is to ensure every family member has a different password for each of their online accounts. Yes, I know – that sounds completely overwhelming. But hear me out. If you have the same password for all your online accounts and you get hacked, then you could be in a world of pain – as the hacker now has access to all your online accounts!! So, this is very much worth sorting out.
Now, there are many ways of managing a long list of passwords. You could write them down in a special, secret book. You could call on your Mensa level memory and try to remember 50 plus passwords – unfortunately, that’s not me! So, let me give you the best solution – a password manager. Password Managers can both generate and remember super complex passwords that no human could even concoct. Check out McAfee’s True Key – it’s free and a complete no-brainer, my friends!
2. Software Updates
Before my life as Cybermum, I used to think software updates were a massive inconvenience. Something else to add to the never-ending list. But how wrong was I! A software update addresses security flaws or bugs in the current version of the app or program. Their goal is to protect the user. So, if you’re serious about protecting your family, these updates can’t be ignored. The easiest way to manage this is to set updates to be automatic, where possible. You can also do this with apps on your phone – for both Apple and Android devices.
3. Ensure Location Services Are Off
Most apps, networks, and devices have geotagging features which means your whereabouts can be widely communicated if your location’s services are turned on. And don’t forget that digital photos can also give away your location as they contain metadata which is information about the time, date, and GPS coordinates of where the pic was taken. So, your job here is simple – ensure all devices have geotagging turned off. And while you’re at it, ensure your kids understand why it’s critical to keep it that way! Nothing worse than pesky strangers knowing your whereabouts!
4. Security Software
Not having security software installed on your devices is no different from leaving your front door unlocked. It is essential. A top-shelf security software system will detect and shut down security attacks on your system. Many will also have a firewall that constantly filters the data that both enters and leaves your computer and will block and restrict your network from viruses and hackers. It will also keep an alert to malicious software and if detected will remove issues such as viruses, worms, and Trojans. It will also stay alert to spyware that you may unintentionally download onto your system and will block and delete it if found. See what I mean? It’s essential. Check out McAfee’s Total Protection which will give you peace of mind.
Unfortunately, there are no guarantees in life however there are definitely ways to minimize risk. Following the above 4 steps will have a significant positive impact on your family’s online safety and most importantly, means you can enjoy a little peace now the kids are back to school!
Till Next Time
Alex x
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Quick mental math challenge: How many Apple Watches can you buy with $118 billion dollars? If you guessed around 296 million watches congrats, you’re smarter than the writer of this blog! We had to use a calculator. The point is that’s the predicted size of the US wearable market by 2028 according to a recent report. That means for as much wearable tech as we have in our lives already, even more, is on the way.
If you own a piece of wearable tech it’s easy to understand why it’s so popular. After all, it can track our fitness, provide contextual help in daily life, and, in the case of hearing aids, even do cool things like sync with Bluetooth. As VR and AR gains a foothold who knows what other incredible tech might be headed our way by 2028? However wearable tech also comes with certain risks. The most prominent: cybercriminals potentially gaining access to your data.
The weakest link in the wearables space is your mobile phone, not the actual wearable device itself. That’s because wearables tend to link to your mobile device over a short-range wireless spectrum known as “Bluetooth.” This spectrum is used to send and receive data between your wearable device and your mobile. That makes your mobile a prime target for hackers.
Most commonly, hackers gain access to the data on your mobile through malware-laden apps. These apps are oftentimes designed to look like popular apps, but with enough differences that they don’t flag copyright suspicion.
Hackers can use these malicious apps to do a variety of things from making phone calls without your permission, sending and receiving texts, and extracting personal information—all potentially without your knowledge. They can also, with the help of your wearable, track your location through GPS and record any health issues you’ve entered into your wearable. The point is: once they have permissions to your mobile device, they have a lot of control and a lot of resources.
The hacker can then use this data to conduct varying forms of fraud. Need a special prescription from your doctor that happens to sell well on the black market? Well, so does the hacker. Going out for a jog in the morning? Good information for a burglar to know. These personal details just scratch the surface of information available for the taking on your mobile devices.
These types of threats aren’t limited to wearables, however. The Internet of Things—the phenomenon of devices connected to the Internet for analysis and optimization—encompasses all sorts of other electronic devices such as washing machines and refrigerators that can put your data at risk as well. But these life-changing devices can be secured through education and industry standards. Two things we’re working on day and night.
Of course, securing the weakest link in your wearables environment, your phone will go a long way towards keeping your data safe. But what happens when your computer, where you store backups of your smartphone, is compromised too? We’ve got you covered with McAfee LiveSafe service, our comprehensive security solution that provides protection for your entire online life.
The post The Wearable Future Is Hackable. Here’s What You Need To Know appeared first on McAfee Blog.
We’re excited to bring you the latest edition of the McAfee 2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report. After all, when you know the challenges you face, it’s easier to be confident online. In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at some leading examples of techniques that cybercriminals are using to trick or defraud you via your mobile phone. These examples are some of the more sophisticated attacks, using real logos, quality graphics, and personalized messages. We hope this provides a useful resource for protecting your digital life, mobile devices, and personal information so that you can enjoy a safe life online with your family.
Cybercriminals are upping their game, using personal information and high-quality graphics to make their malware look like legitimate apps or official messages. Because these attacks are successful at defrauding significant numbers of mobile users out of their money and information, more criminals will jump on this approach or expand their malicious campaigns. Let’s take a look at some of the different techniques being used by scammers to fool mobile users.
Mobile smishing (aka phishing text messages) are attacks using personalized greetings in text messages that pretend to be from legitimate organizations to appear more credible. These messages often link to websites with authentic logos, icons, and other graphics, prompting the user to enter personal information or download an app. Users should be extra careful about text messages from unknown sources and should go directly to the organization’s website to validate requests.
Cheating tools and hacking apps are popular ways to get extra capabilities in mobile games. Criminals are exploiting this by promoting game hacking apps that include malicious code on legitimate messaging channels. If installed, the malware steals account credentials for social media and gaming accounts. Gamers should use caution when installing game hacks, especially if they request superuser permissions.
Cryptocurrencies are providing new opportunities for mobile device attacks. The latest ploy is phony apps that promise to mine coins in the cloud for a monthly fee. Fake reviews and a low cost make them sound too good to be true—and they are. These apps just take the money without doing any coin mining. With no actual malicious code, these apps are hard to detect, so users should be suspicious of being promised hundreds or thousands of dollars of crypto coins for just a few dollars a month.
Another attack uses a variety of fake apps with slick graphics to trick users into premium subscriptions. Hundreds of these apps promise features such as mobile games or photo editing and are supported by plenty of fake five-star reviews. When installed, the apps ask for the user’s phone number and verification PIN and use them to sign up for premium text services that direct payments to the criminals. Users should read reviews looking for vague statements, repetitive wording, and a mix of five-star and one-star ratings. For a deeper dive into the scams, be sure to view full report.
While threat tactics continue to change as criminals adapt and respond to detection and enforcement techniques, there are a few steps users should take to limit their exposure and risk.
While some malicious apps do make it through the app store screening process, most of the attack downloads appear to be coming from social media, fake ads, and other unofficial app sources. Before downloading something to your phone, do some quick research about the source and developer. Many of these scams have been flagged by other people.
Many malicious apps get the access they need by asking the user to grant them permission to use unrelated privileges and settings. When installing a new app, take a few moments to read these requests and deny any that seem unnecessary, especially for superuser access and accessibility services.
Developers are actively working to identify and address security issues. Both operating systems and apps should be frequently updated so that they have the latest fixes and security protections.
Cybercriminals often flood their Google Play apps with fake five-star reviews. Many fake or malicious apps only have a mix of five-star and one-star reviews. The five-star ones typically have vague statements and repetitive wording, giving clues that they are submitted by bots. Compare them to the one-star reviews for insight on the app’s real capabilities.
Devices that are behaving unusually may just have a basic tech issue but it can also be a sign of being hacked. Follow up when something is not quite right, check recent changes or contact tech support from the mobile device vendor or security software provider.
Comprehensive security software across all devices, whether they are computers, tablets, or smartphones, continues to be a strong defensive measure to protect your data and privacy from cyber threats.
We hope this report helps you stay on the lookout for these and other mobile threats so you can safely and confidently enjoy your life online.
The post McAfee 2022 Consumer Mobile Threat Report appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Companies continue to accelerate their digital transformation and hybrid work strategies with security remaining top of mind. For a growing number of enterprises, the solution has been the deployment of a Security Service Edge (SSE). Introduced as a market category by Gartner, per our view we believe SSE is the consolidation of Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) within a single, cloud-delivered solution for securing access to web, cloud, and private applications from any corner of the world, mitigating user and cloud threats, and protecting sensitive cloud data at rest, in transit, or in use.
Recognizing the significant role SSE is filling in cybersecurity, Gartner® has published its first ever Magic Quadrant report for SSE. We are honored to announce that the McAfee Enterprise SSE Portfolio has been recognized as a Leader for its solution MVISION Unified Cloud Edge (UCE) in the report, positioned rightmost for “Completeness of Vision.” Our cloud-native platform is architected for the SSE market and boasts a next-gen SWG, and the industry’s first data-aware ZTNA solution, empowering our customers in their cloud and network transformations. It was also recognized as a Leader for Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Access Security Brokers Leader for four successive years 2017–2020.
2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Security Service Edge (Source: Gartner)
In 2021, McAfee Enterprise SSE made several updates and additions to its MVISION UCE solution, strengthening its position as an industry expert, including:
As a companion report to the Magic Quadrant, Gartner has also published its Critical Capabilities report for SSE, which shares deep insights into the product capabilities of each vendor based on a specific set of use cases. The below use cases are included in this year’s SSE Critical Capabilities Report:
MVISION UCE received the highest score across all four use cases, paving way for the SSE market in features and functionality. We believe our rich heritage in DLP, strong CSPM/SSPM, and deep usage of the MITRE ATT&CK framework have been the key contributors towards our #1 position across use cases in the Critical Capabilities report.
We are extremely proud of the recognition for our vision and product innovation. Our singular goal is to build a more secure world. To learn more about how Gartner assessed the market and the MVISION UCE solution, download your copy of the report here.
You can also join our webinar on March 9, 2022, for a deep dive into why McAfee Enterprise SSE is a Leader in the 2022 Gartner Magic Quadrant for SSE.
Click here for a free demo of the MVISION UCE solution.
Gee Rittenhouse
CEO, McAfee Enterprise SSE Portfolio
Gartner Disclaimer: Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.
This graphic was published by Gartner, Inc. as part of a larger research document and should be evaluated in the context of the entire document. The Gartner document is available upon request from McAfee.
Gartner and Magic Quadrant are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.
Gartner “Magic Quadrant for Security Service Edge” (SSE), John Watts, Craig Lawson, Charlie Winckless, Aaron McQuaid, 15 February 2022
Gartner “Critical capabilities for Security Service Edge” (SSE), John Watts, Craig Lawson, Charlie Winckless, Aaron McQuaid, 15 February 2022
As of 28, January 2022, McAfee Enterprise is now the McAfee Enterprise SSE Portfolio.
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Cryptocurrency has boomed in the last several years, with beginners and experts alike jumping into the industry. It’s proven now to be more than a passing hobby or trend. Cryptocurrency is a way of conducting business and making money for people around the world.
As the intrigue and interaction with crypto grows, cybercriminals are finding new ways to exploit the system. According to CNBC, a recent crypto hack resulted in the loss of over $320 million across two major blockchain networks. Here’s what you need to know about this latest breach, plus some tips on how you can protect your crypto assets.
There’s more than one kind of cryptocurrency, and many users spread out their investments across various currencies and blockchain ecosystems. To link their activities, some crypto users employ a type of bridging software that can easily connect their different accounts. Wormhole is a popular bridge that allows users to freely move their tokens and NFTs between the Solana and Ethereum blockchains.
In this recent crypto hack, a cybercriminal installed a bug that minted 120,000 fake currency on the Solana side of the Wormhole bridge. Then, the criminal transferred 120,000 counterfeit currency to the Ethereum side to claim Ethereum tokens. This resulted in the hacker gaining at least $251 million worth of Ethereum, nearly $47 million in Solana, and upwards of $4 million in USDC, a third type of cryptocurrency.
The Wormhole team offered the hacker $10 million to return the stolen currency and explain how they executed the hack. Wormhole has since tweeted that they’ve restored all stolen funds and that the system is now back to normal. Experts think they have successfully reverse-engineered the exploit and suspect that the attacker gained access through bypassing the verify signature process.
As cryptocurrencies continue to take the world by storm, it’s key that users learn how to engage with this emerging industry safely. Even though the Wormhole breach affected the crypto platforms and not individual users, this incident is a reminder to be diligent about your crypto safety. Check out these tips to help you protect your crypto investments:
Like with any process that involves investing your own, hard-earned money, you should be diligent about researching every cryptocurrency, blockchain, and accompanying software you use. Never trust your money to a product or service that you’re not completely confident in their security protocols. Keep up with national and world news and crypto-specific news outlets to stay on top of the latest security breaches and to gather tips on which system may be the safest option for you. When jumping into cryptocurrency, make sure that any benefits outweigh the risks.
As with all your online accounts, protect your cryptocurrency logins with secure, unique passwords and two-factor authentication. Never reuse passwords, since it’s possible for wily cybercriminals to buy lists of login and password combinations on the dark web. Two-factor authentication often makes it impossible for anyone to break into your account, as it requires a randomly generated passcode for entry. Passcodes are often sent by text or through a smartphone application. Sometimes it’s difficult to remember all your passwords, so consider trusting them to a password manager, such as McAfee True Key. An online account locked behind a secure password and two-factor authentication will likely frustrate a cybercriminal and cause them to move along, keeping your account safe.
Add an extra layer of protection to your crypto assets with a hardware wallet. A hardware wallet stores private keys that are necessary to unlock your blockchain accounts. This device is compatible with various blockchains and helps back up and protect your investments, even if your device is compromised by malware or a phishing attack. Hardware wallets are often protected by PINs and a passphrase, so even if the device is lost or stolen, you can feel confident in the safety of your crypto accounts.
Make it part of your weekly routine to check in on your crypto account to ensure that there are no suspicious transactions. Keep the pulse on the news, so that whenever there’s a breach, you can make a timely report of any losses you may have experienced. Also, consider changing your login credentials to be on the safe side.
The only way to enjoy your cryptocurrency experience is to be confident in it. While the Wormhole loophole was almost impossible for a casual everyday user to predict, as long as you have a contingency plan and safeguards in place, you can be confident in your crypto activities.
The post Latest Crypto Vulnerability Leaks $320 Million: 3 Tips to Boost Your Crypto Confidence appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The convenience of tapping your phone at the cash register instead of fumbling for loose change in your physical wallet is undeniable. Nearly 40% of Canadians used their mobile wallets more often in 2020 because of the perceived safety of contactless payment, according to one report.1 While digital wallets and tap to pay is becoming more widespread, you may wonder: what exactly is a digital wallet? Are they safe?
A digital wallet, also known as a mobile wallet, is a smartphone app that stores your payment information and enables tap to pay at most point-of-sale terminals. A digital wallet is perfectly safe, as long as you guard your smartphone just as closely as you would your physical wallet.
Here’s why you should secure your digital wallet and three tips to help you do so.
Think about what you store in your physical wallet: credit cards, debit cards, driver’s license, library cards, gift cards, cash. Now, imagine (or if you’ve been unlucky enough to lose your wallet in the past, think back to) the hassle that would ensue if someone stole your wallet or you misplaced it. Not only do you have to cancel your cards, notify your various banks, and wait for replacements, but the niggling worry that a stranger has access to your personally identifiable information (PII) will likely keep you up at night.
Just like you store your wallet in your front pocket when about town and check your seat before leaving a taxi or a plane, look after your smartphone just as closely. Unlike a physical wallet, whose absence is noticed quickly, a digital wallet may be compromised by a cyber pickpocket without you knowing for a while. For example, the BBC reported that researchers found a potential shortcoming in Apple Pay’s Express Transit mode where cyber pickpockets could remotely access mobile wallets.2 Luckily, the researchers’ experiment is unlikely to occur in the real world, but it’s a reminder to everyone to check their monthly bank statements for suspicious transactions. Cybercriminals get smarter and bolder by the day, so it’s not unlikely that they’ll find and exploit a digital wallet shortcoming in the future.
Follow these tips to help you use your digital wallet more confidently.
Always protect your digital wallet with a passcode! This is the best and easiest way to deter cybercriminals. It’s best if this combination of numbers is different than the passcode to your phone. Also, make sure the numbers are random. Birthdays, anniversaries, house addresses, and the last digits of your phone number are all popular combinations and are crackable codes to a resourceful criminal.
Better yet, if your mobile wallet app allows you to protect your account with facial recognition or a fingerprint scan, set it up! If your digital wallet proves difficult or impossible to enter, a cybercriminal may leave it for an easier target, keeping your PII safe.
Another way to secure your digital wallet is to make sure you always download the latest software updates. Developers are constantly finding and patching security holes, so the most up-to-date software is often the most secure. Turn on automatic updates to ensure you never miss a new release.
Before you swap your plastic cards for digital payment methods, make sure you research the digital banking app before downloading. Make sure that any app you download is through the official Apple or Android store or the financial institution’s official website. Then, check out how many downloads and reviews the app has to make sure you’re downloading an official app and not an imposter. While most of the apps on official stores are legitimate, it’s always best practice to check for typos, blurry logos, and unprofessional app descriptions to make sure.
The digital era is an exciting time to make the most of the conveniences technology affords; however, constant vigilance is key to keeping your finances and PII private. Whether you’re looking for additional peace of mind or have lost your wallet, consider signing up for an identity monitoring service like McAfee identity protection. McAfee will monitor your email addresses and bank accounts and alert you to suspicious activities up to 10 months sooner than similar services. Are you curious about how secure your current online habits are? Check your Security Protection Score today and see what steps you can take to live more confidently online.
1Canadian Payment Methods and Trends Report 2021
The post How to Secure Your Digital Wallet appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Let’s face it – we would not be the same people we are today if it wasn’t for the internet. The internet has opened our eyes to so much information that we are privileged to have right at our fingertips. However, it’s important to remember that with so many individuals with access to the web, it can quickly become a place where rumors are spread, cyberattacks are cast, and misinformation arises. At McAfee, we are committed to protecting both you and your family. Together, through education and online protection, we can work together to experience a better internet for everyone. On this Safer Internet Day, here are our top 5 recommendations:
With a connected family, it’s important to pay attention to what your family members are connected to (IoT devices in the home, smartphones, tablets, etc.) and how they interact online. Maybe your son is an avid gamer, or your teenager is a social media mogul who enjoys tweeting and scrolling through TikTok. As a parent, you play a crucial role in setting an example for your children and loved ones. So, it’s important to teach them how to use the internet responsibly. Here are some tips for helping your family stay safe online:
In a time when students are reliant on connectivity to be successful in their education, it’s important that they connect to the internet safely. Ensuring a safe connection can prevent any security hiccups from standing in the way of you and your degree. If you are a college student, follow these tips to help you stay safe in a hybrid or distance learning environment:
Regardless of your industry, you are likely to rely on the internet to do your job. Restaurant workers use online POS systems, bank tellers require access to their customers’ online accounts – the list goes on. With so much of your day spent online, it’s important to keep internet safety best practices top of mind so you can continue to work free from potential cyber interruptions. No matter what career path you are on, following these tips can help you stay safe online and continue to do your job with confidence:
If you can dream it, you can stream it. With so much media at your fingertips, it’s important to remember that cybercriminals tend to focus their threats on trending consumer behaviors. For example, cybercriminals will tend to focus their scams on popular TV shows or movies in the hopes that an unsuspecting user will click on their malicious download. Because streaming has become so popular in recent years, consumers should prioritize the safety of their online streaming platforms like Spotify, Netflix, Hulu, etc. Here are some ways to stay protected while streaming:
As technology has become more advanced, we’ve become accustomed to the many benefits that come with taking our devices with us everywhere we go. For example, we can deposit checks from home with our mobile banking apps and can use vehicle location services on our phones to remind us where we parked. Here’s how you can stay protected while on-the-go:
“There’s no doubt the internet has brought so many benefits to our daily life,” says Alex Merton-McCann, McAfee’s Cyber Safety Ambassador. “I honestly can’t imagine life without it! But in order for us all to continue benefiting from its many pluses, we all have a responsibility to make it a safe and enjoyable place. So, let’s #playitfaironline and commit to being respectful and kind towards each other online to ensure life online is safe and enjoyable for us all!”
Check out #SaferInternetDay and #SID2022 hashtags on social media to be a part of the conversation.
The post How We Can All Work Together For a Better Internet appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Smartphones have become such an integral part of our lives that it’s hard to imagine a time when we didn’t have them. We carry so much of our lives on our devices, from our social media accounts and photos of our pets to our banking information and home addresses. Whether it be just for fun or for occupational purposes, so much of our time and attention is spent on our smartphones.
Because our mobile devices carry so much valuable information, it’s important that we stay educated on the latest cyber schemes so we can be prepared to combat them and keep our data safe. According to Bleeping Computer, researchers have developed a trojan proof of concept tool that fakes a shutdown or reboot of iPhones, preventing malware from being removed and allowing hackers to secretly snoop on microphones and cameras.
Let’s dive into the details of this technique.
Typically, when an iOS device is infected with malware, the solution is as simple as just restarting the device. However, with this new technique researchers are calling “NoReboot,” ridding a device of malware is not quite as simple.
“NoReboot” blocks the shutdown and reboot process from being carried out, preventing the device from actually restarting. Without a proper shutdown and reboot, a malware infection on an iOS device can continue to exist. Because the device appears to be shut off with a dark screen, muted notifications, and a lack of response, it is easy to assume that the device has shut down properly and the problem has been solved. However, the “NoReboot” technique has only simulated a reboot, allowing a hacker to access the device and its functions, such as its camera and microphone. If a hacker has access to these functions, they could record the user without their knowledge and potentially capture private information.
This attack is not one that Apple can fix, as it relies on human-level deception rather than exploiting flaws found on iOS. That’s why it’s important that we know how to use our devices safely and stay protected.
As previously mentioned, smartphone usage takes up a big chunk of our time and attention. Since we are so often on these devices, it is usually fairly easy to tell when something isn’t working quite like it is supposed to. While these things could very well just be technical issues, sometimes they are much more than that, such as malware being downloaded onto your smartphone.
Malware can eat up the system resources or conflict with other apps on your device, causing it to act oddly.
Some possible signs that your device has been hacked include:
A slower device, webpages taking way too long to load, or a battery that never keeps a charge are all things that can be attributed to a device reaching its retirement. However, these things may also be signs that malware has compromised your phone.
Malware running in the background of a device may burn extra computing power, causing your phone to feel hot and overheated. If your device is quick to heat up, it may be due to malicious activity.
If apps you haven’t downloaded suddenly appear on your screen, or if outgoing calls you don’t remember making pop up on your phone bill, that is a definite red flag and a potential sign that your device has been hacked.
Malware may also be the cause of odd or frequent pop-ups, as well as changes made to your home screen. If you are getting an influx of spammy ads or your app organization is suddenly out of order, there is a big possibility that your device has been hacked.
To avoid the hassle of having a hacked phone in the first place, here are some tips that may help.
Promptly updating your phone and apps is a primary way to keep your device safe. Updates often fix bugs and vulnerabilities that hackers rely on to download malware for their attacks.
Apple’s App Store and Google Play have protections in place to help ensure that apps being downloaded are safe. Third-party sites may not have those same protections or may even be purposely hosting malicious apps to scam users. Avoiding these sites altogether can prevent these apps from allowing hackers into your device.
Hackers may use public Wi-Fi to gain access to your device and the information you have inside of it. Using a VPN to ensure that your network is private and only you can access it is a great way to stay protected on the go.
Turning off your Wi-Fi and Bluetooth when you are not actively using them is a simple way to prevent skilled hackers from working their way into your devices.
Some hackers have been known to install malware into public charging stations and hack into devices while they are being charged. Investing in your own personal portable charging packs is an easy way to avoid this type of hack.
Encrypting your phone can protect your calls, messages, and information, while also protecting you from being hacked. iPhone users can check their encryption status by going into Touch ID & Passcode, scrolling to the bottom, and seeing if data protection is enabled.
Although researchers agree that you can never trust a device to be fully off, there are some techniques that can help you determine whether your device was rebooted correctly.2 If you do suspect that your phone was hacked or notice some suspicious activity, restart your device. To do this, press and hold the power button and either volume button until you are prompted to slide the button on the screen to power off. After the device shuts down and restarts, notice if you are prompted to enter your passcode to unlock the device. If not, this is an indicator that a fake reboot just occurred. If this happens, you can wait for the device to run out of battery, although researchers have not verified that this will completely remove the threat.
If you are worried that your device has been hacked, follow these steps:
The post How iOS Malware May Snoop on Our Devices appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Every year we can count on new technology to make our lives easier. Right? As beneficial and convenient as tech can be, it can also pose risks to our online safety and privacy—risks that we should be prepared to handle. Increasingly, we’re seeing governments around the world implementing stricter privacy laws. And even major players like Google are phasing out invasive tracking technology like cookies. However, when it comes to activities like banking, shopping, taxes, and more, the need for broader online privacy protection has never been greater. Let’s take a look at some prominent trends in the way we now live online and how we can protect our data.
Crypto, the blockchain, NFTs, tokens – all of these terms are considered part of what’s being termed Web3. Whereas Web 2.0 described an internet made up of large corporations hosting content and consumers, Web3 is governed by the blockchain. What this means is that applications use a decentralized online ledger to document transactions of all sorts. The most famous example is bitcoin, a blockchain that acts as a digital currency. Another example would be NFTs, which are digital works of art. Web3 may be in its infancy, but it’s important to consider what this means for privacy and data protection. Blockchain affords users anonymity in regards to currencies like bitcoin. Of course that means bitcoin also has a reputation as the currency of choice for money-launderers and other shady enterprises. Still, that means it’s good for privacy, right? Well, maybe. The EU’s GDPR rights to erase or amend data are at odds with transactions on a blockchain, which are essentially unchangeable. So if you’re buying cryptocurrency, NFTs, or interacting with blockchains in other ways, just understand your personal information might be hidden, but the record of your transactions is totally visible.
Tip: If you’re keeping cryptocurrencies in an online wallet, you’ll want to use an identity protection service to monitor those account credentials so you can be warned of breaches and leaks onto the dark web.
Student privacy is a top concern as households turn to remote learning. In a rush to optimize remote learning experiences in the face of a rapidly evolving digital landscape, many educators and remote learners may not realize the hazards that put student privacy at risk.
Since 2020, schools have adopted a range of technologies to optimize the digital classroom, including virtual learning platforms, holistic learning solutions, and even social media applications. However, many of these digital platforms are not designed for child usage, nor do they have privacy policies in place to ensure that the student data gathered is protected. Many learning platforms may even treat student data as consumer data, raising more red flags regarding student data privacy and compliance. Online learning has also garnered the attention of cybercriminals looking to exploit student data, resulting in online bullying, identity theft, and more.
For educators and parents alike, knowledge is the greatest asset to mitigating the risks of remote learning. IT teams and educators must understand the implications of the student data they collect, govern access to it, and control its usage to comply with child privacy regulations. Parents can take proper precautions by discussing the importance of privacy with their children. Keeping learning platforms up to date and monitoring their children to prevent them from downloading suspicious apps or straying to unknown websites are all ways to ensure safer remote learning environments.
Tip: Getting a VPN for the family to use is a great way to safeguard your privacy while your kids are learning online.
Remote work has become commonplace nowadays as more companies permit their employees to work from home long-term and, for some, permanently. In a recent Fenwick poll among HR, privacy, and security professionals across industries, approximately 90% of employees now handle intellectual property, confidential, and personal information in their homes. Endpoint security, or the protection of end-user devices such as our laptops and mobile devices, poses more of a concern as employees trade in office networks for their in-home Wi-Fi. If these devices and networks are unsecured or if the data is not encrypted, employees run the risk of exposing sensitive information to hackers. Those of us working from home can help ensure the safety of our company’s confidential information by boosting our awareness of security threats and prevention measures via company-mandated security training.
Tip: McAfee’s Protection Score is a great way to understand how protected you are online and what you can do to stay more secure
This buzzy term is being used to describe Meta’s (previously Facebook) vision for a fully connected future. Right now it exists as an AR/VR space accessible through Meta’s own VR hardware, Oculus. However, the terminology has caught on as a catch-all for platforms that may contain work, business, gaming, entertainment, social interactions, and more in one easily navigable, immersive online setting. Web3 features, like blockchain, NFTs, and cryptocurrencies are being touted as integral parts of the metaverse. As exciting and futuristic as this is, there are major privacy questions that will have to be answered. This means that as customers you’ll want to think hard about what you choose to share through the metaverse and look into the privacy settings a platform offers you.
Tip: Use comprehensive online protection. McAfee Total Protection secures all aspects of your life online. From identity to online connections to antivirus, a full security suite like Total Protection keeps you and your family safer on all the devices you use and places you go online.
Some of the platforms I use the most allow me to keep track of and manage my finances. Whether it’s my mobile banking app or taking advantage of online tax filing, there is such a convenience in having the ability to pay bills, deposit checks, and more, all with the devices I use every day. But many of us may not realize just how much trust we put into these platforms to protect our online privacy, especially when we don’t have a clear picture of who exactly is on the other end of our online transactions.
While recognizing the signs of online banking and tax-related fraud helps ease the burdens associated with these schemes, there are multiple steps users can take to prevent becoming a victim of these scams in the first place.
Tip: Full-featured identity protection will protect you financially. Services like McAfee Identity Protection Service include credit checks, identity theft restoration, and even stolen fund restoration as benefits.
Digital devices are part of how we live our lives every day, whether we’re taking conference calls on our laptops, tracking the latest mile on our smartwatches, or banking on the go. Although our everyday digital devices make our lives that much more convenient, securing them makes our lives that much safer by minimizing online threats to ourselves and those around us. Safeguarding the digital platforms we use for work, school, finances, you name it, is the first step to ensuring our private information remains just that—private.
The post Privacy in Practice: Securing Your Data in 2022 and Beyond appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s a long-standing question. Can Apple Macs get viruses?
While Apple does go to great lengths to keep all its devices safe, this doesn’t mean your Mac is immune to all computer viruses. So what does Apple provide in terms of antivirus protection? Let’s take a look along with some signs that your Mac may be hacked and how you can protect yourself from further threats beyond viruses, like identity theft.
Whether hackers physically sneak it onto your device or by tricking you into installing it via a phony app, a sketchy website, or a phishing attack, viruses and malware can create problems for you in a few ways:
Some possible signs of hacking software on your Mac include:
Is your device operating more slowly, are web pages and apps harder to load, or does your battery never seem to keep a charge? These are all signs that you could have malware running in the background, zapping your device’s resources.
Like the performance issues above, malware or mining apps running in the background can burn extra computing power (and data). Aside from sapping performance, malware and mining apps can cause your computer to run hot or even overheat.
If you find apps you haven’t downloaded, along with messages and emails that you didn’t send, that’s a red flag. A hacker may have hijacked your computer to send messages or to spread malware to your contacts. Similarly, if you see spikes in your data usage, that could be a sign of a hack as well.
Malware can also be behind spammy pop-ups, changes to your home screen, or bookmarks to suspicious websites. In fact, if you see any configuration changes you didn’t personally make, this is another big clue that your computer may have been hacked.
Macs contain several built-in features that help protect them from viruses:
Similarly, all apps that wish to be sold on the Apple App Store must go through Apple’s App Review. While not strictly a review for malware, security matters are considered in the process. Per Apple, “We review all apps and app updates submitted to the App Store in an effort to determine whether they are reliable, perform as expected, respect user privacy, and are free of objectionable content.”
There are a couple reasons why Mac users may want to consider additional protection in addition to the antivirus protection that Mac provides out of the box:
In all, Macs are like any other connected device. They’re susceptible to threats and vulnerabilities as well. Looking more broadly, there’s the wider world of threats on the internet, such as phishing attacks, malicious links and downloads, prying eyes on public Wi-Fi, data breaches, identity theft, and so on. It’s for this reason Mac users may think about bolstering their defenses further with online protection software.
Staying safer online follows a simple recipe:
Reading between the lines, that recipe can take a bit of work. However, comprehensive online protection can take care of it for you. In particular, McAfee Total Protection includes an exclusive Protection Score, which checks to see how safe you are online, identifies gaps, and then offers personalized guidance, and helping you know exactly how safe you are.
An important part of this score is privacy and security, which is backed by a VPN that turns on automatically when you’re on an unsecure network and personal information monitoring to help protect you from identity theft—good examples that illustrate how staying safe online requires more than just antivirus.
So, Macs can get viruses and are subject to threats just like any other computer. While Macs have strong protections built into them, they may not offer the full breadth of protection you want, particularly in terms of online identity theft and the ability to protect you from the latest malware threats. Consider the threats you want to keep clear of and then take a look at your options that’ll help keep you safe.
The post Can Apple Macs get Viruses? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Most parents may find it difficult to relate to today’s form of cyberbullying. That’s because, for many of us, bullying might have come in a series of isolated, fleeting moments such as an overheard rumor, a nasty note passed in class, or a few brief hallway confrontations.
Fast forward a few dozen decades, and the picture is spectacularly different and a world few adults today would eagerly step into.
Cyberbullying includes targeting that is non-stop. It’s delivered digitally in an environment that is often anonymous. It’s a far-reaching, esteem-shattering, emotional assault. And the most traumatic component? The perpetual nature of the internet adds the ever-present threat of unlimited accessibility—kids know bullying can happen to anyone, at any time, and spread like wildfire.
The nature of cyberbullying can make a young victim feel hopeless and powerless. Skipping school doesn’t stop it. Summer vacation doesn’t diminish it. That’s because the internet is ever-present.
According to a 2020 Ditch the Label Cyberbullying Study, youth today reveal that carrying the emotional weight of being “connected all the time” is anything but fun and games. Here’s a snapshot.
While all kids are at risk for cyberbullying, studies reveal that some are more vulnerable than others.
According to the Pew Research Center, females experience more cyberbullying than their male counterparts; 38% of girls compared to 26% of boys. Those most likely to receive a threatening or aggressive text, IM, or email: Girls ages 15-17.
More data from the CDC and American University reveals that more than 28.1 % of LGBTQ teens were cyberbullied in 2019, compared to 14.1% of their heterosexual peers. In addition, Black LGTBQ youth are more likely to face mental health issues linked to cyberbullying and other forms of bullying as compared to non-Black LGTBQ and heterosexual youth.
Another community that can experience high cyberbullying is gamers. If your child spends a lot of time playing online games, consider paying close attention to the tone of conversations, the language used, your child’s demeanor during and after gaming, and, as always, stay aware of the risks. In a competitive gaming environment that often includes a variety of age groups, cyberbullying can quickly get out of control.
Lastly, the reality no parent wants to confront—but one that is critical to the conversation—is that cyberbullying and suicide may be linked in some ways. According to JAMA Pediatrics, approximately 80% of young people who commit suicide have depressive thoughts, and in today’s online environment, cyberbullying often leads to more suicidal thoughts than traditional bullying.
Each new year represents 365 new days and 365 new chances to do things a little bit better than we’ve done them in the past. And while it’s impossible to stop our kids from wandering into the crossfire of hurtful words online, we can do everything possible to reduce their vulnerability and protect their self-esteem.
The post Cyberbullying: Words do Hurt When it Comes to Social Media appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The internet has opened up wonderful new possibilities in our world, making life easier on many levels. You can pay your bills, schedule your next family vacation, and order groceries with the click of a button. While the internet offers many positive benefits, it also has some negatives. Although not entirely used for illicit purposes, the dark web is one part of the internet that can be used by criminals for illegal purposes, like selling stolen personal information.
But just what is the dark web? Basically, it’s a part of the internet that isn’t indexed by search engines. As an average internet user, you won’t come across the dark web since you need a special browser to access it. It’s certainly not something you need to stress about in your day-to-day browsing, and you shouldn’t let it scare you off the internet. Unless you actively seek it out, you’ll likely never have any contact with the dark web in your lifetime.
A better understanding of what the dark web is and the possible threats it contains can help you protect yourself, though. This guide provides the essential information you need, explaining the different levels of the web and revealing how you can stay safe. With this knowledge, you can continue to browse online with confidence. Find out more below.
The “dark web” refers to websites that aren’t indexed by search engines like Google and Bing. This might seem strange since most people want their websites to be found through specific searches. Practices like search engine optimization (SEO) are specifically implemented to help websites perform well and rank higher in search engine results.
So, why would someone not want their website to be picked up by a search engine? The primary purpose is to preserve privacy and anonymity. The individuals and organizations on the dark web often engage in illegal activities and want to keep their identities hidden — something that is difficult to do with an indexed website.
It’s important to note that the dark web should not be confused with the deep web, which is a part of the internet individuals access regularly. Although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they actually refer to different things. Deep web content — which isn’t picked up by search engines, either — includes pages that typically require additional credentials to access. Your online banking accounts and email accounts, for instance, are examples of deep web content.
The internet is home to billions of websites — an estimated 1.7 billion to be exact, although that number changes every day as new sites are made and others are deleted. Your daily internet activity likely falls within the publicly available and readily accessible portion of the internet (otherwise known as the surface web). However, there are additional “levels” of the internet beyond that top level. Read on to learn more.
The internet you use to search for more information is referred to as the surface web or open web. This is the readily visible part of the internet anyone can access with an internet connection and a normal web browser like Safari, Mozilla Firefox, or Google Chrome. Other terms for the surface web include the visible web, lightnet, or indexed web.
Examples of content you’ll find on the surface web include:
Basically, the sites you use daily — from your favorite news site to a local restaurant — are part of the surface web. What makes these websites part of the surface web is that they can be located via search queries and have recognizable endings like .com, .edu, .gov, or .org. You are able to find websites on the surface web because they are marked as “indexable,” meaning search engines can index and rank them. The sites are readily available on the search engine results pages (SERPs).
Interestingly, the surface web only makes up around 4% of the total internet, meaning the internet is a lot more than what you see on the surface. Think of it as an ocean — there’s the top layer of water you can see and then there’s the vast world beneath. The remainder of the internet is what’s below the surface.
The deep web refers to any page on the internet that isn’t indexed by search engines as described above. The deep web is the first level beneath the “surface” of the visible web — and it’s significantly larger than the surface web, accounting for an estimated 96% to 99% of the entire internet.
It’s important to note that just because this type of content isn’t on the surface doesn’t mean it’s nefarious or has ill intent. A lot of the time, this content isn’t indexed because it includes pages that are meant to be hidden to protect consumer privacy, such as those that require login credentials.
Here are some examples of content on the deep web:
Essentially, any webpage that requires a login is part of the deep web. That said, deep web content doesn’t necessarily have to fall into any of these categories. Any page that is non-indexable is technically also considered part of the deep web. It doesn’t have to require a login or contain sensitive data. Website creators and managers can mark pages as non-indexable if desired.
It’s worth noting that sometimes a single organization’s website will include elements of both the surface web and the deep web. Take a college or university website, for example. Most schools have a comprehensive website providing information about the school’s history, campus location, student body, available programs of study, extracurricular activities, and more.
However, many schools also have an intranet — sometimes linked from the main university page — that’s accessible only for students or staff. This is where students might sign up for classes and access their school email, for example. Since this is sensitive information and requires a unique login, it doesn’t need to be made publicly available via search engines.
In fact, it’s better in the interest of privacy that these pages aren’t readily visible. It helps to protect the user’s data. From this example, you can see that the “deep web” doesn’t have to be scary, illicit, or illegal. It serves a legitimate and useful purpose. You shouldn’t be afraid of the deep web. It’s further important to distinguish the deep web from the dark web — as the next section explains.
As mentioned, the deep web and the dark web sometimes get confused. However, they are distinct. Technically, the dark web is a niche or subsection within the deep web. It consists of websites that aren’t indexable and can’t be readily found online via web search engines. However, the dark web is a carefully concealed portion of the deep web that people go out of their way to keep hidden.
What makes the dark web distinct from the broader deep web is the fact that dark web content can only be accessed via a special browser. The Tor network is often used to access the dark web.
Additionally, the dark web has a unique registry operator and uses security tools like encryption and firewalls, further making it inaccessible via traditional web browsers. Plus, the dark web relies on randomized network infrastructure, creating virtual traffic tunnels. All of these technical details serve to promote anonymity and protect dark web users’ privacy.
The short answer is no, it’s not illegal to browse the dark web. In fact, there are instances where individuals can use it for good. Whistleblowers, for instance, can find the anonymity available through the dark web valuable when working with the FBI or another law enforcement organization.
That said, while it’s not illegal to browse the dark web, it’s also not completely void of criminal activity. Putting yourself in close proximity with illegal activities is rarely a good idea and could heighten your risk of being targeted by a criminal yourself. It’s often best to leave that part of the deep web alone.
There are also many technological threats on the dark web. Malicious software, also known as malware, is a critical concern and can affect unsuspecting users. Even simply browsing the dark web out of curiosity can expose you to such threats, like phishing malware or keyloggers. While an endpoint security program can identify such threats if they end up on your computer, it’s ideal to avoid them altogether.
Further, if you try to buy something on the dark web — even if it’s not illegal — there’s a chance you’ll be scammed. Dark web criminals use a variety of tricks to con people. For example, they may hold money in escrow but then shut down the e-commerce website and take off with the money. Due to the anonymous nature of the dark web, it’s very difficult for law enforcement to find such perpetrators.
Given its anonymous nature, the dark web clearly has an obvious appeal for cybercriminals. But just what do they use it for? The most obvious type of internet activity is the buying and selling of black market goods and services, from illegal drugs to illegal content. Cybercriminals may also run scams when selling such items, for example by taking a person’s money and not delivering the required product.
There are dark websites dedicated to the purchase and sale of illegal products or services (usually using untraceable cryptocurrencies like bitcoin) including:
Browsers like Tor, an open-source and free software, allow people to access dark websites where these goods are available, like a digital marketplace. These websites may look similar to any other surface or deep website you’d encounter. However, they differ in their domain suffix, ending in “.onion” instead of more obvious options like “.com” (Tor is actually short for The Onion Router, which is also where the term “onion routing” comes from — referring to anonymous communication on the dark web).
Onion sites often use scrambled names that make their URLs difficult to remember, minimizing the odds of being reported to authorities. It’s possible to search the dark web using specialized dark web search engines like Grams or link lists like The Hidden Wiki. However, these sources tend to be slow and unreliable, just like the dark web itself.
Some of this information can be extremely valuable on darknet forums. For example, while a Social Security number might go for $2, email credentials could sell for as much as $120,000. Hackers can make a lot of money and do so with less worry that they might get caught. Thanks to the Tor browser’s layers of encryption and IP scrambling, it’s difficult to track people down on this part of the web.
Again, although the dark web isn’t inherently bad, you should still be proactive in preventing your personal information from falling into the wrong hands. Here are a few ways you can help keep you and your family safe online:
The dark web might sound scary. The fact is, an everyday internet user like yourself likely won’t have any contact with this level of the internet. That said, it’s still important to take as many precautions as you can to keep your family and your technology safe.
McAfee provides everyday internet users with the tools they need to surf safely and confidently. Our award-winning antivirus software protects against threats like phishing, malware, and ransomware, and we also offer identity protection plans that come with a personalized Protection Score to check the health of your online information. Start browsing with confidence by using McAfee.
The post The Dark Web: A Definitive Guide appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The internet’s greatest feat? Fundamentally shifting how we live. Once a revelation, it quickly set our long-standing beliefs about how we work, play, and connect into a whole new context.
Today, the shifts come fast. Video meetings once felt alien. Now, they’re part of our routine. We’ve gone from setting doctor’s appointments online to actually seeing the doctor online—and from family visits to seeing everyone in seconds on a screen.
At McAfee, we’ve seen our share of shifts as well. Looking back across our thirty-plus years, we were among the first to deliver antivirus technology. First to create a biometric password manager. First to give people an intuitive Protection Score, and so much more. And we’re not stopping. We’re protecting people and their ever-changing lives. That means covering all your life online, from security to privacy to identity, in a way that adds to your confidence and enjoyment too.
Confidence and enjoyment. Those two words mark our next shift in online protection. We’re bringing those feelings to life across the McAfee experience. And it’ll redefine the way you stay safe online.
Safety has an unmistakable feeling. As we bring that feeling to online protection, you’ll see a remarkable evolution. It will look and act in bold new ways, guide you, reassure you, and most importantly, keep you safe. In all, it’s a new breed of online protection that’s helpful, even thoughtful, in the ways it looks out for you.
And this evolution is already underway. You’ll find that feeling in everyday moments as we make them simpler, freer, and safer—such as paying your bills at a coffee shop, managing your family’s healthcare from your laptop, and booking flights to catch up with old friends. Across them all, our protection will have your back, and even offer guidance when needed, all while you do you—wherever your day takes you and no matter what “online” looks like next.
There’s simply so much to see out there. And with us by your side, you’ll feel safe and stay that way. Life online will continue to surprise us. In the best of ways. And people have a right to enjoy every moment of it, confident that they’re safe and secure, in ways they can point to and feel.
That’s our next big shift. Giving you the unmistakable feeling of safety. You deserve it. More than that, it’s your right. And we’re proud to bring it to you.
The post The Feeling of Safety appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The internet is meant for all to enjoy. And that’s who we’re looking out for—you and everyone who wants to enjoy life online.
We believe it’s important that someone has your back like that, particularly where some of today’s hacks and attacks can leave people feeling a little uneasy from time to time. You’ve probably seen stories about data breaches at big companies pop up in your news feed. Or perhaps you or someone you know had their debit or credit card number hacked. Problems like these are out there, unfortunate thorns in the side of the internet we’ve come to love. Yet while these issues persist, there’s plenty you can do to avoid them.
That’s where we have your back—doing all we can to make life online enjoyable for everyone, with protection that helps people finally feel safe and stay that way.
The reality is that nobody wants to deal with hackers, malware, and other attacks crop up on the internet. And while it’s important to be aware of those things, we’d rather that you didn’t have to worry about them. Protection should come easy. Whether it’s keeping your banking, shopping, and streaming secure, along with your privacy and personal info too, protection should feel simple and tailored to you. That’s what we strive for.
So as you think about protecting your life online, take a moment to consider what you’re protecting. As you do, you’ll see that it means far more than protecting your computers, phones, and other devices. Ultimately, it’s about protecting you, and all the important things connected to you. You can think of it in three ways …
What’s among the top things people say they want to protect? Their photos. Not far behind photos are all manner of digital treasures that people like to keep close, which ranges anywhere from music they’ve downloaded to old voicemails of their children, nieces, and nephews that they’ve saved over the years. Without a doubt, we have plenty of things stored on our computers and phones that we simply couldn’t do without.
Protecting these things means protecting the devices you use to store and access them. Installing comprehensive online protection software like ours is the first step. In addition to award-winning antivirus software and firewall protection to help keep hackers at bay (and away from your photos and other precious files), it goes a step further.
Our new Online Protection Score shows you just how safe you are and guides you through simple steps that can seal up gaps and improve your protection overall. In all, it’s a personalized and simple way to make sure you’re protected as possible and continually make improvements as they’re needed. It’s a way of getting expert protection without being an expert.
There’s also the “Important Stuff” in life, like our financial records, tax returns, and all the banking that we do on our phones and computers. And let’s throw shopping into mix because shopping’s important too! You can protect the important things like this, which can help hackers out of your business.
For starters, you can protect your important files three ways with our online protection by using a combination of the McAfee® File Lock and Shredder features to manage your privacy:
You can lock down your privacy even further with a VPN that can shield you automatically from snooping attacks online, whether at home or when using public Wi-Fi. It creates an encrypted connection that works like a private tunnel that hides your IP address and the things you’re doing online from cybercrooks. It’s ideal for keeping your sensitive personal information like your financial data, passwords, and browsing history hidden from both hackers and websites.
And here’s another big help. A password manager. You likely have dozens of passwords, plus a few more that you’ve probably forgotten about. You can protect your passwords and the accounts associated with them with a password manager that creates and securely stores a strong, unique password for each of your accounts. Plus, you can use it to update those passwords on the regular. Few things make it tougher for hackers than strong, unique passwords that get changed often. In a time of data breaches and account theft, a password manager is a great call.
While it’s important to focus on protecting things like laptops, phones, photos, files, and data, you’re ultimately protecting something far greater You. Your privacy, your personal information, your accounts, all the things that taken together make you—you. The thing is that our lives are more fluid and mobile than ever before. One moment we’re banking on our laptop, the next we’re splitting the cost of dinner with a payment on our phone. The constant here is you. You’re at the center of all this activity regardless of the device you’re using. The same goes for your family and the people you care about.
That’s why we protect people, not just their devices.
McAfee Identity Protection Service monitors the dark web for your personal info such as emails and associated passwords, up to 60 different types of critical info. If we detect that your data was stolen, you’ll get immediate alerts on the devices of your choice and guidance on how to secure your info quickly and effectively. In all, you can keep tabs on your identity any time you’re connected to the internet, and if an issue crops up you can click, solve, and carry on.
Extended identity protection offers up the extra comfort of knowing that you have licensed recovery pros on the case if identity theft does happen to you. This includes monitoring and restoration services, along with identity theft insurance for lawyer fees, travel expenses, lost wages, and more.
While that’s just a few of the ways McAfee has your back, we hope it gives you a good sense of what online protection should do—how it should protect you and all the things connected to you. And on today’s internet, that’s quite a bit. There’s so much to experience online today, and we believe you should enjoy all of it, freely and with the confidence that comes from knowing you’re safe.
The post The Internet is for Everyone to Enjoy—We’re Helping See to It appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Did you just get word that your personal information may have been caught up in a data breach? If so, you can take steps to protect yourself from harm should your info get into the hands of a scammer or thief.
How does that information get collected in the first place? We share personal information with companies for multiple reasons simply by going about our day—to pay for takeout at our favorite restaurant, to check into a hotel, or to collect rewards at the local coffee shop. Of course, we use our credit and debit cards too, sometimes as part of an online account that tracks our purchase history.
In other words, we leave trails of data practically wherever we go these days, and that data is of high value to hackers. Thus, all those breaches we read about.
Whether it’s a major breach that exposes millions of records or one of many other smaller-scale breaches like the thousands that have struck healthcare providers, each one serves as a reminder that data breaches happen regularly and that we could find ourselves affected. Depending on the breach and the kind of information you’ve shared with the business or organization in question, information stolen in a breach could include:
What do crooks do with that data? Several things. Apart from using it themselves, they may sell that data to other criminals. Either way, this can lead to illicit use of credit and debit cards, draining of bank accounts, claiming tax refunds or medical expenses in the names of the victims, or, in extreme cases, assuming the identity of others altogether.
In all, data is a kind of currency in of itself because it has the potential to unlock several aspects of victim’s life, each with its own monetary value. It’s no wonder that big breaches like these have made the news over the years, with some of the notables including:
As mentioned, these are big breaches with big companies that we likely more than recognize. Yet smaller and mid-sized businesses are targets as well, with some 43% of data breaches involving companies of that size. Likewise, restaurants and retailers have seen their Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals compromised, right on down to neighborhood restaurants.
When a company experiences a data breach, customers need to realize that this could impact their online safety. If your favorite coffee shop’s customer database gets leaked, there’s a chance that your personal or financial information was exposed. However, this doesn’t mean that your online safety is doomed. If you think you were affected by a breach, you can take several steps to protect yourself from the potential side effects.
One of the most effective ways to determine whether someone is fraudulently using one or more of your accounts is to check your statements. If you see any charges that you did not make, report them to your bank or credit card company immediately. They have processes in place to handle fraud. While you’re with them, see if they offer alerts for strange purchases, transactions, or withdrawals.
Our credit monitoring service can help you keep an eye on this. It monitors changes to your credit score, report, and accounts with timely notifications and guidance so you can take action to tackle identity theft.
Breached and stolen information often ends up in dark web marketplaces where hackers, scammers, and thieves purchase it to commit yet more crime. Once it was difficult to know if your information was caught up in such marketplaces, yet now an identity monitoring service can do the detective work for you.
Our service monitors the dark web for your personal info, including email, government IDs, credit card and bank account info, and more. This can help keep your personal info safe with early alerts that show you if your data is found on the dark web, an average of 10 months ahead of similar services. From there, you’ll get guidance that you can act on, which can help protect your info and accounts from theft.
If you suspect that your data might have been compromised, place a fraud alert on your credit. This not only ensures that any new or recent requests undergo scrutiny, but also allows you to have extra copies of your credit report so you can check for suspicious activity. You can place one fraud alert with any of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and they will notify the other two. A fraud alert typically lasts for a year, although there are options for extending it as well.
Freezing your credit will make it highly difficult for criminals to take out loans or open new accounts in your name, as a freeze halts all requests to pull your credit—even legitimate ones. In this way, it’s a far stronger measure than placing a fraud alert. Note that if you plan to take out a loan, open a new credit card, or other activity that will prompt a credit report, you’ll need to take extra steps to see that through while the freeze is in place. (The organization you’re working with can assist with the specifics.) Unlike the fraud alert, you’ll need to contact each major credit reporting agency to put one in place. Also, a freeze lasts as long as you have it in place. You’ll have to remove it yourself, again with each agency.
You can centrally manage this process with our security freeze service, which stops companies from looking at your credit profile, and thus halts the application process for loans, credit cards, utilities, new bank accounts, and more. A security freeze won’t affect your credit score.
Ensure that your passwords are strong and unique. Many people utilize the same password or variations of it across all their accounts. Therefore, be sure to diversify your passcodes to ensure hackers cannot obtain access to all your accounts at once, should one password be compromised. You can also employ a password manager to keep track of your credentials, such as the one you’ll find in comprehensive online protection software.
If the unfortunate happens to you, an identity theft coverage & restoration service can help you get back on your feet. Ours offers $1 million in coverage for lawyer fees, travel expenses, and stolen funds reimbursement. It further provides support from a licensed recovery expert who can take the needed steps to repair your identity and credit. In all, it helps you recover the costs of identity theft along with the time and money it takes to recover from it.
You can take this step any time, even if you haven’t been caught up in a data breach. The fact is that data broker companies collect and sell thousands of pieces of information on millions and millions of people worldwide, part of a global economy estimated at $200 billion U.S. dollars a year. And they’ll sell it to anyone—from advertisers for their campaigns, to scammers who will use it for spammy emails, texts, and calls, and to thieves who use that information for identity theft.
Yet you can clean it up. Our personal data cleanup service can scan some of the riskiest data broker sites and show you which ones are selling your personal info. It also provides guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and, with select products, even manage the removal for you.
Comprehensive online protection software will offer you the tools and services listed above, along with further features that can protect you online. That includes a VPN to keep your time online more private from online data collection while protecting it from thieves who’re out to steal credit card and account information. It also includes web browsing protection that can warn you of sketchy websites and malicious downloads that look to steal your information. In all, it’s thorough protection for your devices, privacy, and identity. And in a time of data breaches, that kind of protection has become essential.
The post How to Protect Yourself From Identity Theft After a Data Breach appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Protecting your devices with antivirus is a great start, yet it’s only one part of staying safer online. With the way scammers and thieves target people today, you need to protect yourself too—specifically your identity and privacy.
Threats have evolved over the years. While hackers still wage malware attacks on computers, tablets, and smartphones, the devices aren’t the ultimate target. You are. The personal and private information created and kept on your devices have tremendous value because scammers and thieves can use it to steal your identity, open credit cards in your name, and commit all kinds of identity theft and fraud.
Yet just as using antivirus protection can keep you safer online, using privacy and identity protection will keep you far safer still. Let’s look at how all three can work in concert.
Privacy protection focuses on keeping your information from getting into the hands of advertisers, cybercriminals, and data brokers who want to use it for their benefit. To boost your online privacy, consider a few thoughtful additions to your daily browsing, email, and social media routine.
First, think carefully about your social media habits. Do you post everything about your day and childhood, pin your location, and share photos of documents that include your full name, birthday, or address? You may want to consider cutting back on what you broadcast on the internet, especially if your account is public for anyone to view.
Unfortunately, while your friends and family may love your status updates, cybercriminals love them more. After only minutes of snooping, cybercriminals can glean enough personal details about you to impersonate you or target a social engineering attempt at you. To keep your private information more private, limit what you share on social media, pare down your follower and friend lists to only the closest people, and if your social media account platform supports it set your account to private.
One more way to protect your privacy is to use a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN allows you to remain far more anonymous online by shielding your location and device information, along with the data passing along your connection—which includes things like your passwords, account information, and other sensitive info.
A VPN offers further protection when you’re logged on to a public network, like those in coffee shops, libraries, and transportation hubs. Cybercriminals often lurk on non-password-protected Wi-Fi networks and eavesdrop on people paying bills or online shopping to steal their credentials.
However, criminals aren’t the only ones who intrude on your privacy. Online data brokers collect thousands of data points on millions of people, then post bits of that information for anyone to see and offer far more detailed information for a price.
Who buys this information? More legitimate purposes include people conducting background checks, journalists, law enforcement, and, largely, advertisers. With such in-depth information, advertisers can target highly specific audiences with their ads, all based on personal information that can include shopping habits from customer loyalty cards, health data from fitness apps, and information scraped from public social media posts—just to name a few of the umpteen sources they draw from.
Yet data brokers won’t discriminate. They’ll sell to scammers and thieves as well, who can then use that personal information to help them commit identity fraud and theft.
However, you can do something about this. Personal data cleanup can scan some of the riskiest data broker sites and show you which ones are selling your personal info. It can also provide guidance on how you can remove your data from those sites and can even manage the removal for you. And because data brokers continually update their data, personal data cleanup will continue to monitor those sites and help you get your information removed should it crop up again.
In all, if you feel that your privacy shouldn’t be up for grabs, a personal data cleanup service can
Another form of protection focuses on keeping you safer from identity theft and fraud. Here, thieves will steal personal and account information to rack up charges on existing credit and debit cards, open entirely new accounts and lines of credit, or impersonating the victim themselves for employment, health insurance coverage, or to commit other crimes in someone else’s name.
A few forms of identity crime include:
This list provides just a few examples, yet in all its forms, identity crime can affect your finances, credit score, and ability to secure loans, a mortgage, or future credit cards.
One way to keep your identity secure is to guard your PII carefully. Never give out your Social Security Number unless it’s necessary—such for employment, opening bank and credit accounts, applying for public assistance, filing tax returns, or obtaining a driver’s license. While other businesses may ask you for your Social Security Number for identification purposes, you are not legally bound to provide it. You can ask to provide an alternate form. Also, never share it over email or text where it can be potentially intercepted.
Beyond your Social Security Number, you can take steps to protect the many other forms of personal information you have. An identity monitoring service can keep tabs on 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. Likewise, credit monitoring can watch for unusual credit activity that could be an indicator of identity theft as well.
Should the unfortunate occur, identity theft & recovery coverage like ours can help you get back on track in several ways. First, it provides $1 million in identity theft coverage that covers travel expenses, legal fees, and stolen funds reimbursement. Additionally, it provides the assistance of a licensed identity theft recovery pro who can help you repair your identity and credit.
The third form of protection involves our devices, like computers, tablets, and phones—protecting them from both physical and digital threats.
The first step you can take is to use a password, PIN, facial recognition, or other form of lock to keep your devices safer in the event of loss or theft. With this protection, your device is effectively an open book, providing a thief with access to all manner of personal information, accounts, and apps.
Taking this protection a step further is learning to remotely locate your devices and then lock or wipe them. Many laptops and mobile devices offer location tracking services to help find a lost device—and yet others allow the owner to remotely lock or even wipe the contents of that device if they fear it’s lost for good or fallen into the wrong hands.
It’s all rather straightforward, and device manufacturers have put up helpful web pages that can walk you through the process:
Another good step you can take is to back up your files, whether with an online cloud service, a physical external drive, or both. By storing your files in the cloud, you can recover them quickly if your device is stolen and you have to remotely wipe its contents. Storing them on an external drive also lets you recover your files if your device is stolen, however, you’ll want to keep it in a secure location so that it can’t be stolen as well. Options include a fireproof safe where you keep other valuables or even a safe deposit box. The drawback is that you will have to back up files manually and regularly whereas cloud backup is practically automatic when you’re connected to the internet.
Another component of device security is defending against malicious software. Viruses and malware can make their way onto your devices through several avenues, including sketchy websites, dishonest downloads, phishing schemes, and clicking on ads. The challenge is that several of these avenues can look rather legitimate at first glance. Sophisticated hackers, scammers, and thieves have learned how to make their bogus websites and search results look like the real thing. One way you can prevent making a bad click or downloading an attachment loaded with malware is to use web advisor software that can protect you while you browse.
And finally, yes, antivirus is a must now just as it’s ever been. When kept up to date with the latest updates, it can prevent malware from getting onto your devices—plus scan, detect, and delete viruses and malware from your devices should they make their way onto them.
The threats out there are many, and they go beyond threats to your devices. Hackers, scammers, and thieves are quite interested in you. Your accounts, your personal information, and anything they can grab to commit theft or fraud. Protecting yourself today calls for not only protecting your devices but your privacy and identity too.
Comprehensive online protection software like ours covers all three—privacy, identity, and devices. It includes the protections mentioned above, plus dozens of features more such as ransomware coverage, credit freezes, security locks, and an online protection score that shows you just how safe you are, along with suggestions that can make you safer still.
In all, it gives you far more control over your privacy and personal information, control that should rest in your hands, and not in the hands of data brokers, hackers, scammers, and thieves.
The post Privacy, Identity, and Device Protection: Why You Need to Invest in All Three appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Like many consumers around the world, you’re probably scouring the internet to find the perfect gifts for your friends and family in time for the holidays. While buyers prepare for the festivities, cybercriminals look for opportunities to scam shoppers with various tricks. In 2020, the FBI received over 17,000 complaints regarding goods that were never delivered, totaling losses of more than $53 million.1 And this year, it is anticipated that the number could increase due to rumors of merchandise shortages and the ongoing pandemic.
But no need to get your tinsel in a tangle! At McAfee, we’re empowering consumers to live their digital lives with confidence by providing tips and tools for sidestepping cyber-grinches. Here are the top scams to look out for this holiday season so you can be on your merry way:
Phishing may be one of the older tricks in the book, but it is still a favorite standby for cybercriminals as phishing tactics become more sophisticated. According to Bleeping Computer, scammers tend to target holiday shoppers with emails advertising big-ticket or hard-to-find items to entice them to click on a malicious link.2 For example, cybercriminals could send a phishing email promising a sweet deal —often referred to as the discount scam — on the latest gaming system. Jumping at the opportunity to score such a great gift for a low price, an unsuspecting holiday shopper might click on the link and swiftly hand over their credit card details. But instead of receiving the gaming system, they receive alerts of suspicious purchases from their bank — purchases that cybercriminals made with their credit card information.
During the holidays, many brands increase their online advertising to boost sales. However, cyber-grinches will likely take advantage of this trend by creating fake websites and ads impersonating companies that consumers know and love. For example, cybercriminals can create fake websites and ads promoting unrealistic discounts and bargains that look remarkably similar to an online retailer’s site. If a customer clicks on the fake website and makes a “purchase” by inputting their credit card information, the scammers will then be able to use this data to make fraudulent purchases elsewhere.
Many consumers rely on social media to stay up-to-date on the latest deals, and scammers are eagerly looking for ways to take advantage. To target holiday shoppers via Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, etc., criminals use fake social media posts offering vouchers, gift cards, freebies, and contests in the hopes that the user will click on the post and hand over their personal or financial information. Perhaps a user comes across a fake contest for a $1,000 Amazon gift card on Instagram — all they have to do is enter their login credentials to enter. Little do they know that this contest has been formulated by scammers and submitting their login for entry is just handing over their data for cyber-scrooges to exploit.
Criminals can also take advantage of shoppable social media posts to target holiday shoppers with advertisements for non-existent or counterfeit items. Today, 130 million Instagram users tap on shoppable posts to learn more about products every month. It’s likely that these users will also rely on shoppable posts to interact with products they’re interested in purchasing for holiday gifts.3
Cybercriminals can entice these users by creating fraudulent social media ads for products they don’t actually have. If an unsuspecting shopper purchases through the fake ad, their financial information will not only find its way into the hands of the scammer, but they also won’t receive what they initially paid for.
According to the Wall Street Journal, travel and charity scams also tend to spike around the holidays.4 Travel scams could show up in the form of an email stating that a booking has been canceled, sending you to a fake website where you’re asked to enter your credit card number to set up a new reservation. You could also receive an email directing you to a clone site offering deals on a house rental, flight, or hotel room that seems too good to be true — as long as you hold your reservation with a deposit.
Cybercriminals also know that consumers tend to make charitable donations around the holidays, and many are quick to take advantage. A charity scam might target victims via social media feeds, asking people to donate to a fake organization. Consumers should always do their research on a charity before they donate to prevent money from ending up in a scammer’s pocket.
To prevent cyber-grinches from stealing your money, data, and festive spirit, follow these tips so you can continue to make merry during the holiday shopping season:
The post 6 Tips to Protect Yourself From Holiday Shopping Scammers appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Several security researchers have recently reported a powerful software bug that could potentially affect thousands of popular websites, services, hosted apps, and even game servers—thanks to an apparent flaw that could allow hackers to compromise or take control of servers that run them.
Just as reported by the developers of the popular Minecraft game, this flaw potentially affects servers that run Twitter, Apple’s iCloud, the Steam gaming platform, and a growing number of others that may be vulnerable.
One research group has dubbed the vulnerability as “Log4Shell,” and the name appears to be sticking. It involves a widely used software used to log information on servers. This software is open source, meaning it is freely available to developers. As a result, countless organizations and businesses use it on their servers.
While details are still evolving, researchers are acting with a proper degree of caution given the potential scope of the issue. Needless to say, the immediate level of concern remains high given the potential of the flaw to impact millions of servers, devices, and the people who use them.
At this early stage, a few things appear to be possible:
The developers of Minecraft have provided several steps that detail what both players and server hosts should do to protect themselves. The developers clearly recognize the potential gravity of the situation and are taking a proactive approach in saying, “This vulnerability poses a potential risk of your computer being compromised, and while this exploit has been addressed with all versions of the game client patched, you still need to take [steps] to secure your game and your servers.” We’ve provided the link to those steps here:
Recommended steps for Minecraft players and server hosts.
Right now, as this situation evolves, the best step is to keep your eyes open. If the app, service, site, or game you’re on performs strangely, consider signing out and closing it down. Then, perform a security scan on your device to check for viruses, malware, or other threats. Follow the guidance from your online protection software if any results come up.
You may also consider limiting your app and service usage to the most important activities. If it’s not an urgent or important online task or activity, see about putting it off until more is known.
Likewise, stay tuned. The details around this vulnerability continue to unfold. As they do, you’ll find further guidance that can help keep you and your family protected from this or any follow-on threats associated with this issue.
The post Concerned by the Security Risk Affecting Popular Services and Apps? Here’s What We Know. appeared first on McAfee Blog.
We all know the frustration. A new piece of tech isn’t working the way it should. Or maybe setting it up is simply turning into a royal pain. Grrr, right? Just make sure that when you go on the hunt for some help, you don’t let a tech support scam get the better of you.
Like so many scams out there, tech support scams play on people’s emotions. Specifically, the frustration you feel when things don’t work right. You want that problem fixed right now. So much so that you may not pay close enough attention to that tech support link you found in a search or came across in an ad. Tech support that looks legitimate but isn’t.
Tech support scams make good money for bad actors. In fact, the larger tech support scam operations organize and run themselves like a business, with call centers, marketing teams, finance groups, and so forth—and can rack up some serious profits to boot.
They make their money in several ways. Sometimes they’ll charge large fees to fix a non-existent problem. Other times, they’ll install information-stealing malware under the guise of software that’s supposed to correct an issue. In some cases, they’ll ask for remote access to your computer to perform a diagnosis but access your computer to steal information instead.
Fortunately, these scams are rather easy to spot. And avoid. If you know what to look for.
Let’s start with a quick overview of tech support scams. They tend to work in two primary ways.
This could be a phone call that comes from someone posing as a rep from “Microsoft” or “Apple.” The scammer on the other end of the line will tell you that there’s something wrong with your computer or device. Something urgently wrong. And then offers a bogus solution to the bogus problem, often at a high cost. Similarly, they may reach you by way of a pop-up ad. Again telling you that your computer or device is in need of urgent repair. These can find you a few different ways:
These are phony services and sites that pose as legitimate tech support but are anything but. They’ll place search ads, post other ads in social media, and so forth, ready for you to look up and get in touch with when you have a problem that you need fixed. Examples include:
While tech support scammers can and do prey on older computer users, they’re not the only ones. An apparent lack of computer savviness certainly makes older users an attractive target, yet it also seems that an apparent overconfidence in one’s savviness makes younger victims susceptible to tech support scams too. Turns out that the growing majority of victims worldwide are between 18 and 35 years old, a group that has known the internet for most, if not all, of their lives. That’s according to research from Microsoft’s Digital Crimes Unit, which found the 1 in 10 of people between the ages of 18 and 35 who encountered a tech support scam fell for it and lost money.
Whatever the age group, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says that the reported losses in the U.S. are into the millions, which of course does not account for the assumedly millions more that do not go reported.
Lastly, a good piece of general advice is to keep your devices and apps up to date. Regular updates often include security fixes and improvements that can help keep scammers and hackers at bay. You can set your devices and apps to download them automatically. And if you need to get an update or download it on your own, get it from the company’s official website. Stay away from third-party sites that may host malware.
This will provide protection if the scammer was able to access your account passwords in some form. While this can be a big task, it’s a vital one. A password manager that’s part of comprehensive online protection can make it much easier.
Delete files or apps that the software says is an issue. Do the same for other devices on your network too. Experienced and determined scammers can infect them as well simply by gaining access to one device on your network.
Contact your bank, credit card company, online payment platform, or wire transfer service immediately to reverse the charges. File a fraud complaint as well. The sooner you act, the better chance you have of recovering some or all your money. (Note that this is a good reason to use credit cards for online purchases, as they afford extra protection that debit cards and other payment services do not.)
In the U.S., you can contact https://www.ftc.gov/complaint, which reports the claim to thousands of law enforcement agencies. While they cannot resolve your individual issue, your report can help with broader investigations and build a case against scammers—which can make the internet safer for others. Their list of FAQs is particularly helpful too, answering important questions like “how do I get my money back?”
Here’s to holiday tech that works. And to quick fixes when things don’t go as planned. In all, if you find yourself staring down a technical issue, go straight to the source for help as we’ve outlined above. As you can see, scammers have burrowed themselves alongside otherwise legitimate ads, search results, and forums online, ready to take advantage of you when you need to get things working right.
Likewise, keep an eye and ear open for those scammers who’ll reach out to you, particularly this time of year when so many people are getting so many new devices. Realizing that legitimate tech support won’t call you out of the blue is a great place to start. In all, go with the pros you know—the ones you can reach at the companies you trust.
The post New tech for the holidays? Watch out for these tech support scams. appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Something’s not right. Maybe your phone is losing its charge way too quickly. Or one day it suddenly starts turning itself off and on again. Perhaps it’s running hot, so hot it’s hard to hold. Likewise, you might see outgoing calls that you never dialed or strange spikes in your data usage. Signs like these could mean that your smartphone’s been hacked. Learn how to protect your smartphone with McAfee Mobile Security
Several signs of a potential smartphone hack can look like a technical issue, at least on the surface. Yet the fact is that these issues may be a symptom of a deeper problem, such as malware installed on your smartphone. Malware can eat up system resources or conflict with other apps and your operating system, all of which can cause your phone to act sluggish or erratically.
Yet, in a way, that’s good news. Because malware can run inefficiently on your phone and create hiccups both large and small, it can tip you off to its presence. And with all the important information we carry in the palms of our hands nowadays, that’s good news twice over. Knowing the signs, subtle or otherwise can alert you to an otherwise largely invisible problem.
Whether hackers physically sneak it onto your phone or by tricking you into installing it via a phony app, a sketchy website, or a phishing attack, hacking software can create problems for you in a couple of ways:
Some possible signs of hacking software on your phone include:
Maybe you’ve seen some of the signs we mentioned earlier. Is your device operating slower, are web pages and apps harder to load, or does your battery never seem to keep a charge? These are all signs that you could have malware running in the background, zapping your phone’s resources.
Like the performance issues above, malware or mining apps running in the background can burn extra computing power (and data). Aside from sapping performance, malware and mining apps can cause your phone to run hot or even overheat.
If you find apps you haven’t downloaded, or calls, texts, and emails that you didn’t send, that’s a red flag. A hacker may have hijacked your phone to send premium-rate calls or messages or to spread malware to your contacts. Similarly, if you see spikes in your data usage, that could be a sign of a hack as well.
Malware can also be behind spammy pop-ups, changes to your home screen, or bookmarks to suspicious websites. In fact, if you see any configuration changes you didn’t personally make, this is another big clue that your smartphone has been hacked.
While there are several ways a hacker can get into your phone and steal personal and critical information, here are a few tips to keep that from happening:
The post How To Tell If Your Smartphone Has Been Hacked appeared first on McAfee Blog.
I think it’s fair to say that come to next Australia Day, there needs to be a special award category for parents of young children who survived home learning during the lockdowns. Let’s be honest – it’s been brutal! So many parents had to juggle their own full-time work, running a household, AND supervising a day’s worth of learning for often, multiple children! Research from Macquarie University showed that many parents spent up to 14 hours a week in their role as home learning managers and 9/10 parents reported the experience as, quite understandably, stressful! As a mum of older teens and young adults – who are usually self-sufficient – I’m in awe!
But the good news is – things are on the improve! Our vaccine rates are amongst the best in the world, so lockdowns have been lifted and, drum roll… kids are back at school! I’ve always been a big fan of trying to find the silver lining of any situation and I think there are many we can take away from our COVID experience, particularly when it comes to digital parenting. I know of so many parents who have completely rethought their approach to managing kids and technology since the pandemic hit because of their home learning experience.
So, in the spirit of sharing and caring, I thought I’d round up some of the best ‘aha’ moments from parents who were forced to become expert home learning managers over multiple lockdowns. And make sure you take notes because there are some great learnings that we can apply to our digital parenting journey.
If you have never been ‘all in’ with your kids’ use of technology for both learning and socializing, then you need to get over this ASAP. Technology is the lifeblood of your kids’ lives. It’s how they connect, nurture friendships, and organize their social lives. I also recommend parents try to see technology through the eyes of their kids NOT just through our more ‘mature’ lens. It’s the best way of truly understanding just what a huge role it plays in their day-to-day lives. And don’t forget that technology is almost always used to set up in-person catchups! So, please don’t demonize it, it will only push your kids away.
I totally appreciate that many parents didn’t choose to be home learning ‘managers’ however many have shared with me how they now feel far more involved in their child’s life because of the experience. Seeing first-hand how your child’s day works, overhearing their conversations with teachers and peers (courtesy of Zoom), and being blown away by your offspring’s tech skills has given many parents incredible insight into their child.
I know of parents who have noticed learning issues and friendship problems all as a result of their home learning manager role! There’s nothing like being able to nip something in the bud before it becomes a big issue! So, stay involved and you’ll reap the rewards!
Confession – I have never been one of those parents who proactively organized park visits, bushwalks, and exercise regimes for my kids. But many of the parents who managed young children through a lockdown and resorted to becoming personal trainers reported that it paid dividends. So, now lockdowns are (hopefully!) history, don’t forget about the benefits of getting your kids to move. It’s hard to be on a screen when you are walking the dog, playing a game of family cricket, or bushwalking. I know it’s time-consuming but it’s so worth it!
As of 2 years ago, the average Aussie household had 17 internet-connected devices in tow so it’s no wonder keeping abreast of all the devices in your household feels like a full-time job! But with kids continuing to use their devices for both study and socializing, it’s essential that you give each device a ‘once over’ to minimize risks and prevent issues arising down the track.
Ensuring all their software is up to date is a great place to start. Also check that the default password has been changed and that there is some top-shelf security software installed to protect the device and, most importantly, its user! And while you are there, why not also ensure that each of their online accounts has its own distinct password? If you think they could manage a password manager, then it might be time to introduce them to one? Check out McAfee’s True Key – I couldn’t manage without it!
I think you’d be hard-pressed to find many parents keen to return to home learning. In fact, I think there may even be a revolt if we had to go back! But, knowing we have picked up some ‘nuggets of gold’ along the way makes it a little feel a little better! So, please embrace technology – it’s a fantastic way of connecting with your kids. But of course, keep your family’s usage in check and minimize the risks by giving each device a once-over.
Happy Digital Parenting!
Alex
The post What We’ve Learnt From Home Learning During Lockdown appeared first on McAfee Blog.
You open up your laptop and check the daily news. You see a headline stating that one of your favorite online retailers was breached and that thousands of their customers’ passwords were exposed. Data breaches like this frequently appear in the news, but many consumers don’t realize the implications these breaches have on their personal privacy. When data breaches occur, oftentimes billions of these hacked login credentials become available on the dark web, neatly packaged for criminals to download.1
Let’s dive into the differences between the deep web and the dark web, how cybercriminals use the dark web, and what you can do to protect your data.
You’ve probably heard of the deep and dark web but may not be aware of their differences.2 First, let’s start by noting that the dark web is always part of the deep web, but the deep web is not always the dark web.
The deep web refers to the pages on the internet that are not indexed in search engines, meaning that you can’t find them by performing a simple Google search. To access these pages, you have to know the exact address to the site and access it with specific software. Most personalized and password-protected sites appear on the deep web because they contain information that is not meant to be accessed by the general public. These sites include a user’s Netflix home page, password-protected sites for banking, and the internal sites of companies, organizations, and schools. These are all examples of legitimate areas of the deep web.
On the other hand, the dark web is the disreputable extension of the deep web. Like the deep web, the dark web also houses sites that are not indexed by search engines, but it also hides a user’s identity and location. It consists mostly of illegal products or content that could be harmful to organizations or the general public. Some examples include stolen credit card numbers, fake IDs, drugs, and hacking tools. To access the dark web, a user needs to download darknet software, the most popular being Tor.
Tor, which stands for “the onion routing project,” was developed by the U.S. Navy for the government in the mid-1990s. It was open-sourced in 2004, and that’s when it went public. Today, Tor is the dark web browser that the majority of people use to surf the internet anonymously. To do this, Tor hides a user’s IP address (or the unique address that identifies an internet-connected device or network) by bouncing their search request to multiple different locations. These bounces also referred to as relays, make it much harder for people to find users on the dark web.
Because of its ability to provide anonymity, the dark web is often tied to the world of cybercrime. Scammers frequently use the dark web to find software that allows them to access other people’s computers, banking credentials, Social Insurance Numbers, and credit card information. You may be wondering how all this private information ended up on the dark web in the first place. Oftentimes when a company is breached and their customers’ data is exposed, the hackers behind the breach will upload the stolen database to the dark web. This allows other cybercriminals to purchase the stolen information and use it to target users with other scams. Say that a criminal finds a database on the dark web that contains a bunch of personal email addresses. They can purchase the database and target every email address with a phishing campaign that contains malicious links that spread malware or attempt to trick users into handing over their username and password combinations.
Incorporating cybersecurity best practices into your daily life can help protect your data from hackers looking to take advantage of the data found on the dark web. Follow these tips to bring yourself greater peace of mind:
The chances of a hacker accessing your data are higher if you use the same credentials across different accounts. That’s why it’s important to use a strong, unique password for each of your online profiles. This minimizes the potential damage that could be done if a hacker does gain access to one of your accounts. You can also use a password manager with a built-in generator to make it easier for you to access and manage passwords. Enabling multi-factor authentication will also ensure that hackers cannot access your information using only your login credentials.
If you receive an email asking you to take immediate action, stop and think. Criminals often convey urgency in their phishing scams in the hopes that an unsuspecting user will click on a malicious link or hand over their personal details without considering the legitimacy of the message. Examine suspicious emails carefully to check for telltale signs of phishing, such as poor grammar, grainy logos, or bogus links. If an email claims to be from a well-known company or brand and asks for your credentials, claims that you need to update your password, or sends you a “free offer,” go directly to the source. Contact customer service through the company’s website (not the email) and inquire about the urgent request.
Be on the lookout for breach notices from relevant companies since they are often the first to know about a data breach impacting their online customers. Create news alerts for companies that have access to your information to stay notified of the latest events.
Additionally, create notifications for your bank and other financial accounts to monitor suspicious activity, such as unauthorized transactions or a drop in credit score. You will be better prepared to mitigate any cybersecurity threats with the right security software and knowledge of the latest risks.
Use a comprehensive security solution like McAfee Total Protection, which includes dark web monitoring for up to 10 email addresses. This software actively monitors the dark web for data breaches and exposed information. Personal details include but are not limited to your date of birth, email addresses, credit card numbers, and personal identification numbers. It also provides steps for remediation after a data breach to help you regain control and the integrity of your data and privacy. With a security solution like this in place, you can continue to live your connected life confidently.
The post What is the Dark Web? Everything You Need to Know appeared first on McAfee Blog.
How do you connect online these days? I’ll give you an example from my own life: From my 15-year old son to my 80-year-old mother, not one of us leaves the house without our phone. And today, there isn’t a single thing you can’t do on your phone. It’s the minicomputer that goes where you go.
This trend in the way we connect is reflected in recent data too. In fact, we’ve found that the average consumer spends 6 hours and 55 min online per day, split between mobile (52%) and desktop (48%). Whether you’re a Boomer, Gen X, a Millennial, or Gen Z, the way you connect online is diverse and specific to you.
As for what we’re doing online? It’s just about everything. After all, we spend an average of 7 hours per day on connected devices and the pandemic has forced us to do even more online. The downside to this rapid change in the way we live is that we are opening ourselves up to more risk which leaves consumers feeling highly concerned about their ability to keep their personal info secure or private. We need new protection for this new normal.
What all these changes mean is that you’re able to have the same online experience regardless of where you are, what you’re doing, or what device you’re using. Your favorite streaming service is a great example – you can just as easily find a movie on a tablet as you can on your laptop. In fact, you can pause the movie you’re watching on that tablet and pick up where you left off on your laptop. Your experience with online security should offer the same convenience and familiarity. More importantly, online protection should give you a feeling of confidence however or wherever you choose to connect.
This means knowing your personal info is secure even when accessing an unsecured network, your browsing habits remain private, and you can take necessary actions should your information be compromised. To put it another way, YOU are what we’re focused on protecting and we do that by making sure everything you connect with is also secure.
A phone is the remote control for your life. From the palm of your hand, you’re able to shop, browse, stream, and create – everything you do online you can now do from your phone. So, it’s crucial that your phone be a major focus of our online protection. The new mobile app makes it easier to get robust protection for your identity, privacy, and phone. Let’s look at a few of the capabilities offered by the new mobile app.
Think about all the online accounts you’ve created in the past year. How many of them do you use regularly? Sometimes I think I have more food delivery apps on my phone than I do restaurants to use them on. Regardless of how often you use an account (or if you no longer use it at all!), any personal information (like emails, addresses, credit cards) added to it is available online and vulnerable to breaches. McAfee Security comes with identity protection, a feature that monitors your personal information and then notifies you when there’s a risk of your data being compromised. What this means is that if we detect that your data was stolen, you’ll be alerted an average of 10 months earlier than similar services, so you can act before your data is used illegally or shows up on the dark web.
Let’s say you’re about to use the free internet at your favorite café for a speedier connection. Time to flip on your virtual private network (VPN). Forget about digging through a sea of menus to find your VPN. The new mobile app offers a seamless VPN experience so you can keep your activity hidden on less-than-secure Wi-Fi. Or, better yet, you can set up a Secure VPN to automatically turn on for unsecured Wi-Fi networks. Whatever you choose, Secure VPN keeps your personal data and location private anywhere you go with unlimited data and bank-grade Wi-Fi encryption.
At the end of the day, phones are devices and they’re vulnerable to viruses, malware, and, increasingly, malicious apps. The new McAfee Mobile app offers an antivirus scan for Android phones and system scans to see if your passcode is strong enough and that your OS is up to date on iOS devices.
Most importantly, the app is part of McAfee’s total online protection, so the experience on your phone is the same as on your PC. It’s protection that goes where you go – at home on your PC, or on the go with your mobile.
If you’re an existing McAfee subscriber using McAfee Total Protection or McAfee LiveSafe, you can get the app right now. And, if you’ve already got the app installed, just make sure it’s up-to-date and you’ll be all set with the new look and features.
Interested in trying the app out? You can buy or get a free trial of McAfee Total Protection here and get started today.
The post Reimagining mobile security for the way we live our lives today, tomorrow, and beyond. appeared first on McAfee Blog.
You consider yourself a responsible person when it comes to taking care of your physical possessions. You’ve never left your wallet in a taxi or lost an expensive ring down the drain. You never let your smartphone out of your sight, yet one day you notice it’s acting oddly.
Did you know that your device can fall into cybercriminals’ hands without ever leaving yours? SIM swapping is a method that allows criminals to take control of your smartphone and break into your online accounts.
Don’t worry: there are a few easy steps you can take to safeguard your smartphone from prying eyes and get back to using your devices confidently.
First off, what exactly is a SIM card? SIM stands for subscriber identity module, and it is a memory chip that makes your phone truly yours. It stores your phone plan and phone number, as well as all your photos, texts, contacts, and apps. In most cases, you can pop your SIM card out of an old phone and into a new one to transfer your photos, apps, etc.
Unlike what the name suggests, SIM swapping doesn’t require a cybercriminal to get access to your physical phone and steal your SIM card. SIM swapping can happen remotely. A cybercriminal, with a few important details about your life in hand, can answer security questions correctly, impersonate you, and convince your mobile carrier to reassign your phone number to a new SIM card. At that point, the criminal can get access to your phone’s data and start changing your account passwords to lock you out of your online banking profile, email, and more.
SIM swapping was especially relevant right after the T-Mobile data breach.1 Cybercriminals stole millions of phone numbers and the users’ associated personal details. Criminals could later use these details to SIM swap, allowing them to receive users’ text or email two-factor authentication codes and gain access to their personal accounts.
The most glaring sign that your phone number was reassigned to a new SIM card is that your current phone no longer connects to the cell network. That means you won’t be able to make calls, send texts, or surf the internet when you’re not connected to Wi-Fi. Since most people use their smartphones every day, you’ll likely find out quickly that your phone isn’t functioning as it should.
Additionally, when a SIM card is no longer active, the carrier will often send a notification text. If you receive one of these texts but didn’t deactivate your SIM card, use someone else’s phone or landline to contact your wireless provider.
Check out these tips to keep your device and personal information safe from SIM swapping.
With just a few simple steps, you can feel better about the security of your smartphone, cellphone number, and online accounts. If you’d like extra peace of mind, consider signing up for an identity theft protection service like McAfee Identity Protection Service. McAfee, on average, detects suspicious activity ten months earlier than similar monitoring services. Time is of the essence in cases of SIM swapping and other identity theft schemes. An identity protection partner can restore your confidence in your online activities.
1“T-Mobile data breach and SIM-swap scam: How to protect your identity”
The post What Is SIM Swapping? 3 Ways to Protect Your Smartphone appeared first on McAfee Blog.
How does that information get collected in the first place? We share personal information with companies for multiple reasons simply by going about our day—to pay for takeout at our favorite restaurant, to check into a hotel, or to collect rewards at the local coffee shop. Of course, we use our credit and debit cards too, sometimes as part of an online account that tracks our purchase history.
In other words, we leave trails of data practically wherever we go these days, and that data is of high value to hackers. Thus, all those breaches we read about.
Whether it’s a major breach that exposes millions of records or one of many other smaller-scale breaches like the thousands that have struck healthcare providers, each one serves as a reminder that data breaches happen regularly and that we could find ourselves affected. Depending on the breach and the kind of information you’ve shared with the business or organization in question, information stolen in a breach could include:
What do crooks do with that data? Several things. Apart from using it themselves, they may sell that data to other criminals. Either way, this can lead to illicit use of credit and debit cards, draining of bank accounts, claiming tax refunds or medical expenses in the names of the victims, or, in extreme cases, assuming the identity of others altogether.
In all, data is a kind of currency in of itself because it has the potential to unlock several aspects of victim’s life, each with its own monetary value. It’s no wonder that big breaches like these have made the news over the years, with some of the notables including:
Facebook – 2019: Two sets of data exposed the records of more than 530 million users, including phone numbers, account names, and Facebook IDs.
Marriott International (Starwood) – 2018: Half a million guests had names, email and physical mailing addresses, phone numbers, passport numbers, Starwood Preferred Guest account information, dates of birth, and other information about their stays exposed.
Equifax – 2017: Some 147 million records that included names, addresses, dates of birth, driver’s license numbers, and Social Security Numbers were exposed, along with a relatively small subset of 200,000 victims having their credit card information exposed as well.
As mentioned, these are big breaches with big companies that we likely more than recognize. Yet smaller and mid-sized businesses are targets as well, with some 43% of data breaches involving companies of that size. Likewise, restaurants and retailers have seen their Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals compromised, right on down to neighborhood restaurants.
When a company experiences a data breach, customers need to realize that this could impact their online safety. If your favorite coffee shop’s customer database gets leaked, there’s a chance that your personal or financial information was exposed. However, this doesn’t mean that your online safety is doomed. If you think you were affected by a breach, there are multiple steps you can take to help protect yourself from the potential side effects.
One of the most effective ways to determine whether someone is fraudulently using one or more of your accounts is to check your statements. If you see any charges that you did not make, report them to your bank or credit card company immediately. They have processes in place to handle fraud. While you’re with them, see if they offer alerts for strange purchases, transactions, or withdrawals.
File a police report and a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft Report. This will help in case someone uses your Social Security number to commit fraud, since it will provide a legal record of the theft. The FTC can also assist by guiding you through the identity theft recovery process as well. Their site offers a step-by-step recovery plan that you can follow and track your progress as you go.
If you suspect that your data might have been compromised, place a fraud alert on your credit. This not only ensures that any new or recent requests undergo scrutiny, but also allows you to have extra copies of your credit report so you can check for suspicious activity. You can place one fraud alert with any of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) and they will notify the other two. A fraud alert typically lasts for a year, although there are options for extending it as well.
Freezing your credit will make it highly difficult for criminals to take out loans or open new accounts in your name, as a freeze halts all requests to pull your credit—even legitimate ones. In this way, it’s a far stronger measure than placing a fraud alert. Note that if you plan to take out a loan, open a new credit card, or other activity that will prompt a credit report, you’ll need to take extra steps to see that through while the freeze is in place. (The organization you’re working with can assist with the specifics.) Unlike the fraud alert, you’ll need to contact each major credit reporting agency to put one in place. Also, a freeze lasts as long as you have it in place. You’ll have to remove it yourself, again with each agency.
Ensure that your passwords are strong and unique. Many people utilize the same password or variations of it across all their accounts. Therefore, be sure to diversify your passcodes to ensure hackers cannot obtain access to all your accounts at once, should one password be compromised. You can also employ a password manager to keep track of your credentials, such as one you’ll find in comprehensive online protection software.
A solution such as this will help you to monitor your accounts and alert you of any suspicious activity. Specifically, our own Identity Protection Service will monitor several types of personally identifiable information, alert you of potentially stolen personal info, and offer guided help to neutralize the threat. Also, it can help you steer clear of some types of theft with preventative guidance that can help keep theft from happening in the first place. With this set up on your computers and smartphone you can stay in the know and address issues immediately.
To use your credit card safely online to make purchases, add both a VPN and password manager into your toolbox of security solutions. A VPN keeps your shopping experience private, while a password manager helps you keep track of and protect all your online accounts. Again, you’ll find a VPN as part of comprehensive online protection software.
The post Affected by a Data Breach? Here Are Security Steps You Should Take appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
You may have spotted the news last week that U.S. federal prosecutors brought charges against the former chief security officer of Uber. At issue was a breach that occurred in 2016, where prosecutors allege that he covered up a $100,000 payoff to the hackers responsible for the attack. The specific charges are obstructing justice and concealing a felony for the alleged cover-up.
While the breach itself is relatively old news and the company has since paid a $148 million settlement along with an agreement to regular audits of its privacy and security systems, this is a reminder that breaches happen. What’s more, it may be some time before you become aware of them, even in instances when companies move quickly, transparently, and in your best interest.
According to research we recently published, nearly three-quarters of all breaches have required public disclosure or have affected financial results, up five points from 2015. Additionally, industry studies show that it can take roughly nine month on average to identify and contain a breach. Yes, that’s more than nine months, and a lot can happen to your credit in that timeframe. Thus the onus is on us to be vigilant about our own credit.
Here’s a quick list of things you can do right now to keep on top of your credit—and that you can do on an ongoing basis as well, because that’s what it takes to keep tabs on your personal info today.
Closely monitor your online accounts: Whether it’s your credit card statements, banking statements, or your individual accounts for services like Uber, review them closely. If you see any suspicious activity, notify the institution or service and put a freeze on your account(s) as needed. Even a small charge can indicate a bigger problem, as that means your information is out there in the wild and could be used for bigger purchases down the pike. In the event you feel your Uber account has been compromised, you can contact them via their “I think my Uber account has been hacked” page.
Update your settings: That includes your privacy settings in addition to changing your password. As far as passwords go, strong and layered passwords are best, and never reuse your credentials across different platforms. Plus, update your passwords on a regular basis. That’ll further protect your data. Using a password manager will help you keep on top of it all, while also storing your passwords securely.
Enable two-factor authentication: While a strong and unique password is a good first line of defense, enabling app-based two-factor authentication across your accounts will help your cause by providing an added layer of security.
Check your credit: Depending on where you live, there are different credit reporting agencies that keep a centralized report of all your credit activities. For example, the major agencies in the U.S. are primarily Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. Likewise in the U.S., the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires these agencies to provide you with a free credit check at least once every 12 months. It’s a relatively quick process, and you might be surprised what you find—anywhere to incorrect address information to bills falsely associated with your name. Get your free credit report here from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Other nations provide similar services, such as the free credit reports for UK customers.
Freeze your credit: Freezing your credit will make it impossible for criminals to take out loans or open up new accounts in your name. To do this effectively, you will need to freeze your credit at each of the three major credit-reporting agencies (Equifax, TransUnion, and Experian).
Consider using identity theft protection: A solution like McAfee Identify Theft Protection will help you to monitor your accounts and alert you of any suspicious activity in addition to the activities I’ve listed above. Additionally, you can use a comprehensive security solution such as McAfee Total Protection to help protect your devices and data from known vulnerabilities and emerging threats.
For all the technology we have at our fingertips, our best defense is our eyes. Keeping a lookout for fishy activity and following up with family members when unfamiliar charges show up on your accounts will help you keep your good name in good standing.
The thing is, we never know when the next data breach might hit and how long it may be until that information is discovered and finally disclosed to you. Staying on top of credit has always been important, but given all our apps, accounts, and overall exposure these days, it’s a must.
To stay updated on all things McAfee and for more resources on staying secure from home, follow @McAfee_Home on Twitter, listen to our podcast Hackable?, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.
The post Uber Data Breach and How to Protect Your Info appeared first on McAfee Blog.
If you find that your email has been hacked, one of your immediate reactions is wondering what you should next.
The answer: take a deep breath and jump into action. There are five steps can help you prevent or minimize any damage done by a compromised account.
So why do hackers go after email accounts? Fact is, that email account of yours is a treasure trove. There’s a good chance it contains years of correspondence with friends and family, along with yet more email from banks, online retailers, doctors, contractors, business contacts, and more. In all, your email packs a high volume of personal info in one place, which makes your email account a top prize for hackers.
Let’s take a look at how you can take back control of your email account, along with some things you can do to keep it from getting hacked in the first place.
This one speaks for itself. You go to check your email and find that your username and password combination has been rejected. You try again, knowing you’re using the right password, and still no luck. There’s a chance that a hacker has gotten a hold of your password, logged in, and then changed the password—thus locking you out and giving them control of your account.
Hackers often compromise email accounts to spread malware on a large scale. By blasting emails to everyone on your hacked contact list, they can reach dozens, even hundreds, of others with a bogus email that may include an attachment that’s infected with malware. And no doubt about it, some of those emails can look a little odd. They don’t sound or read at all like the person they’re trying to impersonate—you—to the extent that some of your contacts may ask if this email really came from you.
On the flip side, this is a good reason to never open attachments you weren’t expecting. Likewise, if you get a somewhat strange email from a friend or business contact, let them know. You may be the first indication they get that their email has been compromised.
A sluggish device could be a sign of malware in general. The thing with malware is that it tends to act like a system and resource hog, which may cause your device to run slowly, to turn off and on again suddenly, or even run hot. In some cases, the malware is logging keystrokes on your computer or taps on your phone to siphon off things like usernames and passwords so that a hacker can take control of the accounts associated with them—such as your email, not to mention your bank accounts. This makes a strong case for antivirus and antimalware protection that’s automatically kept up to date to protect against the latest threats.
Change your password for your email account if you can. Make it a strong, unique password—don’t reuse a password from another account. Next, update the passwords for other accounts if you use the same or similar passwords for them. (Hackers count on people using simpler and less unique passwords across their accounts—and on people reusing passwords in general.) A password manager that’s included with comprehensive online protection software can do that work for you.
In the case where you’ve been locked out of your account because you think the hacker has changed the password, your email provider should have a webpage dedicated to recovering your account in the event of a lost or stolen password. (For example, Google provides this page for users of Gmail and their other services.) This is a good reason to keep your security questions and alternate contact information current with your provider, as this is the primary way to regain control of your account.
As mentioned above, a big part of the hacker’s strategy is to get their hooks into your address book and spread malware to others. As quickly as you can, send a message to all your email contacts and let them know that your email has been compromised. And if you’ve done so, let them know that you’ve reset your password so that your account is secure again. Likewise alert them that they shouldn’t open any emails or attachments from you that were sent during the time your account was compromised.
Also as mentioned above, there are several ways that a hacker can get a hold of your email account information—one of them by using malware. Give your device a thorough virus scan with comprehensive online protection software to ensure your device is free from malware. Set up a regular scan to run automatically if you haven’t already. That will help keep things clean in the long run.
Sometimes one bad hack leads to another. If someone has access to your email and all the messages in it, they may have what they need to conduct further attacks. Take a look at your other accounts across banking, finances, social media, and other services you use and keep an eye out for any unusual activity.
More broadly speaking, your email account is one of the several pieces that make up the big picture of your online identity. Other important pieces include your online banking accounts, online shopping accounts, and so on. No question about it, these are things you want to keep tabs on.
With that, check your credit report for any signs of strange activity. Your credit report is a powerful tool for spotting identity theft. And in many cases, it’s free to do so. In the U.S., the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires the major credit agencies to provide you with a free credit check at least once every 12 months. Canada provides this service, and the UK has options to receive free reports as well, along with several other nations. It’s a great idea to check your credit report, even if you don’t suspect a problem.
Beyond keeping tabs on your identity, you can protect it as well. Online identity protection such as ours can provide around-the-clock monitoring of your email addresses and bank accounts with up to $1M of ID theft insurance in the event your identity gets compromised. Additionally, it can put an identity recovery pro on the case if you need assistance in the wake of an attack or breach. Taking a step like this can help keep your email account safer from attack in the first place—along with many others as well.
The post My email has been hacked! What should I do next? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
With the acceleration of cloud migration initiatives—partly arising the need to support a remote workforce during the pandemic and beyond—enterprises are finding that this transformation has introduced new operational complexities and security vulnerabilities. Among these are potential misconfigurations, poorly secured interfaces, Shadow IT (access to unauthorized applications), and an increasing number of connected devices and users. To navigate these challenges, enterprises are relying on managed service providers to monitor and protect their cloud environment.
To better serve its customers and secure its own environments, one global technology provider decided to expand its existing on-premises data loss protection (DLP) and web protection with a comprehensive and robust cloud security strategy based on solutions from the MVISION portfolio of solutions. Already a long-time user of McAfee Enterprise on-premises solutions, the global technology provider not only secured its internal cloud infrastructure consisting of more than 5,000 endpoints across over 30 locations worldwide, they also applied the same approach to the millions of endpoints they manage for more than 10,000 customers.
A primary objective for the global technology provider is securing data in the cloud in Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications (Microsoft Office 365, OneDrive, Salesforce, and others) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platforms (Microsoft Azure, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud Platform).
As a first step in its cloud journey, the global technology provider evaluated a number of cloud access security brokers (CASB) solutions. Ultimately, they decided to implement MVISION Cloud for AWS, Office 365, and Shadow IT. In addition to providing comprehensive visibility into cloud app usage, these solutions help with compliance; data loss prevention (DLP) by monitoring the movement of sensitive and confidential data content traveling to or from the cloud, within the cloud, and cloud to cloud; and detection and remediation of threats primarily through user and entity behavior analytics (UEBA).
But the global technology provider didn’t stop there. When we rolled out MVISION Unified Cloud Edge, the global technology provider tested it and enthusiastically adopted it. As defined by Gartner, MVISION Unified Cloud Edge is an industry-leading example of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), a security framework that brings together network connectivity and security into a single, cloud-delivered solution that supports business transformation, edge computing, and workforce mobility.
The global technology provider has reaped multiple advantages from this implementation across its own internal environment and for its customers.
MVISION Unified Cloud Edge combines multiple capabilities under one umbrella: CASB functionality with web proxy and DLP with a single administrative hub, ePolicy Orchestrator® (ePO) for streamlined management.
MVISION Unified Cloud Edge capabilities and the ease of integration with the McAfee Enterprise ecosystem has made life easier for the global technology provider’s team, saving time and resources. Now they can set consistent policies from device to cloud and provide users with accelerated and secure access to the tools they use every day, such as Box, Dropbox, and others. As the information security operations manager points out: “A single management console reduces overhead as does being able to set policies that we can sync and apply to multiple data sources on multiple cloud solutions, without having to recreate rules.”
MVISION Unified Cloud Edge has also enabled the global technology provider to further boost its cloud data protection. For example, it can detect data that is improperly managed and stored. Now the organization can apply their existing on-premises data policies to the cloud. For example, they can prevent certain user behaviors that may put both corporate and customer cloud data at risk. These include copying data to cloud apps or USBs, printing it, taking screen captures, accessing risky websites, and uploading data to unauthorized websites.
To create a more secure internal environment, MVISION Unified Cloud Edge has been invaluable for the global security provider. They have a better handle on the applications that are being used across their company. The solution also provides risk scores for the cloud apps that are being used to help steer users away from Shadow IT and toward using only authorized apps. When employees propose new apps to help them do their jobs better, the IT security team can check the security of these apps against requirements and make any necessary modifications to ensure compliance.
“The Shadow IT CASB automatically blocks all cloud services that are deemed high risk, both at our on-premises Web Gateway and the built-in cloud web gateway manager. So, when users attempt to use an unsanctioned SaaS application, they see a message explaining that the app is not safe,” notes the information security operations manager.
The global technology provider also sells SaaS solutions to its clients. With MVISION Unified Cloud Edge, the global technology provider can protect data on any newly sanctioned SaaS applications at no extra cost.”
After a successful experience with McAfee Enterprise overall and specifically with the implementation of MVISION Unified Cloud Edge, the information security operation manager recommends the solution to any organization beginning or in the midst of migrating to the cloud.
“I would advise other companies thinking about their cloud transformation journey to seriously consider MVISION Unified Cloud Edge . . . It has a very user-friendly interface and does so much out of the box,” he asserts. “The level of granularity in policy setting lets you do things you don’t think possible or are much easier to accomplish than you realize. . . I don’t think any other vendor offers such a complete package.”
The post Global Technology Provider Looks to MVISION Unified Cloud Edge appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Cloud Security Gateways (CSGs) are one of the hottest and most sought-after technologies in the market today, driven by the adoption of cloud services for business transformation and the acceptance of hybrid workforce policies. CSGs, also commonly known as Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs), are responsible for enforcing security policies to protect cloud-hosted corporate assets from advanced threats, while enabling seamless and secure access to these assets from any location and device.
We have witnessed an exponential growth in cloud usage in the past two years, primarily driven by remote workforce adoption. Based on the data collected by our research team from millions of connected McAfee Enterprise users across the globe, the overall usage of enterprise cloud services spiked by 50% across all industries, while the collaboration services witnessed an increase of up to 600% in usage. This led to an astonishing 630% increase in external attacks on the cloud accounts. Taking all these factors and trends into consideration, CSGs have become a highly essential element of any organization’s cloud security strategy, playing the most critical role for enabling data protection, threat prevention and compliance in the cloud.
McAfee Enterprise continues to innovate in the cloud security space with a laser-focused strategy towards empowering our customers with the best-in-class cloud security solution. MVISION Cloud, recognized as the industry’s leading CSG solution, has become a vital part of enterprise security, allowing organizations to safely migrate to the cloud while protecting their “crown jewels” – the data. A huge testament to our cybersecurity vision is the IDC MarketScape Worldwide Cloud Security Gateways 2021 Vendor Assessment (Doc # US48334521, November 2021), and we are proud to announce that McAfee Enterprise has been recognized as a leader in the report.
According to the report, “McAfee has a strong ecosystem of security solutions, including Secure Web Gateway, CSG, and endpoint security that it can integrate to enable customers in their data loss prevention, User Behavior Analytics, XDR, and threat prevention goals. McAfee has focused on providing robust protection and DLP, with the scale and speed necessary to support large user bases.”
McAfee Enterprise’s multi-vector data protection capabilities go beyond the cloud to uniquely discover and protect sensitive assets on managed endpoints, in-network shares, and on-premises databases, enabling full scope of data protection from device-to-cloud. The industry-leading data protection and threat protection capabilities are tightly integrated with a unified policy framework that allows policy enforcement, data classification and incident management from a centralized console, reducing the cost and complexity of managing hybrid IT deployments, while improving the user experience.
Figure 1: McAfee Enterprise Multi-Vector Data Protection
MVISION Cloud is an integral component of our Unified Cloud Edge (UCE) solution, and together with McAfee Enterprise’s Next-Gen Secure Web Gateway (SWG) and MVISION Private Access (ZTNA) delivers the industry’s most comprehensive Security Services Edge (SSE) solution – the security element of the Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework. With McAfee Enterprise’s DLP technology being the common denominator across all the core SSE components, organizations can seamlessly utilize a unified, data-centric framework for centralized visibility and control over their entire digital footprint, while riding on an accelerated path for digital transformation and workplace mobility.
Figure 2: MVISION Unified Cloud Edge (UCE)
Our mission towards building a unified security platform for protecting data from device-to-cloud and defending against advanced threats and adversaries has established McAfee Enterprise as a leader in cybersecurity across multiple forums, and the 2021 IDC MarketScape report is another distinguished feather in our decorated cap.
The post McAfee Enterprise Continues to be a Leader in CASB and Cloud Security appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The malware landscape is growing more complex by the minute, which means that no device under your family’s roof—be it Android, iPhone, PC, or Mac—is immune to an outside attack. This reality makes it possible that one or more of your devices may have already been infected. But would you know it?
According to 2021 statistics from the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), the number of data breaches reported has soared by 17 percent over last year. In addition, as reported by McAfee, cybercriminals have been quick to take advantage of the increase in pandemic connectivity throughout 2020. McAfee Labs saw an average of 375 new threats per minute and a surge of hackers exploiting the pandemic through COVID-19 themed phishing campaigns, malicious apps, malware, and more. With Black Friday and Cyber Monday now at hand, we can count on even more new threats.
Often, if your device has been compromised, you know it. Things get wonky. However, with the types of malware and viruses now circulating, there’s a chance you may not even realize it. The malware or virus may be working in the background sending usage details or sensitive information to a third party without disrupting other functions. So, be on the lookout for these tell-tale signs.
If you discover a family device has been compromised, there are several things you can do. 1) Install security software that will help you identify the malware so you can clean your device and protect yourself in the future. 2) Delete any apps you didn’t download, delete risky texts, delete browsing history and empty your cache. 3) In some situations, malware warrants that you wipe and restore your device (Apple or Android) to its original settings. Before doing so, however, do your research and be sure you’ve backed up any photos and critical documents to the cloud. 4) Once you’ve cleaned up your devices, be sure to change your passwords.
The surge in malware attacks brings with it a clear family mandate that if we want to continue to live and enjoy the fantastic benefits of a connected life, we must also work together at home to make online safety and privacy a daily priority.
The post 5 Signs Your Device May be Infected with Malware or a Virus appeared first on McAfee Blog.
With the widespread adoption of hybrid work models across enterprises for promoting flexible work culture in a post pandemic world, ensuring critical services are highly available in the cloud is no longer an option, but a necessity. McAfee Enterprise’s MVISION Unified Cloud Edge (UCE) is designed to maximize performance, minimize latency, and deliver 99.999% SLA guaranteed resiliency, offering blazing fast connectivity to cloud applications from any location and causing no service degradation, even when the usage of cloud services spiked 600% during the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported in our Cloud Adoption and Risk Report (Work From Home Edition). This blog shares details on how MVISION UCE is architected to enable uninterrupted access to corporate resources to meet the demands of the hybrid workforce.
MVISION UCE, our data-centric, cloud-native Security Service Edge (SSE) security platform, derives its capabilities from McAfee Enterprise’s industry leading Secure Web Gateway and Enterprise Data Protection solutions. However, this is not a lift and shift of capabilities to the cloud, which would have made it prone to service outages and impossible to have the flexibility that is needed to meet the demands of SSE. Instead, the best of breed functionality was purposefully reconstructed for SSE, using a microservices architecture that can scale elastically, and built on a platform-neutral stack that can run on bare metal and public cloud, equally effectively. A hallmark of the architecture is that the cloud is a single global fabric where service instances are spread throughout the globe. Users automatically access the best instance of any service through policy configuration.
What other alternatives are out there? We have seen some cloud services replicated in each region of their presence. While this makes controlling resources and data simple, and keeps everything within a boundary, such an approach loses out on the flexibility needed to scale on demand and reduced latency on access. With UCE, each point of presence (POP) is part of the global fabric, yet at the same time, fully featured with all services housed within the POP. This avoids the need to send traffic back and forth between various services located at different locations, a phenomenon known as traffic hairpin.
By default, user traffic gets processed at the POP closest to their physical location, regardless of where the user may be. A user may work at their office in New York 90% of the time and travel to UK occasionally. When the user connects to MVISON UCE, they are connected to New York POP when they are at office, and the POP in London if they are in a UK hotel while traveling. This is a big advantage if you think about it. User’s traffic does not need to trombone from the hotel in UK, to the POP in New York and back to a server in London. MVISION UCE’s out-of-the-box traffic routing scheme favors low latency. This does not mean that the customer cannot override this policy and force the traffic to be processed at the New York POP. They might do so if there is a compliance need to process all traffic at a certain location. Many customers have a need to store logs in a certain geography even though traffic processing may occur anywhere on the globe. MVISION UCE architecture decouples log storage from traffic processing and lets the customer choose their log storage geography based on criteria that customers define.
One of the key considerations while choosing a SSE vendor would be how much latency the service adds to user’s requests. Significant latency can negatively affect user experience and could be a deterrent to product adoption. With 85 POPs strategically placed around the globe providing low latency access to customers, UCE POPs have direct peering with the biggest SaaS vendors like Microsoft, Google, Akamai, and Salesforce to further reduce latency. In addition, MVISION UCE POPs peer with many ISPs around the globe, enabling high bandwidth and low latency connectivity end to end, from the customer’s network to UCE and from UCE to the destination server.
With thousands of peering partners growing every day, over 70% of traffic served by MVISION UCE uses peering links in some geographies. The whitepaper, How Peering POPs Make Negative Latency Possible, shares details about a study conducted by McAfee Enterprise to measure the efficacy of these peering relationships. This paper is proof that UCE customers experience faster response times going through our POPs than they would usually get by going directly through their Internet Service Providers. UCE follows a living partnership model when it comes to peering, with thousands of peering relationships in production. We are committed to keeping the latency to a minimum.
You may be wondering what the secret sauce is for achieving a reliability of five 9s or higher in MVISION UCE. Several items play a crucial role in preventing unplanned service degradation.
At McAfee Enterprise, security is not an afterthought. From the start, the architecture was designed with zero trust in mind. Services are segmented from one another and follow the least privileged principle when resources need to be shared between services. Industry standard protocols and methodologies are used to enforce user and identity access management (UAM/IAM). Strong role-based access controls (RBAC) across the platform keep customer’s data separate and provide self-defense when a service is compromised. None of these features matter if the software is vulnerable. McAfee Enterprise follows one of the strictest Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) processes in the industry to eliminate known vulnerabilities and threats in our software as it is written.
Another aspect of security that is gaining momentum these days is data privacy. This is at the forefront of all feature designs in MVISION UCE. Usually, data privacy means tokenization or anonymization of customer private data stored in MVISION UCE, be it logs or other metadata. At McAfee Enterprise, we strive to take this a step further. We do not want to retrieve private data from the customer environment if it can be avoided. For example, to evaluate a policy that involves customer premise data, UCE can offload the evaluation to a component on the customer premise. Case in point, McAfee Client Proxy (MCP) that is installed on user’s machine can perform a policy evaluation and avoid sending private data to the cloud. The McAfee Enterprise cloud leverages the results of the evaluation to complete the policy execution. Where this is not possible, private data is anonymized at the earliest entry point in the cloud to minimize data leaks.
Last but not the least, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, and physical data center security must also be considered. Global partners are selected only after careful evaluation of their facilities and infrastructure that will host our data centers, while other vendors in this space are working with a larger set of less rigorously qualified regional partners to increase their presence. The McAfee Enterprise approach provides the necessary guard rails against supply chain attacks that our customers demand.
There are other architectural gems hidden within UCE and thus failing to mention them would make this article incomplete. First, the policy engine is exposed in the form of code with which the customer can construct complex policies without being constrained by what UI provides. If you are a user of MVISON UCE, you can see this in action by enabling “Code View” in the Web Policy tree. If you do not like the way policy nodes are ordered in the tree or the evaluations made by default, you can take complete control and process the traffic in any manner you wish. By the way, the policy is so flexible that one can write a policy to process traffic in one region and store logs in another region.
Second, policy evaluation can be distributed across various components which allows its evaluation at the earliest point in the network. This avoids hauling all traffic to the cloud to apply policy. For example, if a sensitive document needs to be blocked due to data protection rules, the DLP agent running on the user’s machine can block it instead of hauling the traffic to cloud for classification and blocking. This strategy reduces load on the cloud and consequently increases the scale at which we can process requests.
Lastly, all services are automated and require no manual intervention to provision a customer unlike other vendors that require a support ticket to provision some features. Independent of where your account has been provisioned and where your preferred UI console resides, polices that you author are stored in a global policy system that is synchronized to all POPs around the world, giving you the flexibility to process traffic anywhere in the world.
To conclude, all clouds are not built equally. Architecture of a cloud is a matter of choice and tradeoffs. MVISON UCE implements a global cloud and puts customers in the driver’s seat through programmatic policies, that are secure, scalable, and highly available.
To learn more about how MVISION UCE can help ensure your critical services are highly available in the cloud, watch this short video or visit our MVISION UCE page to get started.
The post Qualities of a Highly Available Cloud appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It would be impossible nowadays to separate our everyday lives from technology. We travel well-worn, comfortable paths online and engage in digital activities that work for us. But could those seemingly harmless habits be putting out the welcome to cyber criminals out to steal our data?
It’s a given that our “digital-first mindset” comes with inherent risks. With the work and learn from home shift looking more permanent and cybercrime on the rise, it’s imperative to adopt new mindsets and put new skills in motion. The first step with any change? Admitting your family may have a few bad habits to fix. Here are just a few to consider.
1. You share toooo much online. Too Much Information, yes, TMI. Oversharing personal information online is easy access for bad actors online. Those out to do harm online have made it their life’s work to piece together your personal details so they can steal your identity—or worse. Safe Family Tips: Encourage your family not to post private information such as their full name, family member names, city, address, school name, extracurricular activities, and pet names. Also, get in the habit of a) setting social media profiles to private, b) regularly scrubbing personal information on social profiles—this includes profile info, comments, and even captions that reveal too much c) regularly editing your friends lists to people you know and trust.
2. You’ve gotten lazy about passwords. It’s tough to keep up with everything these days. We get it. However, passwords are essential. They protect your digital life—much like locks on doors protect your physical life. Safe Family Tips: Layer up your protection. Use multi-factor authentication to safeguard user authenticity and add a layer of security to protect personal data and all family devices. Consider adding comprehensive software that includes a password manager as well as virus and malware protection. This level of protection can add both power and peace of mind to your family’s online security strategy.
3. You casually use public Wi-Fi. It’s easy to do. If you are working away from home or on a family trip, you may need to purchase something, meet a deadline, or send sensitive documents quickly. Public Wi-Fi is easy and fast, but it’s also loaded with security gaps that cybercriminals camp out on. Safe Family Tip: If you must conduct transactions on a public Wi-Fi connection, consider McAfee Total Protection. It includes antivirus and safe browsing software, plus a secure VPN.
4. You have too many unvetted apps. We love apps, but can we trust them? Unfortunately, when it comes to security and privacy, apps are notoriously risky and getting tougher to trust as app technology evolves. So, what can you do? Safe Family Tips: A few things you can do include a) Double-checking app permissions. Before granting access to an app, ask yourself: Does this app need what it’s asking me to share? Apps should not ask for access to your data, b) researching the app and checking its security level and if there have been breaches, c) reading user reviews, d) routinely deleting dormant and unused apps from your phone. This is important to do on your phone and your laptop, e) monitor your credit report for questionable activity that may be connected to a malicious app or any number of online scams.
5. You’ve gotten too comfortable online. If you think that a data breach, financial theft, or catfish scam can’t happen to you or your family, it’s a sign you may be too comfortable online. Growing strong digital habits is an ongoing discipline. If you started strong but have loosened your focus, it’s easy to get back to it. Safe Family Tips: Some of the most vulnerable areas to your privacy can be your kids’ social media. They may be oversharing, downloading malicious apps, and engaging with questionable people online that could pose a risk to your family. Consider regularly monitoring your child’s online activity (without hovering or spying). Physically pick up their devices to vet new apps and check they’ve maintained all privacy settings.
6. You lack a unified family security strategy. Consider it: If each family member owns three devices, your family has countless security gaps. Closing those gaps requires a unified plan. Safe Family Tips: a) Sit down and talk about baseline security practices every family member should follow, b) inventory your technology, including IoT devices, smartphones, game systems, tablets, and toys, c) make “keeping the bad guys out” fun for kids and a challenge for teens. Sit and change passwords together, review privacy settings, reduce friend lists. Come up with a reward system that tallies and recognizes each positive security step.
7. You ignore updates. Those updates you’re putting off? They may be annoying, but most of them are security-related, so it’s wise to install them as they come out. Safe Family Tip: Many people make it a habit to change their passwords every time they install a new update. We couldn’t agree more.
Technology continues to evolve and open extraordinary opportunities to families every day. However, it’s also opening equally extraordinary opportunities for bad actors banking on consumers’ casual security habits. Let’s stop them in their tracks. If you nodded to any of the above habits, you aren’t alone. Today is a new day, and putting better digital habits in motion begins right here, right now.
The post 7 Common Digital Behaviors that Put Your Family’s Privacy at Risk appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Becoming a cloud first company is an exciting and rewarding journey, but it’s also fraught with difficulties when it comes to securing an entire cloud estate. Many forwarding-thinking companies that have made massive investments in migrating their infrastructure to the cloud are facing challenges with respect to their cloud-native applications. These range from inconsistent security across cloud properties to lack of visibility into the public cloud infrastructure where cloud-native applications are hosted—and more. All of these issues can create vulnerabilities in a sprawling attack surface that can be potentially exploited by cybercriminals.
Legendary Entertainment is a global media company with multiple divisions including film, television, digital studios, and comics. Under the guidance of Dan Meacham, VP of Global Security and Corporate Operations and CSO/CISO, the multi-billion dollar organization transitioned from on-premises data centers to the cloud in 2012.
Meacham points out that it’s been a source of great pride for his security and IT teams to always be “on top of the latest and greatest” technology trends—and migration to the cloud is no exception. That’s why his interest was sparked when he learned about the rollout of the MVISION security product line early in the migration process. Its cloud-native, open architecture was exactly the right fit for Legendary Entertainment’s environment.
As a cloud-first organization, Legendary Entertainment encountered challenges that are common to many companies that have migrated their workloads, applications, and data assets to the cloud. At first, the organization attempted to rely on security services natively provided by the individual cloud service providers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), and Wasabi for cloud storage. As Meacham notes, “The security from one vendor doesn’t trickle over to the others. They all have different security controls, so our cloud security was not uniform, and security management was complicated.”
In their disparate multicloud environment spanning several cloud service providers, it became time-consuming and difficult to monitor and assess the security posture of applications and workloads, such as which systems needed patching or contained critical vulnerabilities.
With multiple management consoles required for its many cloud environments, applying and enforcing uniform security policy across their cloud estate was nearly impossible without investing a lot of time, effort, and resources.
Another problem in Legendary Entertainment’s early adoption of cloud-first was shadow IT, where employees or contractors enrolled in cloud collaboration platforms that were not authorized by IT. Although the shadow IT platforms were not connected to core systems, they made it more difficult to tightly monitor data which sometimes caused cloud-enabled applications to violate security policies. It is understandable that teams with a cloud-first mindset would embrace innovation and new collaborative experiences to accomplish goals faster. However, some of the shadow IT application has weak or no security controls – resulting the opportunities for external collaborator accounts to be compromised or have mis-managed privileges.
With high-profile data breaches in the entertainment industry in recent headlines, Legendary Entertainment was concerned about its level of risk and exposure, especially since it has valuable intellectual property such as scripts and marketing strategy plans for film releases among its holdings. The requirement for stronger security has been a boardroom-level conversation at digital media companies since the Sony Pictures hack and other vendor supply chain and workflow hacks. Attacks now extend beyond data leaks and can have far reaching business disruptions across an entire supply chain.
By deploying MVISION Cloud Native Application Protection Platform (MVISION CNAPP), Legendary Entertainment addressed all of these challenges at once. This unique solution prioritizes alerts and defends against the latest cloud threats and vulnerabilities. MVISION CNAPP combines granular application and data context with cloud security posture management and cloud workload protection in a single-console solution.
MVISION CNAPP provides Legendary Entertainment with broad and deep visibility across its entire infrastructure. It discovers all their cloud assets, including compute resources, containers, and storage and provides continuous visibility into vulnerabilities and security posture for applications and workloads running across multiple clouds.
Thanks to MVISION CNAPP, Meacham’s team can write, apply, and enforce security policies in a consistent fashion for the entire cloud estate. As Meacham points out, policy is continually checked so his team can correct any misconfigurations, disable services, or remove escalated privileges until corrections are made in alignment with internal compliance rules. And in many cases, the remediation can be automated internally in MVISION CNAPP or through workflow initiations.
“MVISION CNAPP gives me manageability and security uniformity for all our cloud platforms so that I can elevate the level of security and make it consistent across the board. Now that I have visibility into all our cloud assets from a high level, I can look at how current controls and configurations compare to our best practices, industry best practices, and to the best practices of peers who are using the same product. Without MVISION CNAPP, management is one to one, whereas with MVISION CNAPP, it’s one to many,” explains Meacham.
The Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM) component of MVISION CNAPP provides Legendary Entertainment with on-demand scanning, which looks at all services used in the public cloud and checks their security settings against internal benchmarks. “This gives us a security posture score and provides feedback on what we can do to bring ourselves back into compliance,” observes Meacham. “If someone changes a configuration, we get an alert right away. And if it’s not in alignment with policy, we can roll it back to the previous settings. MVISION CNAPP also helps us remediate policy exceptions by clearly stating the risks, instances impacted, and the necessary step by step actions needed for resolution.”
MVISION CNAPP also ensures that Legendary Entertainment’s developers operate in a secure environment by alerting the security team when their actions violate security policies or increase the risk of a data breach. This effectively puts a halt to Shadow IT.
“MVISION CNAPP helps me keep my system administrators and developers accountable for what they are doing. We can make sure that they are consistent in how they execute, deploy, and build things. Configuration policies, on-demand scans, and different types of checks in MVISION CNAPP can help force that compliance. I am able to keep tabs on my developers to make sure they are operating according to these guidelines in any platform,” remarks Meacham.
MVISION CNAPP reduces risk associated with operating in the cloud, enabling Legendary Entertainment to run mission-critical applications and develop blockbuster movies such as “The Dark Knight Rises” and “Dune” securely across a heterogenous multicloud environment. The solution also enables contextual entitlements so that users can be identified and assigned selective access to and permissions for applications and resources based on the security profile of the devices they are using at any given time.
Legendary Entertainment leverages MVISION CNAPP’s data loss prevention (DLP) capabilities to monitor activity in cloud data stores in order to help prevent data breaches. Unusual or suspicious activity or unauthorized movement of data transit is tracked and flagged immediately by leveraging built-in UEBA capabilities.
“If I see 2,000 files change in 30 seconds, that’s a huge red flag indicating ransomware or some other type of attack. The solution’s monitoring tool detects suspicious behavior and immediately brings that to our awareness. If we see something like that happening on multiple platforms, we know that immediate action is required. The UEBA capability is invaluable for identifying external collaborators who may have compromised accounts, which we find on a regular basis.”
If you are looking for a simple-to-manage, high-visibility solution to secure your multicloud environment against the latest threats and vulnerabilities such as ChaosDB, take a look at MVISION CNAPP. For more information, visit: https://www.mcafee.com/enterprise/en-us/solutions/mvision-cnapp.html.
The post Legendary Entertainment Relies on MVISION CNAPP Across Its Multicloud Environment appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The Robinhood trading platform recently disclosed a data breach that exposed the information of millions of its customers. News of the attack was released on Monday, November 8th along with word the hackers behind it had demanded an extortion payment from the company.
According to Robinhood’s disclosure, the attack occurred on November 3rd, which allowed an unauthorized party to obtain the following:
In addition, smaller groups of Robinhood customers had yet more information compromised. Around 310 people had their names, birth dates, and zip codes exposed in the breach. Another 10 customers had “more extensive account details revealed,” per Robinhood’s disclosure.
Robinhood went on to say, “We believe that no Social Security numbers, bank account numbers, or debit card numbers were exposed and that there has been no financial loss to any customers as a result of the incident.”
Robinhood further stated that the company contained the intrusion and that it promptly informed law enforcement of the extortion demand. Robinhood says that it is continuing to investigate the incident with the assistance of a security firm.
The company advised its customers to visit the Robinhood help center to receive the latest messages from the company, noting that they will never include a link to access an account in a security alert.
Any data breach that you and your information may have been involved in calls for a few quick security steps:
1. Log into your account and update your password with a new one that is strong and unique. Likewise, if you use the same or similar passwords across several accounts, change those as well. (A password manager that’s included with comprehensive online protection software can do that work for you.) Set up two-factor authentication if your account allows for it, as this will provide an extra layer of protection as well.
2. Review your statements for any strange activity—even the smallest of withdrawals or transactions could be the sign of a larger issue.
3. Report any suspected fraud to the company or institution involved. They typically have set policies and procedures in place to provide support.
If you believe that you’ve become a victim of identity theft, file a report with local law enforcement and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Law enforcement can provide you with a case number that you may need as part of the recovery process. Likewise, the FTC’s identity theft website provides excellent resources, including a recovery plan and a step-by-step walkthrough if you create an account with them.
For even more information, visit our blog that points out the signs of identity theft and the steps you can take should you find yourself victim.
Given that the breach apparently exposed some 5 million email addresses, there’s the risk that these may end up in the hands of bad actors who may use them for follow-on attacks.
Notable among them would be phishing attacks, where hackers could target Robinhood users with phony messages in an attempt to get affected users to reveal further account information. For example, hackers could potentially create bogus emails that appear to come from Robinhood and direct users to a malicious site that requests account information. As Robinhood stated, the company will never include a link to access an account in a security alert. Users should visit the Robinhood site directly for account information.
This breach could lead to other phishing attacks as well, ones that may or may not pose as communication from Robinhood. Some of these phishing attacks can be rather easy to spot, as they may include typos, poorly rendered logos, or spoofed web addresses. However, some sophisticated hackers can roll out rather polished phishing attacks that can closely resemble legitimate communications.
In all, people can avoid falling victim to phishing attacks by keeping the following in mind:
1. Only access your accounts directly from the official website of the company or financial institution involved. If you receive an email, message, or text alerting you of an issue, do not click any links provided in the communication. Go straight to the site yourself by typing in the proper address and view your account information there. Likewise, calling the customer support line posted on their official site is an option as well.
2. Use comprehensive online protection software that includes a spam filter. This can prevent phishing emails from reaching your inbox in the first place.
3. Get to know the signs of phishing emails. A common sign of a scam is an email, ad, message, or site that simply doesn’t look or read right. (Maybe the grammar is awkward or the logo is grainy or has the colors slightly wrong.) However, some of them can look quite convincing, yet there are still ways to spot an attempted phishing attack.
4. Beware of email attachments you aren’t expecting. This is always good form because hackers love to spike attachments with malware that’s designed to steal your personal information. Whether you get an unexpected attachment from a friend or business, follow up before opening it. That’s a quick way to find out if the attachment is legitimate or not.
For more info on phishing and how to steer clear of it, check out our blog on how to spot phishing attacks.
The unfortunate fact is that data breaches can and do happen. Many of the larger data breaches make the headlines, yet many more do not—such as the ones that hit small businesses, restaurants, and medical care providers. In the hands of hackers, the information spilled by these breaches can provide them with the building blocks to commit identity theft. As a result, keeping on top of your identity and personal information is a must.
The good news is that you have solid options to prevent them from harming you or at least greatly lessen their potential impact. With identity theft protection, even in the short-term, you can monitor emails addresses and usernames that are being used to breach other accounts. You can monitor dozens of different types of personal information and receive alerts to keep an eye out for misuse. Likewise, it can monitor your email addresses and bank accounts for signs of misuse or fraud, plus provide theft protection and support from a recovery specialist if identity theft, unfortunately, happens to you.
Along those same lines, news of a data breach offers all of us a moment to pause and take stock of just how protected we are. Above and beyond the steps covered above, comprehensive online protection can protect your devices from malware, phishing attacks, malicious websites, and other threats. More importantly, it protects you—your identity and privacy, particularly in times where breaches such as the one we’re talking about here occur with seeming regularity.
The post Protecting Yourself in the Wake of the Robinhood Data Breach appeared first on McAfee Blog.
You’re not the only one looking forward to the big holiday sales like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Hackers are too. As people flock to retailers big and small in search of the best deals online, hackers have their shopping scams ready. Remember, McAfee frees you to live your connected life safe from threats like viruses, malware, phishing, and more. Download award-winning antivirus that protects your data and devices today.
One aspect of cybercrime that deserves a fair share of attention is the human element. Crooks have always played on our feelings, fears, and misplaced senses of trust. It’s no different online, particularly during the holidays. We all know it can be a stressful time and that we sometimes give into the pressure of finding that hard-to-get gift that’s so hot this year. Crooks know it too, and they’ll tailor their attacks accordingly as we get wrapped up in the rush of the season.
So while you already know how to spot a great deal, here are ways you and your family can spot online shopping scams so you can keep your finances safer this shopping season:
A common scam hackers use is introducing malware via email attachments, and during the holiday sale season, they’ll often send malware under the guise of offering emails and shipping notifications. Know that retailers and shipping companies won’t send things like offers, promo codes, and tracking numbers in attachments. They’ll clearly call those things out in the body of an email instead.
A classic scammer move is to “typosquat” phony email addresses and URLs that look awfully close to legitimate addresses of legitimate companies and retailers. They often appear in phishing emails and instead of leading you to a great deal, these can in fact link you to scam sites that can then lift your login credentials, payment info, or even funds should you try to place an order through them. You can avoid these sites by going to the retailer’s site directly. Be skeptical of any links you receive by email, text, or direct message—it’s best to go to the site yourself by manually typing in the legitimate address yourself and look for the deal there.
A related scammer trick that also uses typosquatting tactics is to set up sites that look like they could be run by a trusted retailer or brand but are not. These sits may tout a special offer, a great deal on a hot holiday item, or whatnot, yet such sites are one more way cybercriminals harvest personal and financial information. A common way for these sites to spread is by social media, email, and other messaging platforms. Again a “close to the real thing” URL is a telltale sign of a copycat, so visit retailers directly. Also, comprehensive online protection software can prevent your browser from loading suspicious sites and warn you of suspicious sites in your search results.
While the best of them can look practically professional and be tough to spot, one way to avoid counterfeit shopping apps is to go to the source. Hit the retailer’s website on your mobile browser and look for a link to the app from their website. Likewise, stick to the legitimate app stores such as Google Play and Apple’s App Store. Both have measures in place to prevent malicious apps from appearing in their stores. Some can sneak through before being detected though, so look for the publisher’s name in the description and ensure it is legitimate. On a fake app, the name may be close to the retailer you’re looking for, but not quite right. Other signs of a fake will include typos, poor grammar, and design that looks a bit off.
At the heart of holiday shopping is scarcity. Special offers for a limited time, popular holiday items that are tough to find, and just the general preciousness of time during the season to get things done, like shopping. Scammers love this time of year. During the holidays, they’ll play on that scarcity and crunch you’re under in their offers and messaging. Enter the “too good to be true” offer, typically set up on phony sites like the ones mentioned above. If the pricing, availability, or delivery time all look too good to be true, it may be a scam designed to harvest your personal info and accounts. Use caution here before you click. If you’re unsure about a product or retailer, read reviews from trusted websites to help see if it’s legitimate.
Apart from spotting scams, there are several things you can do to keep yourself safer while shopping this holiday season. In fact, they can keep you safer when you shop year ‘round as well. Looking for a last minute deal? Download McAfee online protection today.
This is a great one to start with. Secure websites begin their address with “https,” not just “http.” That extra “s” in stands for “secure,” which means that it uses a secure protocol for transmitting sensitive info like passwords, credit card numbers, and the like over the internet. It often appears as a little padlock icon in the address bar of your browser, so double-check for that. If you don’t see that it’s secure, it’s best to avoid making purchases on that website.
Specific to the U.S., the Fair Credit Billing Act offers the public protection against fraudulent charges on credit cards, where citizens can dispute charges over $50 for goods and services that were never delivered or otherwise billed incorrectly. Note that many credit card companies have their own policies that improve upon the Fair Credit Billing Act as well. However, debit cards aren’t afforded the same protection under the Act. Avoid using those while shopping online and use your credit card instead.
Another alternative is to set up a virtual credit card, which is a proxy for your actual credit card. With each purchase you make, that proxy changes, which then makes it much more difficult for hackers to exploit. You’ll want to research virtual credit cards further, as there are some possible cons that go along with the pros, such as in the case of returns where a retailer will want to use the same proxy to reimburse a purchase.
Using a complete suite of online protection software can offer layers of extra protection while you shop, such as web browser protection and a password manager. Browser protection can block malicious and suspicious links that could lead you down the road to malware or a financial scam. A password manager can create strong, unique passwords and store them securely as well, making it far more difficult for hackers to compromise your accounts. Identity theft protection takes your safety a step further by helping you secure your identity online and restore it should any of your personal info be found in the wrong hands.
Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of defense on top of your username and password. It adds in the use of a special one-time-use code to access your account, usually sent to you via email or to your phone by text or a phone call. In all, it combines something you know, like your password, with something you have, like your smartphone. Together, that makes it tougher for a crook to hack your account. If any of your accounts support two-factor authentication, the few extra seconds it takes to set up is more than worth the big boost in protection you’ll get.
Public Wi-Fi in coffee shops and other public locations can expose your private surfing to prying eyes because those networks are open to all. Using a virtual private network (VPN) encrypts your browsing, shopping, and other internet traffic, thus making it secure from attempts at intercepting your data on public Wi-Fi and harvesting information like your passwords and credit card numbers.
With all the passwords and accounts we keep, this is important. Checking your credit will uncover any inconsistencies or outright instances of fraud. From there, you can then take steps to straighten out any errors or bad charges that you find. In the U.S., you can run a free credit report once a year with the major credit reporting agencies.
So while you’re shopping online this year, take a deep breath before you dive in. Double-check those deals that may look almost too good to be true. Look closely at those links. And absolutely don’t click on those attachments that look like shipping notices or coupon deals. Hackers are counting on you to be in a bit of a hurry this time of year. Taking an extra moment to spot their tricks can go a long way toward keeping you and your finances safe. Remember, stay ahead of cyber criminals, get an extra layer of protection with McAfee this holiday season.
The post Spot Those Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shopping Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s little surprise that a digital currency scam based on the popular Squid Games series on Netflix is making the news.
If you haven’t caught wind of it yet, the story goes along the following lines:
Note that this Squid Game cryptocurrency had no relationship to the show or to Netflix, aside from hijacking the Squid Game name without permission so that the scammers could use it as bait.
Scams such as this are nothing new. Earlier this year, an “initial coin offering” (ICO) called Mando turned out to be a scam as well. Based on Disney’s popular Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, the scammers used the name and the Star Wars-themed imagery around it without permission. Then, just as suddenly they used the popular name to drum up investments in the ICO, the scammers disappeared with the money they garnered from the “pre-sale” of the bogus Mando cryptocurrency.
With all the fervor around cryptocurrencies, scams associated with them are on the rise and have been for some time. A study published by Investopedia found that 80% of cryptocurrencies are scams and that only 8% of cryptocurrencies make their way onto legitimate trading exchanges.
In the case of the Squid Game cryptocurrency, there were several apparent signs that it was bogus to begin with. Reports call out the fact that the currency was not available for purchase on mainstream platforms. Instead, investors could only purchase the cryptocurrency on a platform that doesn’t guarantee the transactions made upon it. Further, investors could only buy the currency, not sell it, effectively locking them in.
Other indications were found in the accompanying website and technical white paper, which were laden with spelling and grammatical errors, along with apparently unsubstantiated claims. In all, red flags such as those are very similar to the ones associated with phishing attacks—where scammers co-opt the identities of well-known brands and organizations in bogus emails and websites, albeit in an often-clumsy fashion. Errors like those are often a telltale sign that something sketchy is afoot.
1. Working with an accredited financial adviser is always a sound step with any investment you choose to make, as is only investing funds you can afford to lose if the investment falls through.
2. Steer clear of cryptocurrency investments that ask you to contribute money directly from one of your own accounts rather than via a reliable platform that is verified.
3. Consider dependable cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Litecoin—of course recognizing that even legitimate cryptocurrencies can be highly volatile investments.
4. Regard any cryptocurrency based on a pop culture reference like movies, memes, and shows with a highly critical eye. It may very well be a scam built around buzz rather than an earnest attempt at launching a legitimate cryptocurrency, such as it was with the Squid Game scam.
Just as Netflix’s Squid Game is one in a long string of hit shows that’ll capture our attention, we can count on a similarly long string of cryptocurrency scams to continue. In this case, the Squid Game cryptocurrency scam was rigged from the start, despite the warning signs. After all, an investment people can only buy into but never sell is scam, plain and simple.
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The holidays are almost here! That means it’s time to start making your list and checking it twice. To help prepare you for this year’s holiday shopping spree, McAfee is providing you with the ultimate holiday shopping list for every Tech lover in your family. Here are the devices to keep on your radar this holiday shopping season and what you should use to protect them.
Know someone who enjoys vanquishing aliens, building virtual amusement parks, and online battle royale? There’s a good chance that you do, as online gaming traffic increased 30% from the first to the second quarter of 2020. For the gaming guru in your life, consider gifting them a top-of-the-line gaming laptop so, they don’t have to compromise portability for playability. If they prefer to play in the comfort of their own home, consider giving the gamer in your life a snazzy new gaming monitor. This will allow them to enjoy a crystal-clear resolution, rapid refresh rate, and size to bring their virtual world to life. And to truly immerse your gamer in a new realm, gift them a new gaming console so they can enjoy optimal speed and stellar game lineups.
When shopping for your gamer, consider how you can empower them to stay secure while they play. A security solution like McAfee Gamer Security not only delivers a faster, quieter, and safer experience, but it can also boost a rig’s performance. This antivirus software detects threats through the cloud and optimizes resources to minimize frame drops. Gamers can even customize which games to boost (or even add other apps they’d like to boost), which background services to pause, and more. This improves your gamer’s experience and also keeps them safe while they play.
Does your tech-savvy teen love to browse on the go? Or perhaps you have a college student who likes to bring their online studying and video streaming with them beyond the home. For the mobile mastermind in your family, gift them a new smartphone or tablet this holiday season. These devices will allow your loved ones to access all their favorite apps and surf the web anytime, anywhere.
With the World Wide Web constantly at their fingertips, enable your family members to surf the internet with confidence by employing the help of a safe browsing solution like McAfee WebAdvisor. This trusty companion, available for free and included in the McAfee Total Protection app for iOS and Android, helps keep users safe from threats like malware and phishing attempts. Web Advisor blocks malicious sites, scans downloads, and alerts the user if a known threat is detected. With comprehensive security on their side, your mobile user will be free to search, stream, and download on the go.
The number of smart households (households that contain connected technology and can interact with other IoT devices) in the U.S. is expected to grow to 77.05 million by 2025. That may not come as a surprise, since IoT devices have upped the convenience of tech users’ lives everywhere. Perhaps your spouse or parents love filling their home with the latest and greatest smart home gadgets. This holiday season, give them the gift of convenience with a smart TV, speaker, thermostat, kitchen appliances, a personal home assistant – the list of smart home devices goes on!
While these devices can provide greater efficiency to anyone’s life, it’s important to be aware of the potential risks that come with this level of interconnectivity. Many product designers treat security as an afterthought, rushing to get their smart devices to market and consequentially creating an easy access point for criminals to exploit. But fear not! A solution like McAfee Secure Home Platform can automatically secure connected devices through a router with McAfee protection. It can hide your IoT devices from hackers, giving you the confidence that you have a solid line of defense against online threats.
For the Fitness Fanatic
At the onset of the pandemic, people adjusted their workout routines to accommodate for gym closures and began to rely on other solutions to stay fit. In fact, many turned to IoT devices used for virtual fitness, including wearable fitness trackers and stationary machines equipped with digital interfaces. Sound like someone you know? Consider giving them a stylish new or upgraded smartwatch that allows them to track their daily step count, heart rate, and sleep patterns.
While these devices can be instrumental in tracking users’ activity levels, it’s important to remember that wearable gadgets collect valuable health and location data a criminal could exploit. To keep your fitness fanatic happy and healthy without sweating their security, encourage them to install software updates immediately. This will protect your loved one’s device from reported bugs, enhance functionality, and seal up any security loopholes.
As you plan your holiday shopping list this year, don’t forget about the gift that keeps on giving: the peace of mind that comes with having the right online security! With comprehensive solutions built to safeguard your loved one’s devices, personal data, and everything they do online, they can continue to live their digital lives with confidence.
The post The Ultimate Holiday Shopping Guide appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s safe to say that many Americans are obsessed with Squid Game. According to Business Insider, the Korean drama series has driven the newest engagers to a Netflix title of any Netflix series over the last three years. And while word-of-mouth buzz has played a big part in the show’s success, TV watchers aren’t the only ones taking note. Cybercriminals are also formulating ways to profit off the show’s popularity. According to the New York Post, a malicious app based on Squid Game was recently found on the Google Play Store, infecting users’ devices with malware.
The app in question, called “Squid Game Wallpaper 4K HD,” was one of the 200 Squid Game-related apps on the Google Play Store. This particular app masqueraded as a place to download cool Squid Game backgrounds for Android devices. However, once a user downloaded the app, it infected their smartphone with a strain of Joker malware. Joker malware is a type of billing fraud malware that usually disguises itself as a messenger, photo editor, camera, or in this case, wallpaper apps.
You may wonder how an app like this even ends up on a legitimate app purchasing store. In order to bypass Google Play’s app review process, Joker malware hides its malicious payload during the review process. This means that when the app is published in the Google Play Store, there’s no sign of malware. It’s only when a user installs the app that the malware downloads the malicious payload. Once the malware successfully installs itself, it secretly signs the user up for premium subscriptions, intercepts all their SMS messages, and can upload all their contacts to the malware operators.
The “Squid Game Wallpaper 4K HD” app received 5,000 downloads before it was removed from the Google Play Store. It’s likely that cybercriminals will continue to use the show’s popularity to exploit its fans and make a profit, whether that be through malicious apps disguised as a place where viewers can watch the show or fraudulent websites selling Squid Game merchandise. But fear not! There are steps you can take to help ensure that you steer clear of malware:
Unlike Google Play and Apple’s App Store, which have measures in place to review and vet apps to help ensure that they are safe, third-party sites may not have that process in place. In fact, some third-party sites may intentionally host malicious apps as part of a broader scam. However, cybercriminals have found ways to work around Google and Apple’s review process (such as with “Squid Game Wallpaper 4K HD”), but the chances of downloading a safe app from these stores are far greater than anywhere else. Additionally, Google and Apple are quick to remove malicious apps once discovered.
Before you download a new app, do some quick research. Check out the developer. Have they published several other apps with many downloads and good reviews? A legit app typically has several reviews, whereas malicious apps may have only a handful of fake five-star reviews. Lastly, look for typos and grammatical errors in both the app description and screenshots. They could be a sign that a hacker slapped the app together and quickly deployed it.
Certain types of malware strains operate stealthily behind the scenes, commandeering login credentials or banking information right under a user’s nose. Check your accounts every so often and if you notice any suspicious activity, report it and change your passwords. You can also use ID monitoring tools, which will notify you of uncharacteristic changes or actions.
Just like you secure your computers and laptops, it’s important to secure the minicomputer in your pocket—your smartphone! For the strongest protection, use comprehensive security software that shields your device from malware and risky websites, links, and files. With a few key steps, you can boost your confidence in the safety of your devices and personal information and enjoy your favorite binge-worthy shows to the fullest!
The post Squid Game App or Mobile Malware in Disguise? appeared first on McAfee Blog.
It’s October, and at McAfee we love celebrating spooky season. As McAfee’s Chief Technology Officer, I’m also excited that it’s Cyber Security Awareness Month. And while there are no fun-size candy bars, we do talk about some truly bone-chilling stuff when it comes to cyber safety. So gather round, as I tell you all about one of the scariest threats online, ransomware.
Ransomware is a form of extortion that happens when cyber criminals demand payment. Recently some high-profile companies have been in the news as victims of major ransomware attacks. However, ransomware also impacts individuals, just like you and me. In the individual’s case, a cybercriminal may demand payment to restore access to your device or data or even to prevent them from dumping sensitive or embarrassing information onto the internet. McAfee defends consumers from tens of thousands of ransomware attacks every month.
If the worst should happen, take a deep breath and don’t panic. Calmly assessing the situation now can save you a lot of stress later. Ask yourself:
Now that you’ve assessed the situation, we can do something about it.
If you can afford to lose your data, and the personal impact is minimal, we always recommend you don’t pay the criminal. There’s no guarantee that if you pay the ransom, you’ll get your data back, and ultimately, you’re incentivizing the cybercriminal to do it again. The best defense against ransomware is to have great cybersecurity habits that prevent the attack from occurring in the first place.
So, whether you’re enjoying some creepy lawn decorations, or just surfing the web, remember to stay safe out there this Halloween.
The post Staying Cyber Aware and Safer from Ransomware appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Cybersecurity detection is a criminal investigation. Cybercrime investigators are experts who are in limited supply. Sometimes their hunt begins while an intrusion is in process, but more often than not, it occurs after the attack when a crime has occurred. The investigation is taunting and less glamorous, realizing that it can take an average of 228 days even to identify the breach[i].
At that point, you’re looking to find out what your adversaries have seen or stolen, you want to plug the holes that enabled the hack and kick out or remove the adversary completely. Figure on an average of 80 days to resolve and contain a breach. Meanwhile, your adversary spends the epic dwell time in your environment to monitor your traffic and behavior before determining their next move.
Do the math on that exercise and, unless you have generous funding, you may conclude that your resources stretch further by focusing on prevention rather than detection. While eliminating detection may not be practical, you can at least realign your spending and shore up your prevention efforts with enhanced actionable information.
Several things have happened to make this shift possible. First, detection is now often automated and highly productive. Second, advance warning is better than ever. You can apply predictive analytics to leverage in-depth threat intelligence sources to produce real-time, automated assessments of your security posture risks from device to cloud.
Making the shift from detection to prevention didn’t happen overnight for the Service public de Wallonie (SPW), the public administration arm of the French-speaking regional government of Wallonia in Belgium. SPW’s endpoint security team oversees 9,000 desktops, 1,300 servers, and 1,000 applications used by more than 8,000 employees.
When SPW implemented MVISION Insights, the security team sought to identify potential threats lurking outside the agency’s perimeter. Using data gathered from one billion sensors globally that have been distilled and analyzed by artificial intelligence and human experts, MVISION Insights provides comprehensive risk intelligence filtered for a specific industry and geography. It helps SPW’s security team to prioritize which threats and campaigns are most likely to target them.
Before making this shift, SPW’s team regularly spent hours checking out various security sites, lab reports, and news articles to track the latest threat campaigns. After deploying MVISION Insights, the same result arrived in seconds or minutes. Now they’re engaging in more proactive threat hunting and attack prevention by tapping into predictive assessments and adjusting their posture accordingly.
Organizations such as SPW illustrate that playing both offense and defense becomes necessary to reduce time-to-detect and dwell time. Detection is difficult for several reasons, most notably the deluge of advanced persistent threats (APTs). And it’s also complicated by the cost of threat hunting talent, given the current shortage of cybersecurity expertise.
These days there’s such an overwhelming amount of security data pouring into data lakes that manually aggregating and analyzing it to make sense of anything requires a fair amount of threat expertise. Then there’s the time it takes to triage and determine the following steps to thwart an attack. By the time you’re analyzing this data, at best, you’re in a reactive state with limited visibility and understanding of your local environment.
One effective way to streamline that process is to apply the proven MITRE ATT&CK® framework, which provides an excellent knowledge base to help with threat hunting and detection. We use that framework to better inform MVISION XDR powered by MVISION Insights, for example. As we mentioned in March, we align XDR with MITRE to greatly expand the depth of our investigation, threat detection, and prevention capabilities to prevent the attack chain with relevant insights.
In our leading role in the cybersecurity community, we gather a lot of intelligence and invest considerable time curating content to ensure that what we share is timely, accurate, and valuable. This is reflected in MVISION Insights with over 1000 threat campaign profiles. If you place MVISION Insights in your environment it goes beyond threat intelligence. You also gain prioritized threat insights on a likely attack targeting you, where your gaps are and what you can do. Introducing our new Proactive Evolution series to get regular information on how to become more preventive and protective with LinkedIn Live discussions, blog posts, and other intelligence from our cybersecurity expert contributors highlighting the power of MVISION Insights.
This new Proactive Evolution Series features helpful content intended for managing or building security operations to be more effective and preventive or for a CISO who wants to stay on top of changing best practices.
Detection is often done in reaction to an attack or a looming threat. Not every organization can do both detection and prevention equally well. That’s usually because they lack dedicated or experienced threat hunters or suitable detection technologies. By shifting your efforts to a proactive prevention strategy, you’re boosting your chances to harden your systems before an attack.
Click here to access McAfee Enterprise’s new Proactive Evolution Series content.
Event Replay
Understand how the adversary is working and how you stack up against them. Together, Raj and Brett dig into how MVISION Insights helps you determine which active threat campaigns you need to worry about, if you’re a target, and what you can do.
The post Why an Ounce of Cybersecurity Prevention is Worth a Pound of Detection appeared first on McAfee Blog.
There’s a person behind every cybercrime. That’s easy to lose sight of. After all, cybercrime can feel a little anonymous, like a computer is doing the attacking instead of a person. Yet people are indeed behind these attacks, and over the years they’ve been getting organized—where cybercriminals structure and run their operations in ways that darkly mirror the workings of a real business.
Funny, the notion of hackers running an illegal business just like a regular business. But there you go. What works, apparently works. So, let’s take a closer look at how organized crime goes about its business—and get a little more insight into how we can protect ourselves in the process.
A classic notion of the cybercriminal is that of a lone hacker, donning a hoodie in a dimly lit room and chipping away at the networks and devices of a business or household. That does happen, such as in the case of the former engineer accused of. Yet increasingly, attacks are orchestrated efforts.
More and more of today’s cybercrime is a distributed, international affair that relies on several bad actors to see it through. This takes the form of organized crime groups with ringleaders located in one country and developers in others, further supported by operations, marketing, finance, and call center teams in yet other locations—just like a legitimate business, strange as it seems.
What does that look like in real life? Consider a practical example: an identity theft ring sets up a series of phony websites to hijack personal information. There’s a lot of work that goes into putting up those websites, so let’s start there and see who could be involved. From there, we can work our way up the chain of cybercrime organizations. For starters:
And that’s just for starters. There’s plenty of activity that follows once victims share their personal info on that phony site, spanning yet more business roles:
Stepping back and looking at this example, you can see how there are several distinct skillsets at play here. While small groups of hackers could pull off something similar, the most effective of these scams will have a relatively large staff in place to ensure it runs effectively. This is just one broad example, yet it does serve to remind us that sophisticated cybercrime can have a sophisticated organization behind it.
Other examples include tech support scams that run their own call support centers, corporate ransomware attacks where scammers hijack the company’s social media accounts and shame them into paying. There are yet more examples of bogus call centers, like the ones that will walk individual victims through the process of paying off a ransomware attack with cryptocurrency. Once again, quite an operation.
Back to the lone hacker in a hoodie for a moment. They’re still out there. In fact, many of them are enabled by larger cybercrime organizations. This can happen in several ways:
It’s a marketplace out there, where our data acts as a kind of currency that’s traded and sold by operators large and small.
So yes, there’s a person behind every cybercrime. And then there’s you. Along with all things you can do to stop them.
Earlier this year, I shared how McAfee now solely focuses on people. Organized cybercrime is just one of the many reasons why. While different devices may come and go in our lives, our data always follows us—the very things cybercriminals are after. It’s people who need protection. By protecting you, your identity, and your privacy, along with your devices, we protect you from threats like these, whether they stem from a small-time crook or an organized crime gang. Even lone hackers in hoodies.
To me, the solution looks something like this: you’re out there enjoying the internet without having to look over your shoulder. You’re just safe. And living your life.
So as cybercrime becomes more sophisticated, we’re becoming yet more sophisticated at McAfee. And it’s you entirely with you in mind. Online protection should come naturally and give you the confidence to go about your day—protection that is personalized, intelligent, and easier to use so that it adapts based on what you’re doing and what you need at any given moment. That’s our aim. Ease. Freedom. Particularly in a time when criminals are trying their hardest to make you their business as you go about yours.
The post Organized Cybercrime: The Big Business Behind Hacks and Attacks appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Many people are excited about Gartner’s Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) framework and the cloud-native convergence of networks and security. While originally proposed as fully unified architecture delivering network and security capabilities, the reality soon dawned that enterprise transition to a complete SASE model would be a decade long journey due to factors such as existing investments, operational silos (customer), and vendor consolidation. Consequently, Gartner introduced a new two-vendor approach to SASE that brought together a highly converged WAN Edge Infrastructure platform alongside a highly converged security platform – known as Security Service Edge (SSE).
Figure 1: SASE convergence.
SSE brings together Secure Web Gateway (SWG), Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB), and Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) to secure access to the web, cloud services, and private applications, resulting in reduced risk, cost and complexity. McAfee Enterprise has long been a proponent of this approach: we embarked on a project to build the industry’s best SASE security solution over three years ago, introduced our MVISION Unified Cloud Edge solution in early 2020, and have since continued to innovate and set the standard for the Security Service Edge space.
The fundamental problem that SSE sets out to solve is that enterprises must adequately secure their personnel and their data. This became increasingly difficult as digital transformation spurred widespread cloud adoption and empowered remote and mobile workers. Just a few short years ago we would talk about remote access for short periods of time due to travel, and typically for a small proportion of the workforce. Today we speak in the context of COVID-19 and a vast, permanent “Work From Anywhere” (WFA) cultural shift. Supporting this shift is an accelerated migration into the cloud, where the vast majority of workloads and applications will soon reside.
All of this has taken down the walls that formed the perimeter we relied on heavily in the past. Today our people and our data are outside of that perimeter but inside of cloud applications. Cloud applications run from many locations, sometimes around the globe. Yet our objectives must remain the same. We still must secure our people, we must secure our devices, and we must secure our data on any device, at any time, using any service.
Secure web gateways were one of the gatekeepers to the old perimeter, fundamentally appliances that existed at the border of a network. Cloud access security brokers (CASB) were fundamentally built to secure the inside of cloud services. Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) enabled you to securely interconnect offices and remote users onto a single network. Managing these technologies separately became increasingly problematic as the boundaries between networks, the web, and the cloud began to blur. Organizational policies and compliance requirements must be translated to the administrative setup of a specific vendor’s management consoles. At first pass, this results in more errors in the implementation of these policies. Maintenance is difficult as policy changes must be rolled out and implemented within multiple vendor management interfaces. And when you position these traditional technologies against the problem statement of a “perimeterless” world, they fail. The logical answer to these problems is to converge these technologies together and bring them to the cloud.
For more than 3 years, McAfee Enterprise has invested deeply into a unified policy framework. We’ve unified threat engines, data engines. We’ve built a unified user experience and unified administrative experience to deliver against that promise of cloud native security.
A closely integrated SSE infrastructure can address the management challenges of setting up policies in multiple vendor management interfaces by deeply integrating security controls to reduce overhead, complexity, and cost, while increasing performance. But looking at the competitive landscape, this has proven to be easier said than done. Many fall short with it comes to securing data within the cloud, but McAfee Enterprise’s industry-leading Multi-Vector Data Protection capabilities make it incredibly easy to keep data safe no matter where it resides, with unified data classification, policy enforcement, and incident management.
Figure 2: McAfee Enterprise Multi-Vector Data Protection.
Other vendors grew up in the cloud but fall short when it comes to connecting to the private resources all large enterprises still use today. Some vendors are attempting to build-out the entire SSE product set from scratch, perhaps as part of a larger SASE offering. Most of the functions present baseline functional capability and the considerable instability of a complex and very new product.
McAfee Enterprise has planned and executed a strategy for several years that takes MVISION Unified Cloud Edge’s complete set of SSE converged security services and then tie them closely to other highly integrated network services such as those offered by SD-WAN vendors to implement SASE. This approach enables most large enterprises the ability to leverage the majority of the technology partners they have to pull a SASE architecture together using much of the technology infrastructure they already have in place.
Figure 3: Enable secure access to web, cloud, and private apps with MVISION Unified Cloud Edge.
The increased efficiency of an integrated environment reduces the investment in administration, enhances the precision of policy enforcement, and improves the speed with which security control processes can be applied to data and activity in one single pass, improving security efficiency and efficacy. This earlier published blog demonstrates how our integration of Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) greatly improves security protection in a seamless, cost-effective manner.
Figure 4: MVISION Unified Cloud Edge threat protection stack with integrated Remote Browser Isolation.
The convergence and integration of cloud security technologies such as SWG, CASB, ZTNA, DLP, RBI and FWaaS substantially enhance operations, reduce cost, minimize errors, and enable more precise enforcement of organizational policy and management. Expenses are lower as experts in the administration and management of separate security controls are no longer required.
In conclusion, McAfee Enterprise has delivered the best and most rapid path to a comprehensive integrated SSE offering available in the market. Our Unified Cloud Edge (UCE) architecture completes that vision of unified and completely integrated policy management today. MVISION UCE is the security fabric that delivers data and threat protection to any location so you can enable fast and secure direct-to-internet access for your distributed workforce. This results in a transformation to a cloud-delivered SSE that converges with connectivity to reduce cost and complexity while increasing the speed and flexibility of your workforce.
Click here to see more about how MVISION Unified Cloud Edge can get you on the fastest route to SASE, or visit the MVISION UCE homepage to learn more and contact us to get started on your journey.
The post Realize Your SASE Vision with Security Service Edge and McAfee Enterprise appeared first on McAfee Blog.
In the hands of a thief, your Social Security Number is the master key to your identity.
With a Social Security Number (SSN), a thief can unlock everything from credit history and credit line to tax refunds and medical care. In extreme cases, thieves can use it to impersonate others. So, if you suspect your number is lost or stolen, it’s important to report identity theft to Social Security right away.
Part of what makes an SSN so powerful in identity theft is that there’s only one like it. Unlike a compromised credit card, you can’t hop on the phone and get a replacement. No question, the theft of your SSN has serious implications. If you suspect it, report it. So, let’s take a look at how it can happen and how you can report identity theft to Social Security if it does.
Yes. Sort of. The Social Security Administration can assign a new SSN in a limited number of cases. However, per the SSA, “When we assign a different Social Security number, we do not destroy the original number. We cross-refer the new number with the original number to make sure the person receives credit for all earnings under both numbers.”
In other words, your SSN is effectively forever, which means if it’s stolen, you’re still faced with clearing up any of the malicious activity associated with the theft potentially for quite some time. That’s yet another reason why the protection of your SSN deserves particular attention.
There are several ways an SSN can end up with a thief. Some involve physical theft, and others can take the digital route. To what extent are SSNs at risk? Notably, there was the Equifax breach of 2017, which exposed some 147 million SSNs. Yet just because an SSN has been potentially exposed does not mean that an identity crime has been committed with it.
So, let’s start with the basics: how do SSNs get stolen or exposed?
That’s quite the list. Broadly speaking, the examples above give good reasons for keeping your SSN as private and secure as possible. With that, it’s helpful to know that there are only a handful of situations where your SSN is required for legitimate purposes, which can help you can make decisions about how and when to give it out. The list of required cases is relatively short, such as:
You’ll notice that places like doctor’s offices and other businesses are not listed here, though they’ll often request an SSN for identification purposes. While there’s no law preventing them from asking you for that information, they may refuse to work with you if you do not provide that info. In such cases, ask what the SSN would be used for and if there is another form of identification that they can use instead. In all, your SSN is uniquely yours, so be extremely cautious in order to minimize its potential exposure to theft.
Let’s say you spot something unusual on your credit report or get a notification that someone has filed a tax return on your behalf without your knowledge. These are possible signs that your identity, if not your SSN, is in jeopardy, which means it’s time to act right away using the steps below:
File a police report and a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Identity Theft Report. This will help in case someone uses your Social Security number to commit fraud, since it will provide a legal record of the theft. The FTC can also assist by guiding you through the identity theft recovery process as well. Their site really is an excellent resource.
Get in touch with the fraud department at each of the businesses where you suspect theft has taken place, let them know of your situation, and follow the steps they provide. With your police and FTC reports, you will already have a couple of vital pieces of information that can help you clear your name.
Check your Social Security account to see if someone has gotten a job and used your SSN for employment purposes. Reviewing earnings associated with your SSN can uncover fraudulent use. You can also contact the Social Security Fraud Hotline at (800) 269-0271 or reach out to your local SSA office for further, ongoing assistance. Likewise, contact the Internal Revenue Service at (800) 908-4490 to report the theft and help prevent someone from submitting a tax return in your name.
As we’ve talked about in some of my other blog posts, identity theft can be a long-term problem where follow-up instances of theft can crop up over time. However, there are a few steps you can take to minimize the damage and ensure it doesn’t happen again. I cover several of those steps in detail in this blog here, yet let’s take a look at a few of the top items as they relate to SSN theft:
By placing a fraud alert, you can make it harder for thieves to open accounts in your name. Place it with one of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax), and they will notify the other two. During the year-long fraud alert period, it will require businesses to verify your identity before issuing new credit in your name.
A full credit freeze is in place until you lift it and will prohibit creditors from pulling your credit report altogether. This can help stop thieves dead in their tracks since approving credit requires pulling a report. However, this applies to legitimate inquires, including any that you make, like opening a new loan or signing up for a credit card. If that’s the case, you’ll need to take extra steps as directed by the particular institution or lender. Unlike the fraud alert, you’ll need to notify each of the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) when you want the freeze lifted.
Once every 12 months, you can access a free credit report from Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. (And as of this writing during the pandemic, this can be done for free on a weekly basis, which is great news.) Doing so will allow you to spot any future discrepancies and offer you options for correcting them.
Using a service to help protect your identity can monitor several types of personally identifiable information and alert you of potentially unauthorized use. Our own Identity Protection Service will do all this and more, like offering guided help to neutralize threats and prevent theft from happening again. You can set it up on your computers and smartphone to stay in the know, address issues immediately, and keep your identity secured.
Of all the forms of identity theft, the theft of a Social Security Number is certainly one of the most potentially painful because it can unlock so many vital aspects of your life. It’s uniquely you, even more than your name alone – at least in the eyes of creditors, banks, insurance companies, criminal records, etc. Your SSN calls for extra protection, and if you have any concerns that it may have been lost or stolen, don’t hesitate to spring into action.
The post How to Report Identity Theft to Social Security appeared first on McAfee Blog.
In a world of contact-free pickup and payments, an old hacker’s trick is getting a new look—phony QR code scams.
QR codes have been around for some time. Dating back to industrial use in the 1990s, QR codes pack high volumes of visual information in a relatively compact space. In that way, a QR code shares many similarities with a barcode, yet a QR code can hold more than 300 times the data of a barcode.
With the rise of the smartphone, QR codes have taken on more consumer applications. Especially in the latter days of the pandemic in the form of contact-free conveniences. Now, by pointing your smartphone’s camera at a QR code, you can order food at a restaurant, pay for parking, download coupons from the shelf at your drugstore or several other convenient things.
Yet as it is in places where people, devices, and money meet, hackers are there with a scam ready to go. Enter the QR code scam. By pointing your smartphone’s camera at a bogus QR code and giving it a scan, hackers can lead people to malicious websites and commit other attacks on their phones.
The good news is that there are several ways you can spot these scams, along with several other ways you can avoid them altogether, all so you can get the best out of QR code convenience without the hassle.
In several ways, the QR code scam works much like any other phishing attack. With a few added wrinkles, of course.
Classically, phishing attacks use doctored links that pose as a legitimate website in the hopes you’ll follow them to a hacker’s malicious website. Once there, that site is designed to trick you into providing your personal information, credit card numbers, and so forth, perhaps in the context of a special offer or a phony account alert. Likewise, it could send you to a site that simply infects your device with malware.
It’s much the same with a QR code, yet here’s are a couple of big differences:
Aside from appearing in emails, direct messages, in social media ads, and such, there are plenty of other places phony QR codes can show up. Here are a few that have been making the rounds in particular:
Scanning a QR code may open a notification on your smartphone screen to follow a link. Like other phishing-type scams, hackers will do their best to make that link look legitimate. They may alter a familiar company name so that it looks like it could have come from that company. Also, they may use link shorteners that take otherwise long web addresses and compress them into a short string of characters—the trick there being that you really have no way of knowing where it will send you simply by looking at it.
In this way, there’s more to using QR codes than simply “point and shoot.” A mix of caution and eagle-eyed consideration is called for to spot the legitimate uses from the malicious ones.
Luckily some very basic rules about avoiding QR code attacks. The U.S. Better Business Bureau (BBB) has put together a great list that can help. Their advice is right on the mark, which we’ve paraphrased and added to here:
1. Don’t open links or scan QR codes from strangers. Unsolicited messages with these links or codes could lead you to a scam site or access the functionality of your smartphone in unwanted ways.
2. Some scams will appear to come from legitimate sources. Double-check and see if it indeed is. You can check the official website to confirm, such as by accessing your account or contacting a customer service rep to follow up on the communication sent to you.
3. Try alternative payment methods. If you receive a bill with a QR code for payment, see if there’s another way to pay it—such as on the company’s website or simply through online bill pay to their known, legitimate address. These are less susceptible to fraud. Likewise, check to see if the requested payment is legitimate in the first place.
4. Think twice about following shortened links. As mentioned above, shortened links can be a shortcut to a malicious website. This can particularly be the case with unsolicited communications. And it can still be the case with a friend or family member if their device or account has been hacked.
5. If someone you know sends you a QR code, also confirm before scanning it. Whether you receive a text message from a friend or a message on social media from your workmate, contact that person directly before you scan the QR code to make sure they haven’t been hacked.
6. Watch out for tampering. Hackers have been known to stick their own QR codes over legitimate ones. If you see any sign of altering or placement that looks slapdash, don’t give that code a scan.
7. Install mobile security. Comprehensive online protection software can protect your mobile devices as well as your computers and laptops. In this case, it can detect bad links associated with QR codes and steer you clear of accessing the malicious sites and downloads associated with them.
QR codes have made transactions smoother and accessing helpful content on our phones much quicker, especially in recent months as they’ve seen an uptick in use. And useful as they are like other means of paying or browsing online, keep an eye open when using them. With this advice as a guide, if something doesn’t feel right, keep your smartphone in your pocket and away from that QR code.
The post Be on the Lookout for a New Wave of QR Code Scams appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Take a roll call of all your devices that connect to the internet. These include the obvious ones – laptops, tablets, and your smartphone. But they also include the ones you may not immediately think about, such as routers, smart TVs and thermostats, virtual assistant technology, and connected fitness watches and equipment.
Each of these devices is known as an endpoint to you. To a cybercriminal, they’re an entry point into your online information. It’s important to secure every endpoint so that you can confidently go about your day-to-day without worrying about your security. Here’s the definitive device security checklist to get you on your way confidently and safely.
Laptops and desktops are prime entryways into your online life. Think of all the payment information, passwords, and maybe even tax documents you store on it. The best way to protect the contents of your laptops and desktops is to password-protect your computer with strong passwords or passphrases. Here are a few password and passphrase best practices:
Especially if you work at common spaces like coffee shops, the library, or even your kitchen table, get in the habit of putting your computer to sleep when you step away. Commit the sleep command shortcut to memory to make it less of a hassle. For example, on Mac computers, the keyboard command is command + option + eject, and for Windows, it’s alt + F4.
Speaking of common spaces, whenever you log in from a public Wi-Fi network, always log in with a virtual private network (VPN). A VPN scrambles your data, making it indecipherable to any malicious characters who may be lurking on public networks.
Multifactor authentication is another way to protect your valuable devices and accounts. This means that anyone trying to log in on your device needs to provide at least two forms of identification. Forms of ID could include a text message with a one-time code or a fingerprint or face scan in addition to a correct password.
These two devices are grouped because the security features on them are similar. Just like with computers, put your device to sleep every time you walk away from it. It’s much easier and may already be in your routine to hit the sleep button when you put down your cellphone or tablet.
Always put a passcode on your smartphones and tablets. Choose a collection of numbers that do not have an obvious connection to you, such as important birthdays or parts of your phone number. Even if they’re a random assortment, you’ll get the hang of them quickly. Or to make sure only you can enter your phone, set up a facial or fingerprint ID scan. People have several passwords and account combinations they have to remember. To take the guesswork and trial and error of logging in, consider trusting your passwords to a password manager that can remember them for you!
A great mobile phone and tablet habit you should adopt is backing up your files regularly to the cloud. In the event that you lose your device or if someone steals it, at least it’s valuable — and in some cases, priceless — content is safe. You may be able to remotely “brick” your device to keep a stranger from breaking into your accounts. Bricking a device means remotely wiping a connected device and rendering it unusable.
Your router is the gateway to all the connected devices in your home; thus, it’s key to beef up its security. The best way to do so is to make sure that you customize the router name and password to make it different from the factory settings. Always password-protect your home router! Employing password best practices you use for your online accounts and your devices will prevent strangers from hopping onto your network. Another way to keep your Wi-Fi network out of the hands of strangers is to toggle on the setting to not appear to non-users. While it’s fun seeing the quirky names your neighbors choose for their home networks, it’s best to keep yours completely private.
There have been some unsettling reports about cybercriminals commandeering smart home devices and virtual assistant technology. For example, a cybercriminal hacked a homeowner’s virtual assistant and blasted music through the home’s speakers, and turn the heat up to 90 degrees. The key to securing the connected devices that are responsible for your heating and cooling, shopping lists, and even your home security system is to ensure it is connected to a secure router and protected by a strong password.
Also, keep an eye on software updates, which include security upgrades. If you don’t think you have time to manually update software, set up your devices to automatically update. This will give you peace of mind knowing that you have the latest security patches and bug fixes as soon as they are available.
IoT fitness watches and machines are fun additions to your workout routines. In the case of Peloton bikes, they track your heartbeat and location and offer a huge library of classes. However, cybercriminals may be able to track your workouts if they break their way into your fitness devices. The best way to keep your workouts private is to turn off geolocation and make sure you are up to date with all software releases and protect your accounts with strong passwords.
If you’re looking for a tool to put your mind at ease, consider McAfee Total Protection. It includes antivirus and safe browsing software plus a secure VPN. You can be confident that your personal information is safe, thus allowing you to enjoy the full potential of all your devices.
The post How to Secure All Your Everyday Connected Devices appeared first on McAfee Blog.
A good time to check if someone is using your identity is before it even happens.
One of identity theft’s several downsides is how people discover they’ve become a victim in the first place—by surprise. They go to rent an apartment, open a line of credit, or apply for financing, only to discover that their finances or reputation has taken a hit because of identity thief.
And those hits add up, particularly when you look at the dollars involved. In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported $3.3 billion in financial losses from 4.7 million reported cases of fraud, a 45% increase over the year prior. Of those reports, identity theft was the leading fraud category, accounting for 29% of fraud incidents.
Plenty. Depending on the type and amount of information an identity thief gets their hands on, they can harm your finances and reputation in several ways, including:
Rather than ending up with a rude and potentially costly surprise of your own, you can get ahead of thieves by checking to see if someone is using your identity before it’s a problem or before it really takes root.
Major data breaches that expose personal information seem to hit the headlines with some regularity, not to mention the many, many more that don’t get national or international press coverage. Most recently we have the Neiman Marcus breach, where this major retailer alerted 4.6 million customers that “an unauthorized party obtained personal information associated with certain Neiman Marcus customers’ online accounts.”
And as it is with many such breaches, it took quite some time before the theft of information was discovered. Per Neiman Marcus, it’s believed that the breach occurred in May 2020 and only discovered in September of 2021. Potentially compromised information included:
Whether or not you have reason to suspect that your information got caught up in this recent large-scale breach, it serves as a good reminder that any time is the right time to check up on your identity. Acting now can save headaches, potentially big headaches, later.
Quite a bit of identity theft prevention begins with taking stock of the accounts and services you have in your name. This ranges anywhere from bank accounts to public utilities and from credit cards to loans, all of which contain varying degrees of personal information about you. With a sense of where your personal identity is being used, you can better look for instances where it’s being misused.
Ways you can spot for possible identity theft include:
If you stop receiving a bill that normally comes to you, such as a utility bill or for a department store credit card, that could be a sign that a thief has changed the mailing address and has potentially hijacked your identity.
This is rather straightforward, yet it reminds us how important it is to look at our statements closely. Charges that you didn’t ring up or that seem slightly higher than normal are a surefire sign that you should follow up with the bank or company involved and let them know of possible fraud.
In the U.S., you have annual access to free credit reports from the major credit reporting agencies. Not only will this give you a sense of your credit score, but it will also show the credit that’s open in your name, along with addresses associated with your identity. Spotting an account that you haven’t signed up for or seeing an address of a residence that you’re not renting are other common signs that your identity may have been compromised.
With the number of accounts many of us have these days, a credit monitoring service can help you stay on top of what’s happening in your name. Often offered through banks, credit unions, and even insurance providers, credit monitoring can alert you in several instances, including:
Overall, credit monitoring can act as another set of eyes for you and spot potential identity issues. Different services provide different levels of monitoring, so consider reviewing a few options to find the one that works best for you.
One like our own Identity Protection Service will monitor several types of personally identifiable information, alert you of potentially stolen personal info, and offer guided help to neutralize the threat—in addition to offering several preventative steps to help keep theft from happening in the first place. With this set up on your computers and smartphone you can stay in the know and address issues immediately.
Along with keeping an eye on what’s happening with your identity online and elsewhere, there are a few more things you can do to make it tougher for thieves to steal your identity.
Given all the banking and shopping we do on our computers and phones, installing and using comprehensive online protection software is a must these days. It puts several layers of security in place, such as creating complex passwords automatically, shielding credit card info from prying eyes, and protecting your privacy and data online by connecting with a VPN. In short, online protection software acts as a solid first line of defense.
As mentioned above, comprehensive online protection software often includes a password manager that can generate strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts and remember them for you. It’s extra protection that makes life a lot easier for you by managing all the accounts you’re juggling. Also, use MFA (multi-factor authentication) on the accounts that give you the option, which makes it harder for a thief to crack your accounts with a password alone.
Sensitive documents come in all forms. Top-of-the-line examples include things like tax returns, bank statements, and financial records. Yet there are also things like your phone and utility bills, statements from your doctor’s office, and offers that come to you via mail. Together, these things can contain personal information such as account numbers, your full Social Security Number, the last four digits of your Social Security Number (which can still be useful to thieves), and other information that may uniquely identify you. You’ll want to dispose of sensitive documents like these so that they can’t be harvested by hackers.
For physical documents, consider the low-cost investment of a paper shredder to help ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands when you are done with them. (And let’s face it, they’re fun to use!) For digital documents, simply deleting a file is not enough – online protection software is a great resource that often includes a digital document shredder, designed to render the data practically unusable when you’re ready to trash the file.
Your Social Security Number is one of the most prized possessions a thief can run away with because it is so closely associated with you and things like your tax returns, employment, and so on. Keep it stored in a safe location rather than on your person or in your wallet. Likewise, be careful about giving out your SSN. While organizations like the IRS, your bank, and employer require it, there are other organizations who do not—but may ask for it anyway. (Doctor’s offices are a prime example.) If you get such a request, ask them what they intend to use it for and then ask if another form of identification will work instead.
Phishing attacks are one of the primary ways identity thieves steal personal information. Whether they come via a direct message, on social media, or through email, text, or phone calls, thieves use them to harvest your personal info by posing as a legitimate organization—such as in this recent IRS phishing scam. Phishing is a topic all unto itself, and you can check out this quick read to see how you can spot phishing scams and protect yourself from them.
Like any criminal, identity thieves do their dirtiest work in the shadows—quietly stealing money under your nose, or worse, as we outlined above. By shining a light on your identity and keeping regular track of what’s happening with it, you can spot unusual activity right away. Even the small stuff is important. A co-worker of mine once saw an incorrect address listed on his credit report. Turned out, that address was used to rack up several large charges at a retailer, which he was able to fix with the aid of the credit reporting agency and the retailer in question.
No doubt about it. Identity theft is indeed on the rise, and your best bet to avoid such a nasty surprise is to keep an eye on your digital identity the same way you keep an eye on your actual wallet.
The post How to Check if Someone is Using Your Identity appeared first on McAfee Blog.
We hope you’ve enjoyed Cyber Awareness month. This year’s theme asked us all to do our part to stay safer online. The idea is that if we each take steps to secure our lives online, then together we all contribute to creating a safer, more secure internet. Of course, it’s our job to help you #BeCyberSmart. With that in mind, we’ve pulled together all the safety tips we featured in October. From family security to protecting your latest smart home gadgets, they’re all here and organized by theme. So take a look below and let’s all do our part today, tomorrow, and in the year to come!
10 quick tips for keeping the whole family safe
Online security for senior citizens
A quick list of tips for protecting kids on apps and social networking
How to protect baby’s first digital footprints
Millennials are major targets for identity theft. Check out this quick guide for protecting identity online
Ways for online gamers to #BeCyberSmart.
#Phishing is a common #scam that pops up in emails, DMs, and texts where crooks try and get you to click sketchy links. Learn how to spot them.
Securing your mobile phone.
Protecting your #socialmedia accounts from hacks and attacks.
Keeping the whole family safer
Spotting fake news and misinformation
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/spot-fake-news-and-misinformation-in-your-social-media-feed
How to avoid oversharing online.
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/family-safety/is-this-tmi
Managing your personal photos online safely.
Interested in starting a podcast? Here are some tips to get you started.
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/entertainment-fromhome-how-to-start-your-own-podcast
Check out some tips for keeping your family safe when you hit the road with your phones, tablets, and laptops
Have smart home devices like a doorbell or smart lightbulbs? See how you can enjoy it all safely
Staying safe while banking online
App scams aimed at kids
https://www.mcafee.com/blogs/consumer/family-safety/9-tips-to-help-kids-avoid-popular-app-scams
Take a look at some of the ways you can improve your privacy
Using payment apps safely
Protecting kids from identity theft
Let’s talk online shopping and ways you can score some great deals safely during a time of year when hackers break out some of their oldest (yet effective) tricks
Thanks for celebrating Cyber Awareness month with us this October. More importantly, we hope you’re able to take the tips above and not only make your life safer but also the lives of friends and family as well. After all, we all need to do our part to #BeCyberSmart and protected online.
The post Do your part and #BeCyberSmart with these online safety tips appeared first on McAfee Blog.
After more than a century of technological innovation since the first units rolled off Henry Ford’s assembly lines, automobiles, and transportation bear little in common with the Model T era. This evolution will continue as society finds better ways to achieve the outcome of moving people from point A to point B.
While Secure Web Gateways (SWGs) have operated on a far more compressed timetable, a similarly drastic evolution has taken place. SWGs are still largely focused on ensuring users are protected from unsafe or non-compliant corners of the internet, but the transition to a cloud and remote-working world has created new security challenges that the traditional SWG is no longer equipped to handle. It’s time for the next generation of SWGs that can empower users to thrive safely in an increasingly decentralized and dangerous world.
The SWG actually started out as a URL filtering solution that enabled organizations to ensure that employees’ web browsing complied with corporate internet access policy.
URL filtering then transitioned to proxy servers sitting behind corporate firewalls. Since proxies terminate traffic coming from users and complete the connection to the desired websites, security experts quickly saw the potential to perform more thorough inspection than just comparing URLs to existing blacklists. By incorporating anti-virus and other security capabilities, the “Secure Web Gateway” became a critical part of modern security architectures. However, the traditional SWG could only play this role if it was the chokepoint for all internet traffic, sitting at the edge of every corporate network perimeter and having remote users “hairpin” back through that network via VPN or MPLS links.
The transition to a cloud and remote-working world has put new burdens on the traditional perimeter-based SWG. Users can now directly access IT infrastructure and connected resources from virtually any location from a variety of different devices, and many of those resources no longer reside within the network perimeter on corporate servers.
This remarkable transformation also expands the requirements for data and threat protection, leaving security teams to grapple with a number of new sophisticated threats and compliance challenges. Unfortunately, traditional SWGs haven’t been able to keep pace with this evolving threat landscape, resulting in an inefficient architecture that fails to deliver the potential of the distributed workforce.
Just about every major breach now involves sophisticated multi-level web components that can’t be stopped by a static engine. The traditional SWG approach has been to coordinate with other parts of the security infrastructure, including malware sandboxes. But as threats have become more advanced and complex, doing this has resulted in slowing down performance or letting threats get through. This is where Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) brings in a paradigm shift to advanced threat protection. When RBI is implemented as an integral component of SWG traffic inspection, it can deliver real-time, zero-day protection against ransomware, phishing attacks, and other advanced malware so that even the most sophisticated threats can’t get through, without hindering the browsing experience.
Another issue with most traditional SWGs is that they aren’t able to sufficiently protect data as it flows from distributed users to cloud apps, due to lacking advanced data protection and cloud app intelligence. Without Data Loss Prevention (DLP) technology that is advanced enough to understand the nature of cloud apps and to keep up with evolved safety demands, organizations can find data protection gaps in their SWG solutions that keep them vulnerable to risks.
Finally, there is the question of cloud applications. While cloud applications operate on the same internet as traditional websites, they function in a fundamentally different way that traditional SWGs simply can’t understand. Cloud Access Security Brokers (CASBs) are designed to provide visibility and control over cloud applications, and if the SWG doesn’t have access to a comprehensive CASB application database and sophisticated CASB controls, it is effectively blind to the cloud. It’s only a cloud-aware SWG with integrated CASB functionality that can extend data protection to all websites and cloud applications, empowering organizations and their users to be better protected against advanced threats.
A next-gen SWG should help simplify the implementation of Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture and help accelerate secure cloud adoption. At the same time, it needs to provide advanced threat protection, unified data control, and efficiently enable a remote and distributed workforce.
Here are some of the use cases:
SWGs have clearly come a long way from just being URL filtering devices to the point where they are essential to furthering the safe and accelerated adoption of the cloud. But we need to push the proverbial envelope a lot further. Digital transformation demands nothing less.
The post What to Expect from the Next Generation of Secure Web Gateways appeared first on McAfee Blog.
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