Login
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.
Most of us use the internet every day, so we’re comfortable sharing a lot of information online. However, cybercriminals want us to get a bit too comfortable so they can take our personal or financial data and use it for their benefit. This is called identity theft, and it can cost people money and may dip their credit score.
Fortunately, you can help minimize what happens by knowing the signs of identity theft and taking fast action when you recognize them. Find out how below.
Being online comes with many benefits, but it can also come with some risks. Identity theft usually begins with the criminal accessing sensitive personal data, such as Social Security numbers, birth dates, home addresses, bank account information, and driver’s license details. The fraudster can then take this information to fake your identity, using it to take out credit cards, apply for loans, and more.
Here’s a quick look at some ways identity thieves can get their hands on your valuable data:
There are many ways thieves can get their hands on your data. Luckily, there are ways you can protect yourself against these methods. For example, you can protect your computer, tablet, or mobile device against hackers by equipping it with a strong password and safeguarding against phishing by adding a firewall and utilizing a virtual private network (VPN) like those offered by McAfee.
With some best practices, you can protect your data and help safeguard you and your family against identity theft. One way to continue living your best life online is to watch for potential warning signs of identity theft. This ensures you can take fast action and minimize the effects if you’re targeted. Here are some essential signs to look out for.
Financial identity theft is one of the most common types of identity theft, and credit cards are a popular target. The rise in online shopping has made credit card fraud even more common.
Your online banking portal or app should allow you to set up alerts to email, call, or text you about suspected fraudulent credit card charges. If you get an alert, someone may have taken your identity.
If you apply for a loan or line of credit and your application is denied, dig deeper. A rejection could indicate that your credit score is lower than you thought, possibly due to fraudulent activity. For example, someone may use your information to get new credit cards and not pay them off, leaving you responsible.
Changes in your credit score can indicate identity theft. For example, if someone takes out utility bills in your name and doesn’t pay them, your credit score may dip. Checking your credit report from each of the three major credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion) can help pinpoint the problem.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) allows U.S. consumers to get a free credit report every 12 months. Just visit AnnualCreditReport.com to get a copy of yours from the credit reporting agencies. You can also pay for credit monitoring services to track your score.
Once identity thieves obtain enough data, including your name and address, they might be able to open new accounts and credit cards. When you check your credit report, keep an eye out for new accounts that you didn’t open. Another red flag is if you start getting bank statements or bills addressed to you for accounts you don’t recognize.
Companies are required to notify customers of data breaches that could impact them. For example, if you save your payment information and home address on a music streaming provider’s website and their database is hacked, identity thieves may get your data. Keep an eye out for notifications and read the news. The McAfee blog is another great resource for information on data breaches.
If debt collectors start calling, be cautious, especially if they’re referring to accounts you aren’t familiar with. Don’t provide personal information to any collection agencies that call, as this can be a potential phishing scam. However, it’s a good idea to follow up on these cases by checking your credit report for new accounts. You could be liable if someone opened accounts under your name and didn’t pay them.
Medical theft occurs when a fraudster imitates another person to get health care or supplies. For example, a person might use your identity to get prescription medication at a pharmacy. If you get unfamiliar medical bills, follow up. Incorrect medical records could impact your insurance premiums or interfere with your ability to get the care you need in the future.
This could be an indicator of synthetic identity theft. This occurs when a fraudster creates a fake identity using various people’s real information. For example, they may use your address and Social Security number and another person’s photo to create a fake persona that’s creditworthy. They can then take out credit cards in that fake person’s name.
If you receive a confirmation of an annual tax filing before you’ve filed, take note. Criminals may try to file a tax return for another person to access their tax refund. Alternatively, you may find that you’re unable to e-file your taxes, which can occur if someone else has already filed under your name.
No one wants their identity stolen, but it’s still good to be prepared if it does happen. If you notice the above red flags, here are some steps you may need to take:
You may also want to visit IdentityTheft.gov to report identity theft and find resources to help guide your recovery plan.
Worries about identity fraud shouldn’t prevent your household from enjoying the benefits of a connected world. McAfee’s identity theft protection services can help you enjoy everyday conveniences while keeping you safe. Packages can be tailored to your needs, including 24/7 monitoring, ID theft coverage, VPN services, and more. It’s guided online protection made easy.
The post 9 Ways to Determine If Your Identity Has Been Stolen appeared first on McAfee Blog.
We’re online more than ever, in large part because it allows us to take advantage of online conveniences like bill pay and booking appointments. But these many benefits might also leave us exposed to risks, like identity theft.
Identity theft is characterized by one person using another’s personal or financial data for their benefit. Cybercriminals may take information like a person’s name, birthday, Social Security number, driver’s license number, home address, and bank account information and use it for their benefit. A name and matching financial information, for instance, can be used to apply for credit cards or open new accounts.
The good news is that you can safeguard yourself and your family with some best practices — allowing you to enjoy your best life online and worry less about cybercriminals. Share these 10 tips with your family to help keep your entire household safe.
A good habit to get into is to password-protect your computer, tablet, and mobile devices through unique, strong passwords. These devices are home to some of your most sensitive information, including everything from emails to apps that connect to your bank accounts. So, if these devices fall into the wrong hands, a password makes it harder to access your personal data.
Take some time to come up with your passwords, though. It’s important to create strong passwords that hackers can’t guess. A strong password will include a mix of symbols, numbers, and letters. Steer clear of simple passwords like “123456” (it might seem obvious, but this is one of the most common passwords people use). Also, avoid including information that other people can guess, like your birthdate, home address, or name.
Don’t forget to use different passwords for different accounts. If you use the same password across multiple accounts, and a fraudster gains access to one account, they may access the others. Fortunately, McAfee’s identity protection services include a password manager, which can help secure your account credentials across multiple devices. This tool encrypts passwords, storing them safely and making it easy to keep track of them.
Identity thieves are skilled at leveraging new technologies. Phishing is one great example of this. Phishing involves criminals masquerading as trustworthy entities, such as government agencies or banks, and using this trusted position to get sensitive information. Phishing scams started with traditional mail. They’re now also done via phone, text, and email.
As a general rule of thumb, never give out any personal information when contacted by a business, bank, or another entity. Also, make sure your email spam filters detect phishing attempts. Never open emails from people you don’t know, and don’t download email attachments without knowing what they are. Some phishing emails include malware, which can infiltrate your device and access personal data. A McAfee Total Protection plan is an all-in-one protection solution that can help you detect and avoid malware.
Fraudulent websites may also use phishing techniques. A website may look similar to the legitimate website of a mortgage lender, bank, or credit card company but might be a fraudulent platform seeking to get information from consumers. Always verify that any website you visit is the legitimate website of the institution, and consider McAfee antivirus software, which offers a safe browsing solution.
When financial identity theft occurs, this can also impact financial institutions like banks and lenders. So, they’re eager to prevent fraud, as well. One way they do this is through fraud alerts. You can set up your online banking to issue fraud alerts — for example, via an email, text message, or phone call — if your bank suspects suspicious activity on your account.
In some cases, a bank will also freeze your account until you verify whether the activity is legitimate. This is a common tactic used to protect against credit card fraud. Geo-control is one example: If you live in the U.S., but a German IP address uses your credit card, your credit card provider will likely issue an alert. You can also set up alerts for certain transaction amounts or types.
Your credit report is one of the most powerful tools you have at your disposal for catching identity thieves and stopping them in their tracks. You’re entitled to a free credit report every 12 months via AnnualCreditReport.com, an initiative of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You can get a free copy of your report from each major credit bureau: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion.
Review your report thoroughly, checking for inaccuracies. When credit monitoring, check your:
If you find any discrepancies, contact the appropriate credit reporting company. You should also contact the relevant financial institution and visit IdentityTheft.gov. You can report the suspected identity theft and find resources to help you recover.
Social media is great for connecting with others online, but it does open the door to some vulnerabilities. Be careful about what you post, and steer clear of sharing personal details like your home address, children’s names, pet’s names, or birthdays, which some people use as passwords. If a social media platform offers two-factor authentication, opt in.
Images are another touchy subject. Never post photos that include private data, like a picture of your passport or vaccine card. Consider what’s in the background of any photos — from your home (with a house number) to mail with your address. Finally, you may want to set your visibility to private on all social media accounts, limiting who can view them. And even if your account is private, you should still follow the above tips.
Some identity thieves get people’s personal information by dumpster diving. One solution? Invest in a paper shredder. You’ll be able to shred documents into tiny bits that are hard to piece together, making it that much harder for someone else to piece together any personal information they contain.
Here are some documents worth shredding:
If you’re not sure whether something needs to be shredded, go ahead and destroy it. It only takes seconds, and you’re better off safe than sorry.
Whether you use a computer, tablet, or mobile device for many of your online activities, like paying bills, these devices contain a lot of personal data. So, it’s good to protect them from hackers. Install antivirus software like McAfee’s to protect against viruses and spyware. It would be best if you also had a firewall, which is a network security system that controls the incoming and outgoing network traffic based on set security parameters.
To take your device security a step further, you may also want to invest in a virtual private network (VPN). This helps hide your online activity. It can safeguard against hackers on public networks but is also worth using at home. It hides details like browsing activity, personal data, and IP address from potential snoops. McAfee also offers VPN services.
While your computer, tablet, or mobile device may hold a great deal of personal data, you likely also have hard copies of sensitive documents worth protecting. Documents like your birth certificate, Social Security card, and passport contain valuable information that identity thieves can use for personal gain, so you want to make sure they’re kept in a safe space.
Don’t simply shove these documents into your desk drawer. It’s best to keep them in a locked, fireproof home safe with a secure code. To keep things organized, put each document in a protective plastic sleeve and put the sleeves in a binder. This can be useful if you have a large family and need to keep track of everyone’s data.
Sophisticated hackers don’t just target individuals. They may also try to infiltrate businesses, government agencies, higher education institutions, health care facilities, and any other organization that gathers sensitive consumer information. If an entity is subject to a data breach, they’re legally required to notify any consumers who may have been impacted.
However, it’s still good to inform yourself about potential breaches that may affect you. Larger-scale data security risks are usually reported in the media. We also post about data breaches on the McAfee blog. If an entity you do business with has been affected, change your passwords and the passwords of any related accounts immediately.
Knowing possible signs of identity theft can help you catch it early so that you can continue to enjoy your time online. Educate yourself and your family about these warning signs, ensuring everybody stays safe. Here are some possible indications identity thieves have targeted you:
The internet keeps all of us connected, but that’s why identity theft protection is important. With people increasingly connected, doing more, and sharing more online, cybercriminals can pinpoint weaknesses and take advantage. Hackers are ready to leverage your information for personal gain, and identity theft is no exception.
McAfee is here to help. McAfee’s identity protection services provide 24/7 monitoring of your email addresses and bank accounts, providing up to $1 million worth of ID theft coverage. You deserve to enjoy the comfort offered by the internet without stressing about identity theft. Implement the best practices above in your household so that you and your loved ones can stay connected with confidence.
The post 10 Ways to Protect Your Identity 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.
Have you noticed that when parents gather, it doesn’t take long before the topic of kids and social media comes up. That’s because concern over screen time is a big deal, especially in this post-pandemic season. Parents want to know: How much is too much screen time? When should we step in? How do we reverse poor habits, and what will the lasting digital fallout of the lockdown be?
These conversations weigh heavy on parents for a good reason. According to a report from Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day. Tweens (ages 8 to 12) spend four hours and 44 minutes daily. This is time outside of schoolwork.
Since the pandemic, another study claims that screen time for teens doubled to 7.7 hours a day—plus 5 to 7 daily hours of online learning, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics. In addition, according to the Journal of Affective Disorders Reports, children overall have been spending nearly triple the recommended amount of time on their screens.
The good news is that social media also became a powerful tool for kids during the pandemic. Social channels helped kids connect with peers and combat loneliness and other mental health challenges. Still, the poor habit of device dependence may have come with those benefits.
While the debate continues over social media’s impact on kids and the research methodology continues to evolve, we can hold on to one clear truth: Any activity in excess can cause kids harm. When it comes to social media, too much screen time may contribute to sleep deprivation, a lack of healthy, and poor academics. In addition, studies show that mental health can be impacted by exposure to hate speech, sexual content, cyberbullying, and comparing oneself to others both physically and financially.
As parents, we know when our family’s wellbeing is in jeopardy. We see it even if we fail to acknowledge it right away. Our kids might become compelled to check their phones. In fact, they panic when they can’t check their likes and comments every few minutes. We notice the red eyes and moodiness at the breakfast table caused by a late-night Tic Tock marathon. We sense a surge of anxiety in our kids when technology goes from entertaining to distressing.
Thankfully, it’s never too late to help your kids better understand the impact of their actions and revise digital habits.
In the bestselling book Atomic Habits, author James Clear says, “The task of breaking a bad habit is like uprooting a powerful oak within us.” He adds, “The task of building a good habit is like cultivating a delicate flower one day at a time.” Lasting change, says clear, needs to be enjoyable, not a punishment. If the goal is shaving a few hours off your child’s screen time, consider connecting time limits to an enjoyable activity such as making a meal together or creating an art space in your home for creative projects.
The data is in: The bright screens (and blue light emitted from devices( can cause permanent sleep cycle and brain/melatonin issues, which can have a cascading effect on physical and mental health. Turning off (or limiting the use of) electronic devices at least 15-30 minutes before going to bed may help prevent any adverse effects of technology and screen use on sleep. Consider investing in filtering software that comes with the time limits the whole family can all agree on. Do your research to ensure your family’s technology functions to empower, educate, and entertain.
Consider how your child uses their time before suggesting sweeping changes to your child’s screen time. Are they vegetating, or are they consciously engaged? Are they creating and learning? Are they engaging with others or stalking accounts and slipping into “comparison despair?” Are family and school responsibilities suffering? Is there a compulsion to post or thoughtfulness? All kids are different, and all online experiences vary. Encourage your child to take time to consider how they feel and what they think while they are using their technology.
One way to negotiate screen limits is to make sure your kids understand the impact of excess media. Balance includes tapping into the benefits of social media while also taking steps to protect the body’s need for physical activity, real-life relationships, goal-setting, creative activities, mindfulness, and self-reflection.
Helping kids manage and constantly revise their social media habits is a 24/7 endeavor from the minute they wake up to the minute they fall asleep. The biggest piece of that “management” plan and is keeping frequent, open, and honest communication a critical part of designing habits that encourage a healthy relationship with both peers and technology.
The post Does Your Child Have an Unhealthy Relationship with Social Media? 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.
With the holidays on the horizon, spirits are high—and it’s those same high spirits that hackers want to exploit. ‘Tis the season for clever social engineering attacks that play on your emotions, designed to trick you into giving up personal info or access to your accounts.
Social engineering attacks unfold much like a confidence scam. A crook takes advantage of someone’s trust, applies a little human psychology to further fool the victim, and then pulls off a theft. Online, a social engineering attack will likely involve a theft attempt of personal or account information that the crook can then use to make purchases, drain accounts, and so forth.
Not at all in the holiday spirit, right? Let’s take a look at some of their top tricks so that you can spot and avoid them.
As said, spirits can get high this time of year. There’s looking forward to gatherings with family and friends, the fun that comes along with hunting for that perfect gift, and the excitement of the holidays overall. And that’s what hackers count on—people getting caught up in the rush of the holidays, to the point where they may not look at emails, offers, shipping notices, and such with a critical eye. That’s how the scammers get their foot in the door.
Some of their favored tricks can look a little like this:
What are the holidays without that trendy “must-get” gift item, the one that’s seemingly out of stock no matter where you look? Scammers are keen on these items as well and will prop up phony ads and storefronts that pretend to sell those items but really don’t. Instead, they’re just a shady way for them to steal your debit or credit card information—or to lift a few bucks out of your pocket in return for nothing.
One way to keep from getting burned by one of these scams is to follow the old adage, “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.” In this case, crooks are using feelings of scarcity and urgency to get you to bite. Here’s where you can take a moment before you click to do some research.
Answers to these questions can separate the good businesses from the bogus ones.
Like the above, crooks will create a sense of urgency about a hot holiday item or limited time offer. The twist comes when they request payment via a gift card rather than by credit or debit card or other legitimate online payment methods. This request is highly deliberate because gift cards are much like cash. Once the money on the card is spent, it’s gone, and these cards do not offer the same protections that come with other payment methods.
You can avoid this one easily. If anyone asks you to use a gift card as payment, it’s a scam. Gift cards are for gifts, not payment, says the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If you come across such a scam, you can report it to the FTC as well.
Donating to a charity in someone else’s name is often a popular gift. Much the same, giving a donation to a worthy cause feels particularly good this time of year. Once again, scammers will take advantage of these good intentions by propping up phony charities designed to do nothing more than dupe you out of your money. Whether that’s a flat-out phony charity or one of the many other scam charities that have been known to pocket 90 cents of every dollar donated, this is the time of year to be on the lookout for both.
The advice here is much the same as the advice for avoiding phony businesses and retailers. Do your homework. The Better Business Bureau maintains a listing of charities that can help you make good donation choices. Also, your state government’s charity officials can help you separate good charities from bad—and even file a report if you suspect a scam is at play.
And once again, if a charity is asking for donations in the form of cash, gift cards, or wire transfer, just say no. That’s a surefire sign of a scam.
Scammers know you have packages in transit this holiday season, loaded with gifts that you’re eagerly tracking. Enter another classic scam—the phony shipping notice. The idea is that you already have so many packages on their way that you won’t think twice about opening an email with a “shipping notice” that comes in the form of an attachment. Of course, that attachment is a fake. And it’s loaded with malware.
Too bad for scammers, though. This is another one you can steer clear of rather easily. Don’t open such attachments. Shipping companies will almost certainly send along notices and invoices in the body of an email, not as an attachment. If you have a question, you can always visit the shipper’s website and look up your tracking info there. Likewise, follow up with the customer service department of the company that you purchased the item from in the first place.
While the holidays are a special time for scammers too, there are several things you can do to up the level of your protection now and year ‘round. A quick list includes:
No doubt, the holidays have a feel all to themselves, one which hackers and crooks want to take advantage of. They’ll craft their tricks accordingly and try to twist the good times that roll around at the end of the year into scams that capitalize on your good intentions. As you can see, it’s not too tough to spot them for what they are if you pause and take a moment to scrutinize those emails, offers, and sales. And that’s the thing with the holidays. We can all feel pinched for time at some point or other during this stretch. Look out for their pressure tactics and seemingly clever ways of using social engineering to rip you off. That way, you can spend the holidays focusing on what’s important—your friends and family.
The post Social Engineering: Tis the Season for Tricky Hackers appeared first on McAfee Blog.
Can thieves steal identities with only a name and address?
In short, the answer is “no.” Which is a good thing, as your name and address are in fact part of the public record. Anyone can get a hold of them. However, because they are public information, they are still tools that identity thieves can use.
If you think of your identity as a jigsaw puzzle, your name and address are the first two pieces that they can use to build a bigger picture and ultimately put your identity at risk.
With that, let’s look at some other key pieces of your identity that are associated with your name and address—and what you can do to protect them.
For starters, this information is so general that it is of little value in of itself to an identity thief. Yet a determined identity thief can do a bit of legwork and take a few extra steps to use them as a springboard for other scams.
For example, with your name and address a thief could:
There are volumes of public information that are readily available should someone want to add some more pieces to your identity jigsaw puzzle, such as:
In the U.S., the availability of such information will vary from state-to-state and different levels of government may have different regulations about what information gets filed—in addition to whether and how those reports are made public. Globally, different nations and regions will collect varying amounts of public information and have their own regulations in place as well. More broadly, though, many of these public databases are now online. Consequently, accessing them is easier than the days when getting a hold of that information required an in-person visit a library or public office.
Thieves can gain additional information about you from other online sources, such as data brokers. And data brokerage is a big business, a global economy estimated at $200 billion U.S. dollars a year. What fuels it? Personal information, representing thousands of data points on billions of people scraped from public records, social media, smartphone apps, shopper loyalty cards, third-party sources, and sometimes other data broker sites as well.
The above-the-board legal intent of data broker sites is to sell that information to advertisers so that they can create highly targeted campaigns based on people’s behaviors, travels, interests, and even political leanings. Others such as law enforcement officials, journalists, and others who are conducting background checks will use them too.
On the dark side, hackers, scammers, and thieves will buy this information as well, which they can use to commit identity theft and fraud. The thing is, data brokers will sell to anyone. They don’t discriminate.
Phishing attacks aren’t just for email, texts, and direct messages. In fact, thieves are turning to old tricks via old-fashioned physical mail. That includes sending phony offers or by impersonating officials of government institutions, all designed to trick you into giving up your personally identifiable information (PII).
What might that look like in your mailbox? They can take the form of bogus lottery prizes that request bank information for routing (non-existent) winnings. Another favorite of scammers are bogus tax notifications that demand immediate payment. In all, many can look quite convincing at first blush, yet there are ready ways you can spot them. In fact, many of the tips for avoiding these physical mail phishing attacks are the same for avoiding phishing attacks online, which we outline in detail here.
Recently, I’ve seen a few news stories like this where thieves reportedly abuse the change-of-address system with the U.S. Postal Service. Thieves will simply forward your mail to an address of their choosing, which can drop sensitive information like bank and credit card statements in their mailbox. From there, they could potentially have new checks sent to them or perhaps an additional credit card—both of which they can use to drain your accounts and run up your bills.
The Postal Service has mechanisms in place to prevent this, however. Among which, the Postal Service will send you a physical piece of mail to confirm the forwarding. So, if you ever receive mail from the Postal Service, open it and give it a close look. If you get such a notice and didn’t order the forwarding, visit your local post office to get things straightened out. Likewise, if it seems like you’re missing bills in the mail, that’s another good reason to follow up with your post office and the business in question to see if there have been any changes made in your mail forwarding.
So while your name and address are out there for practically all to see, they’re largely of little value to an identity thief on their own. But as mentioned above, they are key puzzle pieces to your overall identity. With enough of those other pieces in hand, that’s where an identity thief can cause trouble.
Other crucial pieces of your identity include:
Let’s start with the biggest one. This is the master key to your identity, as it is one of the most unique identifiers you have. As I covered in my earlier blog on Social Security fraud, a thief can unlock everything from credit history and credit line to tax refunds and medical care with your Social Security or tax ID number. In extreme cases, they can use it to impersonate you for employment, healthcare, and even in the event of an arrest.
You can protect your Social Security Number by keeping it locked in a safe place (rather than in your wallet) and by providing your number only when absolutely necessary. For more tips on keeping your number safe, drop by that blog on Social Security fraud I mentioned.
Thieves have figured out ways of getting around the fact that IDs like these include a photo. They may be able to modify or emulate these documents “well enough” to pull off certain types of fraud, particularly if the people requesting their bogus documents don’t review them with a critical eye.
Protecting yourself in this case means knowing where these documents are at any time. (With passports, you may want to store those securely like your Social Security or tax ID number.) Also be careful when you share this information, as the identifiers on these documents are highly unique. If you’re uncomfortable with sharing this information, you can ask if other forms of ID might work—or if this information is really needed at all. Also, take a moment to make copies of these documents and store them in a secure place. This can help you provide important info to the proper authorities if they’re lost or stolen.
With data breaches large and small making the news (and many more that do not), keeping a sharp eye on your accounts is a major part of identity theft prevention. We talk about this topic quite often, and it’s worth another mention because protecting these means protecting yourself from thieves who’re after direct access to your finances and more.
Secure your digital accounts for banking, credit cards, financials, and shopping by using strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts that you change every 60 days. Sound like a lot of work? Let a password manager do it for you, which you can find in comprehensive online protection software. By changing your strong passwords and keeping them unique can help prevent you from becoming a victim if your account information is part of a breach—by the time a crook attempts to use it, you may have changed it and made it out of date.
In addition to protecting the core forms of identity mentioned above, a few other good habits go a long way toward keeping your identity secure.
By protecting your devices, you protect what’s on them, like your personal information. Comprehensive online protection software can protect your identity in several ways, like creating and managing the strong, unique passwords we talked about and providing further services that monitor and protect your identity—in addition to digital shredders that can permanently remove sensitive documents (simply deleting them won’t do that alone.) Further, it can monitor your identity and monitor your credit, further protecting you from theft and fraud.
Identity theft where thieves dig through trash or go “dumpster diving” for literal scraps of personal info in bills and statements, has been an issue for some time. You can prevent it by shredding up any paper medical bills, tax documents, and checks once you’re through with them. Paper shredders are inexpensive, and let’s face it, kind of fun too. Also, if you’re traveling, have a trusted someone collects your mail or have the post office put a temporary hold on your mail. Thieves still poach mail from mailboxes too.
Getting statements online cuts the paper out of the equation and thus removes another thing that a thief can physically steal and possibly use against you. Whether you use electronic statements through your bank, credit card company, medical provider, or insurance company, use a secure password and a secure connection provided by a VPN. Both will make theft of your personal info far tougher on identity thieves.
A VPN is a Virtual Private Network, a service that protects your data and privacy online. It creates an encrypted tunnel to keep you more anonymous online by masking your IP address, device information, and the data you’re passing along that connection. In this way, it makes if far more difficult for advertisers, data brokers, and bad actors to skim your private information—in addition to shielding your information from crooks and snoops while you’re banking, shopping, or handling any kind of sensitive information online.
Give your statements a close look each time they come around. While many companies and institutions have fraud detection mechanisms in place, they don’t always catch every instance of fraud. Look out for strange purchases or charges and follow up with your bank or credit card company if you suspect fraud. Even the smallest charge could be a sign that something shady is afoot.
This 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.
If the thought of your personal info being bought and sold puts you off, there’s something you can do about it. 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, it can even manage the removal for you.
While thieves need more than just your name and address to commit the overwhelming majority of fraud, your name and address are centerpieces of the larger jigsaw puzzle that is your overall identity.
And the interesting thing is your puzzle gets larger and larger as time goes on. With each new account you create and service that you sign into, that’s one more piece added to the puzzle. Thieves love getting their hands on any pieces they can because with enough of them in place they can try and pull a fast one in your name. By looking after each piece and knowing what your larger jigsaw puzzle looks like, you can help keep identity thieves out of your business and your life.
The post Can Thieves Steal Identities With Only a Name and Address? 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.
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.
When it comes to identity theft, trust your gut when something doesn’t feel right. Follow up. What you’re seeing could be a problem.
A missing bill or a mysterious charge on your credit card could be the tip of an identity theft iceberg, one that can run deep if left unaddressed. Here, we’ll look at several signs of identity theft that likely need some investigation and the steps you can take to take charge of the situation.
Unfortunately, it can happen in several ways.
In the physical world, it can happen simply because you lost your wallet or debit card. However, there are also cases where someone gets your information by going through your mail or trash for bills and statements. In other more extreme cases, theft can happen by someone successfully registering a change of address form in your name (although the U.S. Postal Service has security measures in place that make this difficult).
In the digital world, that’s where the avenues of identity theft blow wide open. It could come by way of a data breach, a thief “skimming” credit card information from a point-of-sale terminal, or by a dedicated crook piecing together various bits of personal information that have been gathered from social media, phishing attacks, or malware designed to harvest information. Additionally, thieves may eavesdrop on public Wi-Fi and steal information from people who’re shopping or banking online without the security of a VPN.
Regardless of how crooks pull it off, identity theft is on the rise. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), identity theft claims jumped up from roughly 650,000 claims in 2019 to nearly 1.4 million in 2020—practically double. Of the reported fraud cases where a dollar loss was reported, the FTC calls out the following top three contact methods for identity theft:
However, phone calls, texts, and email remain the most preferred contact methods that fraudsters use, even if they are less successful in creating dollar losses than malicious websites, ads, and social media.
Identity thieves leave a trail. With your identity in hand, they can charge things to one or more of your existing accounts—and if they have enough information about you, they can even create entirely new accounts in your name. Either way, once an identity thief strikes, you’re probably going to notice that something is wrong. Possible signs include:
As you can see, the signs of possible identity theft can run anywhere from, “Well, that’s strange …” to “OH NO!” However, the good news is that there are several ways to check if someone is using your identity before it becomes a problem – or before it becomes a big problem that gets out of hand.
The point is that if you suspect fraud, you need to act right away. With identity theft becoming increasingly commonplace, many businesses, banks, and organizations have fraud reporting mechanisms in place that can assist you should you have any concerns. With that in mind, here are some immediate steps you can take:
Whether you spot a curious charge on your bank statement or you discover what looks like a fraudulent account when you get your free credit report, let the bank or business involved know you suspect fraud. With a visit to their website, you can track down the appropriate number to call and get the investigation process started.
Some businesses will require you to file a local police report to acquire a case number to complete your claim. Even beyond a business making such a request, filing a report is still a good idea. Identity theft is still theft and reporting it provides an official record of the incident. Should your case of identity theft lead to someone impersonating you or committing a crime in your name, filing a police report right away can help clear your name down the road. Be sure to save any evidence you have, like statements or documents that are associated with the theft. They can help clean up your record as well.
The FTC’s identity theft website is a fantastic resource should you find yourself in need. Above and beyond simply reporting the theft, the FTC can provide you with a step-by-step recovery plan—and even walk you through the process if you create an account with them. Additionally, reporting theft to the FTC can prove helpful if debtors come knocking to collect on any bogus charges in your name. You can provide them with a copy of your FTC report and ask them to stop.
You can place a free one-year fraud alert with one of the major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax), and they will notify the other two. A fraud alert will make it tougher for thieves to open accounts in your name, as it requires businesses to verify your identity before issuing new credit in your name.
A credit freeze goes a step further. As the name implies, a freeze prohibits creditors from pulling your credit report, which is needed to approve credit. Such a freeze is in place until you lift it, and it will also apply to legitimate queries as well. Thus, if you intend to get a loan or new credit card while a freeze is in place, you’ll likely need to take extra measures to see that through. Contact each of the major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion, Equifax) to put a freeze in place or lift it when you’re ready.
This can run the gamut from closing any false accounts that were set up in your name, removing bogus charges, and correcting information in your credit report such as phony addresses or contact information. With your FTC report, you can dispute these discrepancies and have the business correct the record. Be sure to ask for written confirmation and keep a record of all documents and conversations involved.
If you receive a notice from the IRS that someone used your identity to file a tax return in your name, follow the information provided by the IRS in the notice. From there, you can file an identity theft affidavit with the IRS. If the notice mentions that you were paid from an employer you don’t know, contact that employer as well and let them know of possible fraud—namely that someone has stolen your identity and that you don’t truly work for them.
Also, be aware that the IRS has specific guidelines as to how and when they will contact you. As a rule, they will most likely contact you via physical mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. (They won’t call or apply harassing pressure tactics—only scammers do that.) Identity-based tax scams are a topic all of their own, and for more on it, you can check out this article on tax scams and how to avoid them.
Another downside of identity theft is that it can mark the start of a long, drawn-out affair. One instance of theft can possibly lead to another, so even what may appear to be an isolated bad charge on your credit card calls for keeping an eye on your identity. Many of the tools you would use up to this point still apply, such as checking up on your credit reports, maintaining fraud alerts as needed, and reviewing your accounts closely.
With all the time we spend online as we bank, shop, and simply surf, we create and share all kinds of personal information—information that can get collected and even stolen. The good news is that you can prevent theft and fraud with online protection software, such as McAfee+ Ultimate.
With McAfee+ Ultimate you can:
In all, it’s our most comprehensive privacy, identity, and device protection plan, built for a time when we rely so heavily on the internet to go about our day, whether that’s work, play, or simply getting things done.
Realizing that you’ve become a victim of identity theft carries plenty of emotion with it, which is understandable—the thief has stolen a part of you to get at your money, information, and even reputation. Once that initial rush of anger and surprise has passed, it’s time to get clinical and get busy. Think like a detective who’s building – and closing – a case. That’s exactly what you’re doing. Follow the steps, document each one, and build up your case file as you need. Staying cool, organized, and ready with an answer for any questions you’ll face in the process of restoring your identity will help you see things through.
Once again, this is a good reminder that vigilance is the best defense against identity theft from happening in the first place. While there’s no absolute, sure-fire protection against it, there are several things you can do to lower the odds in your favor. And at the top of the list is keeping consistent tabs on what’s happening across your credit reports and accounts.
The post Top Signs of Identity Theft 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.
Customers often ask us some version of this question. It’s a good question and in the past, there was no direct answer – only recommendations. For instance, we recommend online protection that goes beyond antivirus to include identity and privacy protection, as well as promoting safety best practices like using multi-factor authentication. We wondered if there was a simpler and easier way to advise customers how to better protect themselves.
A recent survey shows how important online security has become to consumers. We found that 74% of you have concerns about keeping your information private online. 57% want to be more in control of their personal info online. And, since the pandemic started, 47% of online consumers feel unsafe compared to 29%. Simply put, customers are more conscious of their safety online than ever before, and eager to play an active role in their protection.
It’s time for a new approach – meet the Protection Score.
If you’re thinking this looks like a credit, fitness, sleep, or any of the other scores we now use to visualize and quantify aspects of our life, you’re on the right track.
Your personalized Protection Score is a measure of your security online. The higher your score, the safer you are online. Your score will highlight any weaknesses in your security and help you fix them with easy step-by-step instructions. We’ll also let you know which features haven’t been setup so you can get the most out of your protection.
When we developed Protection Score the idea was to give customers a simple solution to better protect themselves and get the most from their subscription, including security tips to protect their identity, privacy, and devices, while also improving their online habits. We wanted it to be easy for anyone to:
Now that we’ve talked about Protection Score generally, let’s look at how it works in practice. Your score is based on a few things, including setting up your McAfee protection, strengthening your security with our safety recommendations, and ensuring your personal info is safely monitored with Identity Protection.
For example, if your information is exposed in a data breach your score may drop, but you can improve it by following our easy-to-follow remediation steps. Once you’ve completed those steps your score will go back up and you can be confident knowing you’re better protected online.
A perfect score does not mean you’re perfectly safe, but it does mean that you’re doing an excellent job of preventing and managing risks.
Your Protection Score is a great way to understand how safe you are at a glance. Additionally, improving your score ensures your life online is being protected by many of the safety features and benefits McAfee has to offer. For instance, the subscriber, John Smith, can see they’re fairly safe based on their score. However, it isn’t a perfect score and there are a few actions they could still take to improve it. In this case, adding their email and phone number to dark web monitoring – a crucial step in protecting their personally identifiable information online.
Protection Score can be easily accessed* from your browser of choice on any device so you can review our guidance and take steps to improve your score from wherever you are. McAfee’s Protection Score is a first for the cybersecurity industry, but we’re not stopping there. We’re going to continue to improve the feature by adding more personalization and accessibility so you can enjoy your life online knowing exactly how protected you are.
*Note that Protection Score is currently live in the US, Canada, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.
The post Stay on top of your online security with our Protection Score appeared first on McAfee Blog.
“My phone’s been hacked!” Words you probably don’t want to hear or say. Ever.
Your phone gets to be like an old friend after a while. You have things laid out the way you like, your favorite apps are at the ready, and you have the perfect home screen and wallpaper all loaded up. So, if you unlock your phone one day and notice that something is a little … off, you’ll know pretty quickly. And it could be a sign that your phone may be hacked.
It’s often pretty easy to tell when a piece of your tech isn’t working quite right. The performance is off, things crash, and so on. While there are several cases where there’s a legitimate technical issue behind that, it could also be the sign of a hacked device.
Many hacks and attacks involve the installation of malware on the device, which eats up system resources, creates conflicts with other apps, and uses your data or internet connection to pass along your personal information—all of which can make your smartphone feel a little off.
A few examples follow. Note that these may be signs of a hacked phone, yet not always.
A suddenly sluggish phone or one that simply can’t hold a charge anymore are often attributed to phones that are getting a little old (these things happen). Yet, those same behaviors can also be signs of a compromised phone. For example, malicious bitcoin miners can run in the background and cause all types of performance issues because they eat up battery life and take up resources that your phone could otherwise normally use. In a way, it’s like having a second person using your phone at the same time you are.
Similar to the performance issues mentioned above, malware or mining apps running in the background can burn extra computing power, battery life, and data. Aside from a performance hit, they can cause your phone to physically run hot or even overheat. So if your phone feels like it’s been sitting in the sun, this could be a sign that malware is present.
If you’re seeing more popup ads than usual or seeing them for the first time, it could be a sign that your phone has been hit with adware—a type of malicious app that hackers use to generate revenue by distributing ads without the consent of the user. Furthermore, those ads may be malicious in nature as well (which is a good reminder to never click on them). Such ads may lead to bogus products and services or pages designed to steal personal information. All in all, malicious adware is what hackers prop up to make money off unsuspecting people.
A potential telltale sign that your phone has been hacked is the appearance of new apps that you didn’t download, along with spikes in data usage that you can’t account for. Likewise, if you see calls in your phone bill that you didn’t make, that’s a warning as well.
Big red flag here. Like seeing an unknown charge or payment in your bank statement, this is a possible sign that a hacker has hijacked your phone and is using it to transfer data, make purchases, send messages, or make calls via your phone.
To help keep your phone from getting hacked in the first place, there are a few relatively easy steps you can take. Inside of a few minutes, you can find yourself much safer than you were before.
1. Use comprehensive security software on your phone. Over the years, we’ve gotten into the good habit of using this on our computers and laptops. Our phones? Not so much. Installing security software on your smartphone gives you the first line of defense against attacks, plus several of the additional security features mentioned below.
2. Stay safer on the go with a VPN. One way that crooks can hack their way into your phone is via public Wi-Fi, such as at airports, hotels, and even libraries. These networks are public, meaning that your activities are exposed to others on the network—your banking, your password usage, all of it. One way to make a public network private is with a VPN, which can keep you and all you do protected from others on that Wi-Fi hotspot.
3. Use a password manager. Strong, unique passwords offer another primary line of defense. Yet with all the accounts we have floating around, juggling dozens of strong and unique passwords can feel like a task—thus the temptation to use (and re-use) simpler passwords. Hackers love this because one password can be the key to several accounts. Instead, try a password manager that can create those passwords for you and safely store them as well. Comprehensive security software will include one.
4. Avoid public charging stations. Charging up at a public station seems so simple and safe. However, some hackers have been known to “juice jack” by installing malware into the charging station. While you “juice up,” they “jack” your passwords and personal info. So what to do about power on the road? You can look into a portable power pack that you can charge up ahead of time or run on AA batteries. They’re pretty inexpensive and can prevent malware from a public charging station.
5. Keep your eyes on your phone. Preventing the actual theft of your phone is important too, as some hacks happen simply because a phone falls into the wrong hands. This is a good case for password or PIN protecting your phone, as well as turning on device tracking so that you can locate your phone or even wipe it remotely if you need to. Apple provides iOS users with a step-by-step guide for remotely wiping devices and Google offers up a guide for Android users as well.
A phone that’s acting a little funny may indicate a run-of-the-mill tech issue, yet it could also be a tell-tale sign of a hack. At a minimum, following up on your gut instinct that something isn’t quite right can take care of a nagging tech issue. But in the event of a possible hack, it can save you the far greater headache of unauthorized charges and purchases, and even identity theft. If you spot a problem, it absolutely pays to take a closer look. Follow up with tech support for help, whether that’s through your device manufacturer, retailer, or your antivirus providers. They’ll help pinpoint the issue and get you on your way.
The post Help! I Think My Phone’s Been Hacked appeared first on McAfee Blog.
There’s a lot of misinformation about Virtual Private Networks, what they do, and the security benefits they offer. For this article, I’d like to do some myth-busting about how a VPN actually works and why you should use one.
A VPN is an app that you install on your device to help keep your personal data safe as you browse the internet
You may have heard that VPN apps live on your device and allow you to connect to the internet securely. What that means is, when you turn your VPN app on, your device makes a secure connection to a specialized computer that routes internet traffic, called a VPN server. You also may have heard that your connection is “wrapped in an encrypted tunnel” which means your device and the server share a secure connection so only you can see what you’re doing on the internet.
Every internet connection (like your cable modem) is assigned a unique set of numbers called an IP address, which is tied to information such as geographic location, ISP, etc. A VPN replaces your actual IP address to make it look like you’ve connected to the internet from a different location: the physical location of the VPN server, rather than your real location. This is just one reason why so many people use VPNs. This can be handy when you want to hide from advertising trackers or protect your search history.
To change your IP address, you simply open your VPN app, select the server location you’d like to connect to, and you’re done. You’re now browsing with a new IP address. If you’d like to make sure your IP has changed, open up a browser and search for “What’s my IP address” and click on one of the results.
When to use a VPN really depends on what you want it for. For example, 39% of users understand public Wi-Fi is unsafe but still do sensitive things, like banking or shopping on public WiFi, so using a VPN when you’re at the airport, or a café is a great use case.
As I mentioned before, a lot of people use a VPN for privacy reasons, like stopping advertisers from tracking them. Searches you perform, or websites you visit won’t be trackable, which means you’ll be able to surprise your spouse with a vacation you researched and planned on a computer you both use. Targeted ads could spoil things if your spouse is bombarded with ads for plane tickets and hotels while they browse.
A VPN protects your search history through the secure connection you share. When you search for a website, or type a URL into your navigation bar, your device sends something called a DNS request, which translates the website into the IP address of the web server; this is how your browser can find the website and serve its content to you. By encrypting your DNS requests, a VPN can hide your search habits and history from those that might use that info as part of building a profile of you. This type of info could be used in a wide variety of ways, from legitimately serving targeted ads to nefarious social engineering.
A VPN can protect your identity by blocking online trackers from following you around the internet. With your VPN on, trackers will think all of your browsing is coming from a different device in a different location. This throws off the profile advertisers try to build because they think you’re someone else.
Another way a VPN can protect your identity is by preventing some types of hacking. Stopping attacks on public WiFi where a bad actor tries to get between you and the website you’re visiting, is just one way VPNs can help. It’s called a Man-in-the-Middle attack, but that’s a subject for another article.
No, a VPN cannot make you anonymous. They help secure what you’re doing, but your ISP still knows when you’re using the internet. They just can’t see what you’re doing, what sites you visit, or how long you’ve been on a site.
Private browsing modes can help protect your privacy, but they’re useful if you share a device with other people and you don’t want them to see your search history. You can read all about the differences in the article I wrote a little while ago.
Apple’s Private Relay is currently in Beta and will be available with an iCloud+ subscription for Safari users on iOS and macOS soon. Private Relay is similar to a VPN in that it changes your IP address so websites you visit can’t tell exactly where you are.
When you turn Private Relay on, your device connects to a server that sends your browsing data to a second server, before it travels through the internet. The reason for the double hop is that first server gives you a new IP address, to make you harder to track, while the second server hides that information from the website you’re browsing. The first server only knows your original IP address, while the second server only knows what you’re browsing, but not your IP.
Private Relay only works with Safari on iOS and macOS. Even if you are using an Apple device, a VPN is still a good idea because it will protect the information that your device sends outside of Safari.
If you’re already a McAfee Total Protection subscriber, you have access to unlimited VPN usage. Protect your personal information, like your banking information and credit cards, from prying eyes with McAfee Total Protection’s Secure VPN. If you haven’t already signed up, now’s the perfect time. McAfee Total Protection provides security for all your devices, giving you peace of mind while you shop, bank, and browse online.
The post What is a VPN and Can it Hide My IP Address? appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
How many rooms in your home contain a smart device? From Peloton bikes to showerheads with Bluetooth speakers, smart home technology is rapidly making its way into every room in every household. In fact, the number of smart households (those that contain smart home technology) in the U.S. is expected to grow to 77.05 million by 2025. But with new technology comes new challenges.
Many product designers rush to get their smart devices to market, treating security as an afterthought and consequentially creating an easy access point for criminals to exploit. Once a hacker taps in to a user’s home network, they could potentially gain access to all the devices connected to the network. And many consumers, amazed by the appliances’ efficiency, are unaware of the risks of interconnectivity. So, how can families prevent criminals from taking peeks into their home?
Let’s take a tour through an average smart home and uncover the security implications of the various devices in each room.
Believe it or not, the security risks of a smart home often apply before you even step foot inside the house. Approximately 21 million U.S. homes have professionally monitored security systems. However, these systems are not immune to hacks. One popular security camera system experienced a series of intrusions where hackers were able to communicate with residents, making inappropriate comments, taunting children, and even demanding a ransom payment for the hacker to leave the system. Some users of another security camera system experienced similar intrusions, with hackers playing vulgar music and cranking the homeowners’ heat up to 90 degrees.
Security cameras are just the beginning. Users control mowers, smart sprinklers, and other outdoor devices remotely with smartphone apps. Although they are meant to make consumers’ lives more convenient, outdoor devices with embedded computers could be at the greatest risk of attack, according to professor of computer science and cybersecurity expert, Dr. Zahid Anwar.
Outdoor devices like garage door openers, wireless doorbells, and smart sprinklers are more vulnerable because they may be easily accessible to someone driving down the street with a computer or other Wi-Fi transmitter. Outdoor smart devices can be used as entry points, allowing hackers to access the entire smart home network. To prevent a stranger from spying on your network, it’s important to check how these products store your data. If the device’s system stores your personal information and is connected to the main home network, there is a possibility that a breach of one device on the network could reveal your data to a hacker.
Once you step foot into a smart home, you’ll likely find a variety of devices adopted by residents for added convenience, including smart TVs, Wi-Fi routers, smart speakers, thermostats, lightbulbs, and personal home assistants — the list goes on! But the fact that these devices are connected to the internet opens the door for cybercriminals to make themselves at home. For example, the FBI issued warnings about the risks of smart TVs, noting that hackers could potentially gain access to an unsecured television and take control by changing channels, adjusting volume levels, and even showing inappropriate content to children.
Additionally, a recent study outlined multiple privacy concerns with a popular virtual assistant, ranging from misleading privacy policies to allowing third parties to change the code of their programs after receiving approval from the device’s parent company. Anupam Das, assistant professor of computer science at North Carolina State University, stated that third party software developers created many of the applications consumers interact with while using the virtual assistant. However, Das and their fellow researchers identified several flaws in the current vetting process that could allow those third parties to gain access to users’ personal information. The virtual assistant’s parent company does not verify the developer responsible for publishing the third-party program, so a cybercriminal could easily register under the name of a trusted developer and create a program that spreads malicious code. For these reasons, it is critical that consumers stay informed on potentially vulnerable entry points left open by device manufacturers so they can take action to better protect their smart home technology and their personal privacy.
Today, it is not so weird to talk to your refrigerator (well, maybe a little). Smart appliances are quickly making their way into consumers’ kitchens. You can control your blender or Instant Pot from your phone and use voice activation with various appliances, further blurring the lines between the physical and the digital. And while smart kitchen appliances empower you to do things like controlling your air fryer from an app and use voice activation to brew your coffee in the morning, living like a Jetson does come with potential security risks. In 2019, McAfee researchers discovered a vulnerability within a Mr. Coffee brand coffee maker that could allow a hacker to access the user’s home network. To prevent criminals from brewing up trouble in your home, ensure that you take measures to secure each of your devices and keep criminals from spying on your network.
For many people, the bedroom is more than just the place where they sleep at night — it is a relaxing sanctuary where they can unwind. It is no wonder that many people have adopted various gadgets to turn their sanctuaries into high-tech hubs for relaxation. Take a smart bed, for example. These mattresses incorporate biometric sensors to help you snooze better, and they connect to a smartphone app that tracks your sleep trends and health metrics. While this technology may provide insight on how you can sleep better, it is important to realize that these devices are collecting data and sending it back to the manufacturer. Often, consumers do not stop to research what specific data is being collected and how it is being used, placing a lot of trust in the device manufacturer to safeguard their private information. But what happens if the company suffers a data breach or ransomware attack? There is a chance that your data might fall into the hands of a hacker. To better protect your online security, understand that enjoying the convenience of connected IoT requires an assessment of where your information is being stored.
There is no denying that IoT devices have upped the convenience of tech users’ lives everywhere. But with these technological rewards comes added risk — cybersecurity risk, that is. The more connected devices you have in your home, the more opportunities criminals have to infiltrate your network and reach other data-rich devices. This can potentially put your private and financial information at risk, not to mention your privacy.
As our reliance on IoT and smart home technology grows, so will the need for users to step up their cybersecurity practices. Follow these tips to help protect your personal data and privacy while still enjoying all that your smart home gadgets have to offer:
1. Secure your Wi-Fi network
Out of the box, most Wi-Fi routers are either not secured or use a default password such as “admin,” making it easy for hackers to poke around and access devices that are connected to your router. To prevent cybercriminals from snooping on your network and the gadgets that are attached to it, secure your Wi-Fi network with a strong password.
A password or passphrase that is long, complex, and unique will discourage attempts to break into your accounts. Try creating a string that is at least 12 characters long, contains a combination of uppercase letters, lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers, and that is unique to each account.
Do your research before investing in a smart device. Ask yourself if the gadget is from a reputable manufacturer. Has the company had previous data breaches, or do they have an excellent reputation for providing secure products? Also, take note of the information your IoT device collects, how vendors use this information and what they release to other users or third parties.
Above all, understand what control you have over your privacy and information usage. It is a good sign if an IoT device allows you to opt-out of having your information collected or lets you access and delete the data it does collect.
In addition to the password/username combo, multi-factor authentication requires that users confirm a collection of things to verify their identity — usually something they have, and a factor unique to their physical being — such as a retina or fingerprint scan. This can prevent a cybercriminal from using credential-stuffing tactics (where they will use email and password combinations to hack into online profiles) to access your network or account if your login details were ever exposed during a data breach.
Stay on top of software updates from your device manufacturer. Available updates are not always advertised, so visit the manufacturer’s website regularly. Additionally, make sure to update mobile apps that pair with your IoT device. Adjust your settings to turn on automatic software updates, so you always have the latest security patches.
Your router is the central hub that connects all the devices in your home, so make sure that it’s secure. After you change the default password and name of your router, ensure that your network name does not give away your address, so hackers can’t locate it. Then check that your router is using an encryption method, like WPA2, which will keep your communications secure.
Additionally, consider setting up a “guest network” for your IoT devices. This is a second network on your router that allows you to keep your computers and smartphones separate from IoT devices. So, if a device is compromised, a hacker still cannot get all the valuable information that is saved on your computers. Check your router’s manual for instructions on how to set up a guest network.
You do not need to go it alone — employ the help of a security solution like McAfee Secure Home Platform, which provides smart security for your home network. By automatically protecting your connected devices through the router, you can feel confident that you have a solid line of defense against online threats.
McAfee Total Protection also includes a robust password management system that creates and saves strong passwords across all your accounts in one centralized location. It also includes home network security to protect your firewall and block hackers from accessing your home network. McAfee Total Protection includes a home network map that allows you to easily identify trusted devices on your network and flag potential intruders.
Recognize that every Wi-Fi connection, every Bluetooth connection, and every connection you make using a wireless connection is subject to hacking. This will help you better understand the risks associated with your smart home devices, and therefore will help you be more equipped to combat them. Remember: a secure home is the smartest home you can have!
The post How to Secure Your Smart Home: A Step-by-Step Guide appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
Equipping and guiding your digitally connected child is one of the toughest challenges you will face as a parent. As your child grows and changes, so too will their online activities. Friend groups, favorite apps, and online interests can shift from one month to the next, which is why parental controls can be a parent’s best friend.
According to a report from Common Sense Media, teens spend an average of seven hours and 22 minutes on their phones a day. Tweens (ages 8 to 12) spend four hours and 44 minutes daily. This is time outside of schoolwork.
That is a lot of time to stroll the streets of cyberspace for entertainment purposes, and it’s only increased since the pandemic.
Striking a balance between screen time and healthy device use is an always-evolving challenge. On the one hand, your child’s device is an essential channel connecting them to their self-identity, peer acceptance, and emotional well-being. On the other hand, that same device is also the door that can bring issues such as cyberbullying, predators, risky behavior, and self-image struggles into your child’s life.
Parental controls are tools that allow parents to set controls on their children’s internet use. Controls include content filters (inappropriate content), usage limits (time controls), and monitoring (tracking activity).
Many of the technology your family already owns or sites your kids visit have basic parental controls (i.e., built-in controls for android and iPhone and social networks such as YouTube). However, another level of parental control comes in software specifically engineered to filter, limit, and track digital activity. These consumer-designed parental controls offer families a higher, more powerful form of protection.
If you are like many parents who land on this blog, you’ve hit a rough patch. You have concerns about your child’s online activity but aren’t sure how to begin restoring balance. Rightly, you want to find the best parental control software and put digital safeguards in place.
Every family dynamic is different, as is every family’s approach to online monitoring. However, most parents can agree that when a negative influence begins to impact the family’s emotional and physical health, exploring new solutions can help get you back on track.
Depending on your child’s age, you may need to consider parental controls if:
1. They don’t respond when you talk to them
If your child is increasingly engrossed in their phone and it’s causing communication issues in your family, you may want to consider software that includes time limits. Connecting with your child during device-free time can improve communication.
2. They’ve started ignoring homework and family responsibilities
There are a lot of reasons grades can plummet, or interests can fade. However, if your child is spending more and more time online, limiting or monitoring what goes on in that time can help restore emotional balance and self-discipline to meet responsibilities.
3. Their browser history shows access to risky content
Innocent online searches can lead to not so innocent results or children may go looking for content simply because they’re curious. Parental controls automatically block age-inappropriate sites and filter websites, apps, and web searches.
4. They won’t give you their device without a fight
If the phone has become the center of your child’s world at the cost of parental respect and family rules, they may be engaged in inappropriate behavior online, connecting with the wrong friends, or struggling with tech balance. With the proper parental controls, a parent can block risky content, view daily activity, and set healthy time limits.
5. They’re losing interest in family outings and other non-digital activities
Poor habits form quietly over time. If your child has dramatically changed their focus in the past three to six months, consider zooming in on why. It may not be technology use, but you may consider an additional layer of protection if it is.
6. They go into another room to respond to a text
While everyone deserves privacy, if constantly sneaking away to communicate with a friend is your child’s new norm, you may consider making some screen time adjustments.
7. They are exhausted
Unbeknownst to parents, kids might be exchanging sleep for screen time. Parental controls can help you nip this unhealthy habit. Setting time limits can help kids experience deeper sleep, better moods, more focus, and more energy.
8. They overshare online
If you browse through your child’s social media and notice their profiles are public instead of private, or if your child tends to overshare personal information, parental controls can help you monitor future activity.
Ideally, we’d all prefer to live in a world where we didn’t need parental controls at all. Unfortunately, that is neither a present nor future reality. So, we recalibrate, keep learning, and keep adding to our parenting skills. As always, we believe the first go-to digital safety tool is investing in consistent open and honest conversation with your child. And the second tool? Yup, reach for the parental controls. While you may hear some hemming and hawing from your kids at first, the peace of mind you gain from having parental controls in place will be worth it.
The post 8 Signs It May Be Time for Parental Controls appeared first on McAfee Blog.
The gig economy has become more prevalent in today’s world with the appeal and necessity of flexible work opportunities. Many take advantage of short-term contracts, side jobs, and freelance work to retain more control over how they spend their day and earn their income. However, the proliferation of these flexible work opportunities has transcended into the dark web, allowing individuals to conduct nefarious activities. Rather than contracting handyman or moving services on the dark web, you can find hackers contracting their website hacking services or buyers placing ads looking for a hacker to hire. These acts pose significant risks to online users, given the amount of stolen personal information on dark websites. Take a look at the activities you can expect to find on the dark web and the steps you can take to safeguard your online privacy.
The dark web is part of the public internet that search engines do not index. In other words, what happens on the dark web, stays on the dark web with no traceable records. Most people don’t realize that the dark web is not illegal despite its association with criminal activities. However, the dark web has retained a criminal reputation since it is challenging to track what goes on. As a result, criminals will often frequent the dark web to conduct a variety of illegal transactions, including hacking services.
Researchers are discovering an uptick in activity on dark web forums that includes buying and selling black hat hacking services. 90% of the activity on these forums is from people looking to hire hackers to infiltrate websites and steal databases. Additionally, 4% of the people frequenting dark web forums requested hacking services related to website hacking and malicious code injection.
Another 7% of people on the dark web are hackers contracting out their services and tools. These services and tools include web shells, a file uploaded to a server that an attacker can use to execute operating system commands, as well as access to administrative website interfaces and ready-made exploits. Many of the services offered on these forums range in specialties such as site infiltration to data extraction. As a result, they often attract a variety of customers with numerous requests.
Further, many of the ads seeking hacking services are aimed at database hacking. Those targeting databases are often financially incentivized hackers and companies out to steal their competitor’s information. Databases remain a popular target for hackers since they contain a significant amount of personal information ranging from first and last names to credit card numbers. Cybercriminals can then use this information to commit numerous crimes such as monetary theft, unemployment and tax relief fraud, and identity theft.
For example, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) had to suspend approximately 800,000 accounts after discovering matching credentials for sale on the dark web. In a previous data breach, hackers used login credentials to access taxpayer accounts, apply for COVID-19 relief funds, and reroute the funds into their bank accounts. Taxpayers could not log in to their accounts without first taking the necessary steps to regain safe access.
Users must protect their online presence and information as these criminal activities continue to escalate in demand. Here are the five must-dos after discovering a data breach to retain your online security.
Be one of the first to know about a data breach by leveraging security software such as McAfee Total Protection. A comprehensive security solution that includes dark web monitoring actively monitors the dark web for data breaches and exposed information. This information includes but is not limited to your date of birth, email addresses, credit card numbers, and personal identification numbers. Robust security software also provides steps for remediation after a data breach to guide the user to regain control and integrity of their data and privacy.
Companies are required to notify their customers of a data breach under the PIPEDA legislature. 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 for 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.
Looking back to the 800,00 taxpayers whose accounts were suspended, they could not regain access without first changing their login credentials. Changing your login credentials such as your usernames, passwords, and security questions is a critical first step to take after any data breach.
Changing your credentials prevents hackers from accessing your personal information and ensures that you regain control over your account security. The chances of a hacker accessing your data are exceptionally high if you use the same credentials across different accounts. Thus, it’s essential to change your usernames and passwords regularly to ensure your information remains secure.
Just as important as changing your password regularly is changing your password following best practices. Create stronger passwords by using a combination of the following:
Long passwords with a minimum of 12 characters are also more effective than shorter passwords since it makes it more difficult for a hacker to guess. In sum, ensure all passwords are long, complex, and only used once. Use a password manager with a built-in generator like the one included in McAfee’s Total Protection solution to make it easier to access and manage passwords.
If your credentials are exposed in a data breach, using multifactor authentication will ensure hackers cannot access your information using only your login credentials. So even if your username and password are exposed, there is still a layer of security that hackers will not be able to bypass. Block out unauthorized login attempts by enabling multifactor authentication wherever applicable.
The dark web continues to be a primary destination for cybercrime. Online users must remain cautious about the information they retain in their online accounts and the websites with access to their personal information. Your data security and privacy are not always a guarantee, but the more precautions you take with your online safety, the better protected you will be.
To stay updated on all things McAfee and on top of the latest consumer and mobile security threats, follow @McAfee_Home on Twitter, subscribe to our newsletter, listen to our podcast Hackable?, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.
The post The Rise of the Dark Web Gig Economy appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
Over the past year, you may have seen the term ransomware popping up frequently. There’s good reason for that as ransomware is responsible for 21% of all cyberattacks, according to a new report. For enterprising hackers, this tactic has become standard operating procedure because it’s effective and organizations are willing to pay. But what does that mean for you and living a confident life online? Fortunately, there are a number of things individuals can do to avoid ransomware. But first, let’s start with the basics.
Ransomware is malware that employs encryption to hold a victim’s information at ransom. The hacker uses it to encrypt a user or organization’s critical data so that they cannot access files, databases, or applications. A ransom is then demanded to provide access. It is a growing threat, generating billions of dollars in payments to cybercriminals and inflicting significant damage and expenses for businesses and governmental organizations.
McAfee Labs counted a 60% increase in attacks from Q4 2019 to Q1 2020 in the United States alone. Unfortunately, the attacks targeting organizations also impact the consumers who buy from them, as the company’s data consists of its customers’ personal and financial information. That means your data if you’ve done business with the affected company. Fortunately, there are many ways you can protect yourself from ransomware attacks.
When a company is hit with a ransomware attack, they typically are quick to report the incident, even though a full analysis of what was affected and how extensive the breach may have been may take much longer. Once they have the necessary details they may reach out to their customers via email, through updates on their site, social media, or even the press to report what customer data may be at risk. Paying attention to official communications through these various channels is the best way to know if you’ve been affected by a ransomware attack.
The top ransomware infection vectors – a fancy term for the way you get ransomware on your device – are phishing and vulnerability exploits. Of these two, phishing is responsible for a full 41% of ransomware infections. Ironically, this is good news, because phishing is something we can learn to spot and avoid by educating ourselves about how scammers work. Before we get into specific tips, know that phishing can take the form of many types of communications including emails, texts, and voicemails. Also know that scammers are convincingly imitating some of the biggest brands in the world to get you to surrender your credentials or install malware on your device. With that in mind, here are several tips to avoid getting phished.
If you receive an email, call, or text asking you to download software or pay a certain amount of money, don’t click on anything or take any direct action from the message. Instead, go straight to the organization’s website. This will prevent you from downloading malicious content from phishing links or forking over money unnecessarily.
If someone sends you a message with a link, hover over the link without clicking on it. This will allow you to see a link preview. If the URL looks suspicious, don’t interact with it and delete the message altogether.
Instead of clicking on a link in an email or text message, it’s always best to check directly with the source to verify an offer, request, or link.
McAfee offers the free McAfee WebAdvisor, which can help identify malicious websites and suspect links that may be associated with phishing schemes.
If you do get ransomware, the story isn’t over. Below are 8 remediation tips that can help get your data back, along with your peace of mind.
If you get ransomware, you’ll want to immediately disconnect any infected devices from your networks to prevent the spread of it. This means you’ll be locked out of your files by ransomware and be unable to move the infected files. Therefore, it’s crucial that you always have backup copies of them, preferably in the cloud and on an external hard drive. This way, if you do get a ransomware infection, you can wipe your computer or device free and reinstall your files from backup. Backups protect your data, and you won’t be tempted to reward the malware authors by paying a ransom. Backups won’t prevent ransomware, but they can mitigate the risks.
If you discover that a data leak or a ransomware attack has compromised a company you’ve interacted with, act immediately and change your passwords for all your accounts. And while you’re at it, go the extra mile and create passwords that are seriously hard to crack with this next tip.
When updating your credentials, you should always ensure that your password is strong and unique. Many users 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 and generate secure login keys.
Two or multi-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security, as it requires multiple forms of verification. For instance, you’ll be asked to verify your identity through another device, such as a phone. This reduces the risk of successful impersonation by hackers.
Be careful where you click. Don’t respond to emails and text messages from people you don’t know, and only download applications from trusted sources. This is important since malware authors often use social engineering to get you to install dangerous files. Using a security extension on your web browser is one way to browse more safely.
Avoid using public Wi-Fi networks, since many of them are not secure, and cybercriminals can snoop on your internet usage. Instead, consider installing a VPN, which provides you with a secure connection to the internet no matter where you go.
While it is often large organizations that fall prey to ransomware attacks, you can also be targeted by a ransomware campaign. If this happens, don’t pay the ransom. Although you may feel that this is the only way to get your encrypted files back, there is no guarantee that the ransomware developers will send a decryption tool once they receive the payment. Paying the ransom also contributes to the development of more ransomware families, so it’s best to hold off on making any payments. Thankfully there are free resources devoted to helping you like McAfee’s No More Ransomware initiative McAfee, along with other organizations, created www.nomoreransom.org/ to educate the public about ransomware and, more importantly, to provide decryption tools to help people recover files that have been locked by ransomware. On the site you’ll find decryption tools for many types of ransomware, including the Shade ransomware.
Adding an extra layer of security with a solution such as McAfee® Total Protection, which includes Ransom Guard, can help protect your devices from these cyber threats. In addition, make sure you update your devices’ software (including security software!) early and often, as patches for flaws are typically included in each update. Comprehensive security solutions also include many of the tools we mentioned above and are simply the easiest way to ensure digital wellness online.
The post 8 Tips for Staying Safe from Ransomware Attacks appeared first on McAfee Blog.
With so many of us relying on the internet in ways we simply haven’t before, it follows that a safer internet is more important than ever before too.
June marks Internet Safety Month, a time where we can look back at the past year and realize that the internet was more than just a coping mechanism during the pandemic, it evolved into a survival tool.
Our research published earlier this year showed how. It found that we relied heavily on the internet for our banking, personal finance, shopping, and even healthcare—not to mention the ways we worked, studied, and kept in touch with each other online during the pandemic. For millions of families globally, the internet was their connection to the rest of the world.
None of that would have been possible without a safer internet that we can trust. The truth is, part of creating a safer internet rests with us—the people who use it. When we take steps to protect ourselves and our families, we end up helping protect others as well. How we act online, how we secure our data and devices, how we take responsibility for our children, all of it affects others.
Here are just a few ways you can indeed make a safer internet for your family, and by extension, safer for others too:
Start with the basics: get strong protection for your computers and laptops. And that means more than basic antivirus. Using a comprehensive suite of security software like McAfee® Total Protection can help defend your entire family from the latest threats and malware, make it safer to browse, help steer you clear of potential fraud, and look out for your privacy too.
Protecting your smartphones and tablets is a must nowadays as well. We’re using them to send money with payment apps. We’re doing our banking on them. And we’re using them as a “universal remote control” to do things like set the alarm, turn our lights on and off and even see who’s at the front door. Whether you’re an Android owner or iOS owner, get security software installed on your smartphones and tablets so you can protect all the things they access and control.
Another thing that comprehensive security software can do is create and store unique passwords for all your accounts and automatically use them as you surf, shop, and bank. Further, it can keep those passwords safe—unlike when they’re stored in an unprotected file on your computer, which can be subject to a hack or data loss—or sticky notes that can simply get lost.
With stories of data breaches and identity theft making the news on a regular basis, there’s plenty of focus on the things we can do to protect ourselves from identity theft. However, children can be targets of identity theft as well. The reason is, they’re high-value targets for hackers. Their credit reports are clean, and it’s often years before parents become aware that their child’s identity was stolen, such as when the child enters adulthood and rents an apartment or applies for their first credit card.
One way you can spot and even prevent identity theft is by checking your child’s credit report. Doing so will uncover any inconsistencies or outright instances of fraud and put you on the path to set them straight. In the U.S., you can do this for free once a year. Just drop by the FTC website for details on your free credit report. And while you’re at it, you can go and do the same for yourself.
You can take your protection a step further by freezing your child’s credit. A freeze will prevent access to your child’s report and thus prevent any illicit activity. In the U.S., you’ll need to create a separate freeze with each of the three major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion). It’s free to do so, yet you’ll have to do a little legwork to prove that you’re indeed the child’s parent or guardian.
Smartphone safety for kids is a blog topic in itself. Several topics, actually—such as when it’s the “right” time to get a child their first smartphone, how they can stay safe while using them, placing limits on their screen time, and so on.
Taking it from square one, make sure that all your smartphones are protected like we called out above—whether it’s yours or your child’s. From there, there are eight easy steps you can take to hack-proof your family’s smartphones, such as juicing up your passwords, making sure the apps on them are safe and setting your smartphone to automatic updates.
If you’re on the fence about getting your child their first smartphone, you’re certainly not alone. So many parents are drawn to the idea of being able to get in touch with their children easily, and even track their whereabouts, yet they’re concerned that a smartphone is indeed too much phone for younger children. They simply don’t want to expose their children to the broader internet just yet.
The good news is that there are plenty of smartphone alternatives for kids. Streamlined flip phones are still a fine option for parents and kids, as are cellular walkie-talkies and new lines of devices designed specifically with kids in mind.
And if you’re ready to make the jump, check out our tips for keeping your child safe when you purchase their first smartphone. From basic security and parental controls to keeping tabs on your child’s activity and your role in keeping them safe, this primer makes for good reading, and good sharing with other parents too, when you get serious about making that purchase.
Cyberbullying is another broad and in-depth topic that we cover in our blogs quite often, and for good reason. Data from the Cyberbullying Research Center shows that an average of more than 27% of kids have experienced cyberbullying over the past 13 years. In 2019, that figure was as high as 36.5%. Without question, it’s a problem.
What exactly is cyberbullying? Stopbullying.gov defines it as:
“Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. Cyberbullying can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation.”
Part of the solution is knowing how to spot cyberbullying and likewise taking steps to minimize its impact if you see it happening to your child or someone else’s. The important thing is to act before serious damage sets in or even a criminal act can occur.
The painful truth is that someone’s child is doing the bullying, and what could be more painful than finding out your child is doing the bullying? If you suspect this is happening, or have seen evidence that it’s indeed happening, act right away. Our article “Could Your Child (Glup) be the One Cyberbullying,” outlines ten steps you can take right away.
If you’ve taken steps to solve a situation involving cyberbullying and nothing has worked, know there are cyberbullying resources that can help. Likewise, don’t hesitate to contact your child’s school for assistance. Many schools have policies in place that address cyberbullying amongst their students, whether the activity occurred on campus or off.
With all the emphasis on technology, it’s easy to forget that behind every attack on the internet, there’s a person. A safer internet relies on how we treat each other and how we carry ourselves on the internet (which can be quite different from how we carry ourselves in face-to-face interactions).
With that, National Internet Safety Month presents a fine opportunity to pause and consider how we’re acting online. Very Well Family put together an article on internet etiquette for kids, which covers everything from the online version of “The Golden Rule” to ways you can steer clear of rudeness and drama.
Granted, we can’t control the behavior of others. Despite your best efforts, you or your children may find themselves targeted by poor or hurtful behavior online. For guidance on how to handle those situations, check out our article on internet trolls and how to handle them. There’s great advice in there for everyone in the family.
If we didn’t know it already, the past year proved that a safer internet isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s vital—a trusted resource we can’t do without. Take time this month to consider your part in that, what you can do to make your corner of the internet safer and a thriving place that everyone can enjoy.
The post A Safer Internet for You, Your Family, and Others Too appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
Seems like the internet follows us wherever we go nowadays, whether it tags along via a smartphone, laptop, tablet, a wearable, or some combination of them all. Yet there’s something else that follows us around as well—our PII, a growing body of “personally identifiable information” that we create while banking, shopping, and simply browsing the internet. And no doubt about it, our PII is terrifically valuable.
What makes it so valuable? It’s no exaggeration to say that your PII is the key to your digital life, along with your financial and civic life as well. Aside from using it to create accounts and logins, it’s further tied to everything from your bank accounts and credit cards to your driver’s license and your tax refund.
Needless to say, your PII is something that needs protecting, so let’s take a look at several ways you can do just that.
What is PII? It’s information about you that others can use to identify you either directly or indirectly. Thus, that info could identify you on its own, or it could identify you when it’s linked to other identifiers, like the ones associated with the devices, apps, tools, and protocols you use.
A prime example of direct PII is your tax ID number because it’s unique and directly associated with your name. Further instances include your facial image to unlock your smartphone, your medical records, your finances, and your phone number because each of these can be easily linked back to you.
Then there are those indirect pieces of PII that act as helpers. While they may not identify you on their own, a few of them can when they’re added together. These helpers include things like internet protocol addresses, the unique device ID of your smartphone, or other identifiers such as radio frequency identification tags.
You can also find pieces of your PII in the accounts you use, like your Google to Apple IDs, which can be linked to your name, your email address, and the apps you have. You’ll also find it in the apps you use. For example, there’s PII in the app you use to map your walks and runs, because the combination of your smartphone’s unique device ID and GPS tracking can be used in conjunction with other information to identify who you are, not to mention where you typically like to do your 5k hill days. The same goes for messenger apps, which can collect how you interact with others, how often you use the app and your location information based on your IP address, GPS information, or both.
In all, there’s a cloud of PII that follows us around as we go about our day online. Some wisps of that cloud are more personally identifying than others. Yet gather enough of it and PII can create a high-resolution snapshot of you—who you are, what you’re doing when you’re doing it, and even where you’re doing it too—particularly if it gets into the wrong hands.
Remember Pig-Pen, the character straight from the old funny pages of Charles Schultz’s Charlie Brown? He’s hard to forget with that ever-present cloud of dust following him around. Charlie Brown once said, “He may be carrying the soil that trod upon by Solomon or Nebuchadnezzar or Genghis Khan!” It’s the same with us and our PII, except the cloud surrounding us, isn’t the dust of kings and conquerors, they’re motes of digital information that are of tremendously high value to crooks and bad actors—whether for purposes of identity theft or invasion of privacy.
With all PII we create and share on the internet, that calls for protecting it. Otherwise, our PII could fall into the hands of a hacker or identity thief and end up getting abused, in potentially painful and costly ways.
Here are several things you can do to help ensure that what’s private stays that way:
Square One is to protect your devices with comprehensive online protection software. This 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.
Further, security software can also include a firewall that blocks unwanted traffic from entering your home network, such as an attacker poking around for network vulnerabilities so that they can “break-in” to your computer and steal information.
Also known as a virtual private network, a VPN helps protect your vital PII and other data with bank-grade encryption. The VPN encrypts your internet connection to keep your online activity private on any network, even public networks. Using a public network without a VPN can increase your cybersecurity risk because others on the network can potentially spy on your browsing and activity.
If you’re new to the notion of using a VPN, check out this article on VPNs and how to choose one so that you can get the best protection and privacy possible.
In the U.S., the Social Security Number (SSN) is one of the most prized pieces of PII as it unlocks the door to employment, finances, and much more. First up, keep a close grip on it. Literally. Store your card in a secure location. Not your purse or wallet.
Certain businesses and medical practices may ask you for your SSN for billing purposes and the like. You don’t have to provide it (although some businesses could refuse service if you don’t), and you can always ask if they will accept some alternative form of information. However, there are a handful of instances where an SSN is a requirement. These include:
Be aware that hackers often get a hold of SSNs because the organization holding that information gets hacked or compromised itself. Minimizing how often you provide your SSN can offer an extra degree of protection.
Protecting your files with encryption is a core concept in data and information security, and thus it’s a powerful way to protect your PII. It involves transforming data or information into code that requires a digital key to access it in its original, unencrypted format. For example, McAfee Total Protection includes File Lock, which is our file encryption feature that lets you lock important files in secure digital vaults on your device.
Additionally, you can also delete sensitive files with an application such as McAfee Shredder, which securely deletes files so that thieves can’t access them. (Quick fact: deleting files in your trash doesn’t actually delete them in the truest sense. They’re still there until they’re “shredded” or otherwise overwritten such that they can’t be restored.)
Which Marvel Universe superhero are you? Does it really matter? After all, such quizzes and social media posts are often grifting pieces of your PII in a seemingly playful way. While you’re not giving up your SSN, you may be giving up things like your birthday, your pet’s name, your first car … things that people often use to compose their passwords or use as answers to common security questions on banking and financial sites. The one way to pass this kind of quiz is not to take it!
A far more direct form of separating you from your PII are phishing attacks. Posing as emails from known or trusted brands, financial institutions, or even a friend or family member a cybercrook’s phishing attack will attempt to trick you into sharing important information like your logins, account numbers, credit card numbers, and so on under the guise of providing customer service.
How do you spot such emails? Well, it’s getting a little tougher nowadays because scammers are getting more sophisticated and can make their phishing emails look nearly legitimate. However, there are several ways you can spot a phishing email and phony web pages as outlined here.
Comprehensive security offers another layer of prevention, in this case by offering browser protection like our own Web Advisor, which will alert you in the event you come across suspicious links and downloads that can steal your PII or otherwise expose you to attacks.
With social engineering attacks that deceive victims by posing as people the victim knows and the way we can sometimes overshare a little too much about our lives, you can see why a social media profile is a potential goldmine for cybercriminals.
Two things you can do to help protect your PII from being at risk via social media: one, think twice about what PII you might be sharing in that post or photo—like the location of your child’s school or the license plate on your car; two, set your profile to private so that only friends can see it. Review your privacy settings regularly to keep your profile information out of the public eye. And remember, nothing is 100% private on the internet. Never post anything you wouldn’t want to see shared.
The “S” stands for secure. Any time you are shopping, banking, or sharing any kind of PII, look for “https” at the start of the web address. Some browsers will also indicate HTTP by showing a small “lock” icon. Doing otherwise on plain HTTP sites exposes your PII for anyone who cares to monitor that site for unsecured connections.
By locking your devices, you protect yourself that much better from PII and data theft in the event your device is lost, stolen, or even left unattended for a short stretch. Use your password, PIN, facial recognition, thumbprint ID, what have you. Just lock your stuff. In the case of your smartphones, read up on how you can locate your phone or even wipe it remotely if you need to. Apple provides iOS users with a step-by-step guide for remotely wiping devices, and Google offers up a guide for Android users as well.
Theft of your PII can of course lead to credit cards and other accounts being opened falsely in your name. What’s more, it can sometimes be some time before you even become aware of it, until perhaps your credit score takes a hit or a bill collector comes calling. By checking your credit, you can address any issues that come up, as companies typically have a clear-cut process for contesting any fraud. You can get a free credit report in the U.S. via the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and likewise, other nations like the UK have similar free offerings as well.
Consider identity theft protection as well. A strong identity theft protection package pairs well with keeping track of your credit and offers cyber monitoring that scans the dark web to detect for misuse of your PII. 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 post Take It Personally: Ten Tips for Protecting Your Personally Identifiable Information (PII) appeared first on McAfee Blog.
You get an email from bank0famerica@acc0unt.com claiming that they have found suspicious activity on your credit card statement and are requesting that you verify your financial information. What do you do? While you may be tempted to click on a link to immediately resolve the issue, this is likely the work of a cybercriminal. Phishing is a scam that tricks you into voluntarily providing important personal information. Protect yourself from phishing by reviewing some examples of phishing emails and learning more about this common online scam.
Phishing is a cybercrime that aims to steal your sensitive information. Scammers disguise themselves as major corporations or other trustworthy entities to trick you into willingly providing information like website login credentials or, even worse, your credit card number.
A phishing email or text (also known as SMiShing) is a fraudulent message made to look legitimate, and typically asks you to provide sensitive personal information in various ways. If you don’t look carefully at the emails or texts, however, you might not be able to tell the difference between a regular message and a phishing message. Scammers work hard to make phishing messages closely resemble emails and texts sent by trusted companies, which is why you need to be cautious when you open these messages and click the links they contain.
Phishing scammers often undo their own plans by making simple mistakes that are easy to spot once you know how to recognize them. Check for the following signs of phishing every time you open an email or text:
Even the biggest companies sometimes make minor errors in their communications. Phishing messages often contain grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and other blatant errors that major corporations wouldn’t make. If you see multiple, glaring grammatical errors in an email or text that asks for your personal information, you might be a target of a phishing scam.
To enhance their edibility, phishing scammers often steal the logos of who they’re impersonating. In many cases, however, they don’t steal corporate logos correctly. The logo in a phishing email or text might have the wrong aspect ratio or low-resolution. If you have to squint to make out the logo in a message, the chances are that it’s phishing.
Phishing always centers around links that you’re supposed to click. Here are a few ways to check whether a link someone sent you is legitimate:
If the URL you discover doesn’t match up with the entity that supposedly sent you the message, you probably received a phishing email.
Phishing messages come in all shapes and sizes, but there are a few types of phishing emails and texts that are more common than others. Let’s review some examples of the most frequently sent phishing scams:
Some phishing emails appear to notify you that your bank temporarily suspended your account due to unusual activity. If you receive an account suspension email from a bank that you haven’t opened an account with, delete it immediately, and don’t look back. Suspended account phishing emails from banks you do business with, however, are harder to spot. Use the methods we listed above to check the email’s integrity, and if all else fails, contact your bank directly instead of opening any links within the email you received.
Two-factor authentication scam
Two-factor authentication (2FA) has become common, so you’re probably used to receiving emails that ask you to confirm your login information with six-digit numerical codes. Phishing scammers also know how standard 2FA has become, and they could take advantage of this service that’s supposed to protect your identity. If you receive an email asking you to log in to an account to confirm your identity, use the criteria we listed above to verify the message’s authenticity. Be especially wary if someone asks you to provide 2FA for an account you haven’t accessed for a while.
We all know how important tax season is. That’s what phishing scammers are counting on when they send you phony IRS refund emails. Be careful when an email informs you that you’ve received a windfall of cash and be especially dubious of emails that the IRS supposedly sent since this government agency only contacts taxpayers via snail mail. Tax refund phishing scams can do serious harm since they usually ask for your social security number as well as your bank account information.
Sometimes, cybercriminals will try to tick you by sending emails with fake order confirmations. These messages often contain “receipts” attached to the email or links claiming to contain more information on your order. However, criminals often use these attachments and links to spread malware to the victim’s device.
You need to be wary of phishing when you’re using your work email as well. One popular phishing scam involves emails designed to look like someone in the C-suite of your company sent them. They ask workers to wire funds to supposed clients, but this cash actually goes to scammers. Use the tips we listed above to spot these phony emails.
Often, hackers look for ways to update old schemes so that they go undetected by users already aware of certain cyberthreats. Such is the case with the latest phishing evasion technique, which detects virtual machines to fly under the radar. Cybersecurity firms often use headless devices or virtual machines (a computer file that behaves like an actual computer) to determine if a website is actually a phishing page. But now, some phishing kits contain JavaScript — a programming language that allows you to implement complex features on web pages — that checks whether a virtual machine is analyzing the page. If it detects any analysis attempts, the phishing kit will show a blank page instead of the phishing page, allowing the scam to evade detection. To help ensure that you don’t fall for the latest phishing scams, stay updated on the most recent phishing techniques so you can stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.
Never click links in suspicious emails. If you click a link you suspect a phishing scammer sent, the link will take you to a web page with a form where you can enter sensitive data such as your Social Security number, credit card information, or login credentials. Do not enter any data on this page.
If you accidentally enter data in a webpage linked to a suspicious email, perform a full malware scan on your device. Once the scan is complete, backup all of your files and change your passwords. Even if you only provided a phishing scammer with the data from one account, you may have also opened the door to other personal data, so it’s important to change all the passwords you use online in the wake of a suspected phishing attack.
Let’s wrap things up with some summarized tips on how to avoid phishing emails:
Phishing emails only work on the unaware. Now that you know how to spot phishing emails and what to do if you suspect scammers are targeting you, you’re far less likely to fall for these schemes. Remember to be careful with your personal information when you use the internet and err on the side of caution whenever anybody asks you to divulge sensitive details about your identity, finances, or login information.
To stay updated on all things McAfee and on top of the latest consumer and mobile security threats, follow @McAfee_Home on Twitter, subscribe to our email, listen to our podcast Hackable?, and ‘Like’ us on Facebook.
The post Phishing Email Examples: How to Recognize a Phishing Email appeared first on McAfee Blogs.
Introduction In the previous articles, we discussed printing functions, format strings and format string vulnerabilities. This article provides an overview of how Format String vulnerabilities can be exploited. In this article, we will begin by solving a simple challenge to leak a secret from memory. In the next article, we will discuss another example, where […]
The post How to exploit Format String Vulnerabilities appeared first on Infosec Resources.
Introduction: This article provides an overview of various techniques that can be used to mitigate Format String vulnerabilities. In addition to the mitigations that are offered by the compilers & operating systems, we will also discuss preventive measures that can be used while writing programs in languages susceptible to Format String vulnerabilities. Techniques to prevent […]
The post How to mitigate Format String Vulnerabilities appeared first on Infosec Resources.
In Part 1 of this blog, we introduced Trend Micro Cleaner One Pro, a one-stop shop to help you speed up your Mac, highlighting the Quick Optimizer, the Main Console, and the Cleaning Tools. In Part 2, we resume the discussion of how to make your Mac run faster with the remaining Cleaner One Pro features: System and Application Management, Privacy Protection, and Other Options.
Your Mac may get sluggish after a year or two of usage and you may find that booting up takes a lot longer. Doing a Startup Manager scan can help you reduce slowdown due to unwanted startup programs and services, to help your Mac boot faster.
Upon completing the scan, Startup Manager will identify apps under two categories: Login Items and Launch Agents.
Login Items are apps that run automatically upon login. You can manage these apps by enabling them to run automatically or disabling them to make your Mac more efficient. If you don’t need autorun, you can remove the apps from the list.
Launch Agents are background services that run automatically on System startup for the extension features of apps. You can manage these services by letting them run automatically or by disabling them to make your Mac boot faster. Similarly, you can remove these agents if you don’t need them or they’re broken.
When a user installs an app that doesn’t meet their expectations, they’ll never use it again. In many cases, they remove the app by simply dragging it into the trash, assuming the action completely removes the app, but this is not always true. When you uninstall an app, there are often associated files left on your Mac, even after you have emptied the Trash. They’re known as leftovers.
Leftovers are an app’s associated files and folders that can include different languages, log files, agents, or processes that might try to start an application. App Manager aims to resolve this and helps you clean up your Mac by completely removing app leftovers. App Manager detects all app leftovers automatically so you can remove them with just one click.
Data security and privacy are especially important and managing these applies to anyone collecting and keeping data. Data that has reached its retention limit needs to be permanently removed from your file system and to be sure it can’t be recovered you need to overwrite the file with random series of binary data multiple times. This process is often referred to as shredding. With File Shredder, you can remove sensitive files from your hard disk without worrying that they can be recovered.
Preferences allows you to manage how the Cleaner One Pro app performs. In Preferences, you’ll see General, Notifications, Memory, Duplicates, Whitelists and Auto Select.
On the General tab, you can choose Auto start at login and other options according to how you would like Cleaner One Pro to behave during startup.
On the Notifications tab, you can disable the notification about smart memory optimization.
Cleaner One Pro is also equipped with a Smart Memory Optimization feature on the Memory tab. This feature uses artificial intelligence. You can set auto clean when your available memory is low or when an app is closed.
The Duplicates, Whitelists and Auto Select tabs work when you use the Duplicate Files feature on the main console. When there are too many duplicate files on your Mac, you can set the rules on the minimum file size, as well as which files to exempt or prioritize during deletion.
If you need technical assistance about Cleaner One Pro, click the robot icon either in the Apple Menu window or on the Main Console.
A chat support person will attend to your concerns or suggestions when using Cleaner One Pro. In case there is no available support engineer, you can send an email by clicking Send Email. Make sure to provide the correct email address.
Aside from Cleaner One Pro for Mac, we offer Antivirus One for Mac—as well as Cleaner One for iPhone, which you can download by scanning the QR Code. You can also submit your ideas for Other Tools by clicking the panel.
As you use your Mac over time, you need to maintain it to keep it running smoothly. Trend Micro Cleaner One Pro can clean up your disk space, help boost performance, and solve other Mac issues you might encounter during your daily work. As you consider it for your Mac, you may have remaining questions:
What’s the difference between the Free version and the Paid version? The Free version of Cleaner One Pro includes the Memory Optimizer, basic CPU and Network Monitoring, a Junk Files Cleaner, a Big Files Scanner, a Disk Map, and the Startup Manager. The Paid upgrade of Cleaner One Pro unlocks more features, including more Advanced CPU/Network Monitoring, a Duplicate Finder, a Similar Photos Scanner, an App Manager, and a File Shredder.
Is it safe to use Cleaner One Pro? Cleaner One Pro is notarized by Apple, which assures its users both security and privacy.
How can I download Cleaner One Pro? Cleaner One Pro is distributed via the official Trend Micro website and other authorized channels. Note that Cleaner One Pro is also available for Windows. To make it easy for the readers of this blog series, we’ve provided the download links here: Download Mac Version – Download Windows Version
Go to Cleaner One Windows or to Cleaner One Mac for more information or to purchase the apps.
The post Cleaner One Pro Speeds Up Your Mac: Part 2 appeared first on .
The Mac has always been pretty easy to use, but even the most ardent Mac supporters know there comes a time when their Mac is no longer new and they notice slowdowns in its performance, particularly after intensive use. They’d like a handy one-stop tool to help them optimize memory and CPU performance, free up disk space, and generally speed up their Mac, since they don’t want to dig around in the MacOS for buried utilities they don’t know how to use. Fortunately, Trend Micro has a solution for that.
Trend Micro Cleaner One Pro is an easy-to-use, all-in-one disk cleaning and optimization utility that can help you boost your Mac’s performance. Cleaner One Pro includes a number of Mac housecleaning tools such as a Memory Optimizer, a Junk Files cleaner, a Big Files scanner, a Duplicate Files finder, an App Manager, a File Shredder, and a Disk Map. These functions are all rolled into an easy-to-use interface that helps you visualize your Mac’s usage, while freeing up memory and storage on your Mac.
In this two-part blog, we will show you how you can use Cleaner One Pro to make your Mac run faster, walking you through its features. In Part 1, we focus on Quick Optimizer, the Main Console, and the Cleaning Tools. In Part 2, we’ll focus on System and Application Management, Privacy Protection, and some Other Options.
Once you’ve installed Cleaner One Pro, its Quick Optimizer appears in the Apple Menu, with handy tools to speed up your Mac. Click the icon and it displays a Console that monitors your Memory, Junk Files, CPU, and Network Usage, while letting you Optimize your Memory Usage and Clean your Junk Files with just one click. System Optimizer opens a Window onto the contents of your Mac for more detailed management.
Memory Optimizer
There are applications running in the background of your Mac that take up physical memory and affect its performance. The Memory Optimizer gives you control over how your computer consumes its memory resources—and you can free up your Mac’s memory in seconds with just one click on the Optimize button. If you want to see which apps are taking up significant memory, you can click the three-dot icon next to Memory Usage. It will show your Mac’s memory usage by app, in descending order. Click the Information (i) icon in the Memory Usage window for a breakdown of the types of memory being used.
Junk files, temporary files, system files and other non-essential items will accumulate on your Mac over time. These files take up a lot of space on your hard drive and may degrade the performance of your Mac as you reach higher disk usage. Click the Clean button and the Junk Files cleaner quickly removes application cache, system log files, update files, temporary files and hidden leftover files. You can also see the details of the identified Junk Files by clicking the three-dot icon next to Junk Files.
When your computer starts to run slowly it’s helpful to have a snapshot of its CPU usage. With this feature, you can see which apps are using significant CPU resources and how much percentage they’re using. It also let you know how long your computer has been up and running, since system reliability can degrade if it’s been awhile since you restarted your Mac.
If you want to keep an eye on your bandwidth consumption and avoid exceeding data caps, it’s useful to know the real-time download and upload speeds on your Mac. The Network Usage Monitor also provides a view of other network related information such as your Wi-Fi signal quality.
The Main Console is the core workplace in Trend Micro Cleaner One Pro and provides the following features, which are presented here grouped by purpose:
|
|
To access the Main Console, click System Optimizer in the Cleaner One Pro Apple Menu. The first time you do, you’ll need to authorize full access to your disk, so Cleaner One Pro can access more junk files. Simply click Grant Access in the System Optimizer window and watch the video or follow the written instructions. Complete the steps by closing Cleaner One Pro, then reload it. You’re now ready to begin optimizing.
The hard drive on your Mac holds the entire Mac operating system and important files including your data. As you use your Mac, over time its hard drive will accumulate junk files. These junk files are generated by the system and other programs. Cleaner One Pro is equipped with advanced and efficient algorithms that scan and remove junk files within seconds. Click Scan to scan for Junk Files and when the scan is done, either check a whole category or individual items in the category, then click Remove.
You may have a lot of clutter on your Mac in the form of big or old files that you probably no longer need and may have just forgotten about. Removing big unused files can recover a lot of disk space, but it could be time-consuming to delete them if done manually. Also, it is hard to select files for deletion if you don’t know the proper context— where the files are stored or how important they may be.
Big Files scanner provides a big file collector where you can easily spot and remove these files if you don’t need them anymore. Additionally, if you hover your mouse on a file, you’ll see a magnifier and a lock icon. Once you click the magnifier icon, you’ll locate the actual file. If you click the lock icon, the file will be added to the Ignore List, which will be locked.
Disk Map is a significant tool that helps you analyze the usage of your storage in a visual and interactive map. It quickly scans your drive and builds a visualization of files on the target folder of your Mac, allowing you to easily navigate the system. With Disk Map, you can find out the date when the file/folder was created, modified, and last opened. Furthermore, hovering your mouse on a folder then clicking the magnifier icon will direct you to the file’s location.
Another practice that you are probably comfortable doing is backing-up important files, photos, program installation files and apps on your hard drive. While this is a good practice, it creates duplicate files on your Mac that eventually add clutter and consume disk space. It’s also hard to find files in name searches when you have too many of them.
The Duplicate Files function lets you select a source folder where it will inspect and identify duplicate files on your Mac. In the scan results, an option called “Auto Select” helps you automatically select duplicate files. The information provided by “Auto Select” is listed below:
|
|
You can choose Remove to Trash or Delete Permanently on the confirmation page.
Often, you organize pictures of travels and life events, and also keep a copy to ensure you don’t lose those captured moments. But as digital photos pile up, often similar to others on your drive, they take up a lot of space. To assist you cleaning these up, use Similar Photos, and then choose your photo library to scan the photos on your Mac.
The result will display similar photos and you can choose the ones you don’t need, and the files will be added in the selected list. Click the Remove button to completely delete them from your hard drive.
That’s it for now! The second part of this blog will take up the remaining toolsets of Trend Micro Cleaner One Pro.
Go to Cleaner One Mac for more information or to purchase the app.
The post Cleaner One Pro Speeds Up Your Mac: Part 1 appeared first on .
FreshRSS 