Making sure your password is strong yet memorable can be challenging and stressful. However, following best practices – like using passphrases, incorporating acronyms and relying on a password manager – will ensure your passwords are strong and safe. A strong password should contain at least 16 characters, with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

Spyware is a type of malware that can be installed on your device without your knowledge. The main goal of spyware is to spy on you and gather your private information, like passwords or credit card information. Despite spyware being elusive and undetectable at times, you can tell if there is spyware on your laptop by recognizing common signs. Some of these signs include unwanted pop-up ads, slower performance, shorter battery life and redirections on your browser.

You can tell if your Facebook account has been hacked if you receive login attempt notifications, notice your account’s personal information has been changed, see an increase in suspicious messages or have trouble logging in to your account. Since Facebook accounts hold a large amount of private information, you need to recover your account quickly if it’s been hacked.

There are several different types of spyware, such as adware, stalkerware and keyloggers. No matter what kind of spyware is installed on your device, it is frightening to have your privacy invaded and sensitive information stolen by cybercriminals. Read more to learn what spyware is, the different types of spyware and how to protect your devices from spyware.

If you answer a spam call, you might start receiving more spam and scam calls, become a victim of SIM card swapping or get your phone number spoofed. Based on Truecaller’s findings, from July 2023 to July 2024, Americans collectively spent approximately 234,000,000 hours answering spam calls. While not every spam call is intended to deceive you like a scam call, receiving unwanted phone calls from persistent telemarketers can quickly become annoying.

Several tactics can lead to medical identity theft, including someone physically stealing your sensitive information, phishing scams, insider attacks and data breaches. Continue reading to learn what medical identity theft is, how it can happen and ways you can protect yourself against it.

Although there is no way to stop receiving all spam calls, there are steps you can take to reduce the number of spam calls you receive. According to Truecaller’s 2024 report, Americans collectively receive an average of 2.5 billion spam and unwanted calls every month. While spam calls do not always have malicious intent, like hacking your phone or stealing your money, they can grow annoying since they are unwanted and persistent.

You can tell if you have spyware on your device by looking for signs such as your device’s battery draining quickly, overheating, increased pop-ups or data usage and unfamiliar apps. Spyware is a kind of malware that, once unknowingly installed on your device, allows cybercriminals to spy on you and steal your private information. This information could be used by cybercriminals or sold on the dark web to commit fraud or identity theft.

You can mitigate the risk of ransomware attacks by regularly backing up your data, updating your device with the latest software, implementing least-privilege access, using a business password manager and educating employees about security awareness, among other things. Ransomware attacks occur when organizations are prevented from accessing files and data until they’ve paid a ransom to the cybercriminal who infected their devices with malware.

You can protect yourself from identity theft by safeguarding your Social Security number and other sensitive documents, regularly reviewing your credit reports, using a dark web monitoring tool and not oversharing online. Identity theft occurs when someone steals and uses your sensitive documents unbeknownst to you to gain money or access to your confidential information. Examples of sensitive documents include Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account information and passport numbers.

A password is compromised when it’s leaked in a data breach and made available on the dark web, allowing others to gain unauthorized access to your online accounts. This risk not only arises from a data breach; your passwords can also be compromised in a phishing attack or if you don’t store your passwords securely. Dealing with multiple compromised passwords can be scary and stressful, but luckily there are steps you can take to protect your online accounts.

You can avoid falling for Medicare scam calls by blocking unknown numbers, refusing to give out your personal information to unsolicited callers and staying informed about common phone scams. Although all types of scams can be dangerous, scams involving Medicare endanger their targets by potentially compromising their health insurance and identity. Read more to learn what Medicare scam calls are, how they work, some common examples and how you can avoid falling for these scams.

An account takeover attack is a type of identity theft that occurs when a cybercriminal gains access to your online account and changes your login credentials to lock you out. Once you cannot log back in, a cybercriminal will use your identity to steal private information or even scam others. You can prevent account takeover attacks by using strong passwords, enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and investing in dark web monitoring.

You can tell if someone is scamming you online if they make grammatical or spelling errors, create a sense of urgency, ask you for personal information, offer you something that’s too good to be true or reach out to you unexpectedly. Read the following signs that someone is scamming you online, learn about the most common online scams to watch out for and note our tips on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

If your bank account has been hacked, you should contact your bank immediately, change your bank account’s password and place a freeze on your credit report. Because your savings are on the line, you must act quickly when you learn your bank account has been hacked. Read more to learn the common signs of a hacked bank account and what you should do if someone hacks into your bank account.

To lock your Social Security number (SSN), you first need to either contact the Social Security Administration or use your E-Verify account to self-lock it. It is necessary to lock your SSN when you suspect that it has been stolen and used to commit fraud or identity theft. If you notice suspicious activity in your bank accounts, missing mail or mistakes in your tax returns, you might be a victim of identity theft and should lock your SSN immediately.

A Quick Response (QR) code is made up of black and white pixels, designed for someone to scan with their camera to access links, contact information and more. Some common QR code scams you should be aware of include QR codes on parking meters, unexpected package deliveries, phishing emails, restaurant menus or unsolicited text messages. One study in October 2023 found that 22% of worldwide phishing attacks used QR codes to spread malware.

The best ways to keep your sensitive data safe include using strong passwords for each of your online accounts, backing up your data regularly and investing in a password manager. Your data is important and should be protected to reduce the risk of identity theft and other cyber threats. Continue reading to learn what is considered sensitive data, how to protect your sensitive data and how Keeper can help.

The main differences between Remote Browser Isolation (RBI) and Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) are the type of user activity they secure and the way in which they secure it. While RBI protects users against web based threats by providing privacy and security through isolating browsing activity from the user’s device and network, VPNs encrypt data and mask the user’s IP address for all internet traffic. This article will examine these differences in more detail.

Educators create many passwords for accounts in both their personal and professional lives. Password management is crucial for educators, not only to keep track of their professional passwords but also to separate those from their personal passwords. Teachers need a reliable place to store passwords for many online accounts, applications and programs, no matter which grades or subjects they teach. Read more to learn why password management is essential for teachers.

E-gift cards can be safe to buy; however, there are some risks you should consider before purchasing them. Some cybercriminals will buy e-gift cards with stolen payment information and then resell them to others for a profit. Because e-gift cards require little to no personal information, cybercriminals can get away with scamming people with e-gift cards. Continue reading to learn more about the risks of using e-gift cards and how you can avoid being scammed.

In 2024, many organizations and individuals have been affected by cyber attacks. A few of the most common cyber threats are social engineering attacks, password-based attacks and data leaks. Read more to learn about the ten most common cybersecurity threats that have been occurring in 2024 and how to protect yourself and your business against them.

Every day, millions of people use browsers like Google Chrome, FireFox and Safari to search the internet. Out of those millions of people, a fair portion use incognito mode in an attempt to maintain their privacy and stay safe on the internet, even if this is not what incognito was created to do. Incognito mode is generally safe to use, but it’s important to understand that it will not keep you protected against cyber threats and online scams.

As you’re browsing the internet on your phone, you encounter a pop-up message saying, “Your iPhone has been hacked!” The message claims your device has been infected with malware. Is this message even real? No, pop-ups claiming that your iPhone has been hacked are not real. These kinds of pop-ups are scams that cybercriminals create intending to scare you into clicking them. After you click on these pop-ups, malware can start downloading on your device.

The most secure browsers depend on your security preferences and what you’re looking for in your browsing experience, but we suggest Chrome for its incognito mode, Firefox for its anti-tracking systems and DuckDuckGo for its privacy settings. Depending on the kinds of security features you need, each browser below has its own strengths and weaknesses. No matter which web browser you use, you should look for several safety features that protect your private data.

Double extortion ransomware is a type of cyber attack in which cybercriminals steal sensitive data and encrypt it. Then, cybercriminals threaten to release the stolen data unless the victim pays a ransom. The additional threat of exfiltration makes this type of cyber attack particularly damaging for organizations, as they face the risk of sensitive data being exposed to the public or sold on the dark web.

2024 has been quite the year for malware attacks. So far this year, major companies like Change Healthcare, Ticketmaster, Ascension Hospital, ABN AMRO and CDK Global have all been affected by malware attacks. Keep reading to learn more about each of these major malware attacks and how your company can protect itself from malware attacks.

Yes, it is possible for someone to hack your home WiFi. This can occur if you have a weak WiFi password, if you fail to update your router’s software or through a method called Domain Name Server (DNS) hijacking. Continue reading to learn how your home WiFi can be compromised, the signs of a hacked WiFi router, the steps to take if you get hacked and effective measures to prevent your home WiFi from getting hacked.

Child identity theft can happen in many different ways, such as by family members, data breaches, compromised online accounts or even sensitive documents being stolen. According to a Carnegie Mellon CyLab study, children are 51 times more likely to fall victim to identity theft than adults. Child identity theft happens when an individual uses a minor’s sensitive information to open lines of credit, get loans or steal benefits under the minor’s name.

Bring Your Own Device, better known as BYOD, is when employees can use their personal devices on a company’s network to complete their work tasks. Companies sometimes prefer their employees to use their own devices because they save money on providing technology and resources. Despite this financial benefit, companies should recognize the security risks BYOD can bring to their employees and organizations.

According to data from the Pew Research Center, over 33% of parents with children younger than 12 years old say their children started using digital devices before they were five years old. With children gaining access to technology at earlier ages than ever before, it is important to teach your children about online password safety. Password safety refers to the best practices of creating strong passwords and keeping them stored in a safe location.

Some common Venmo business account scams include fake payment invoice scams, overpayment scams, fraudulent Venmo support, business impersonation scams and phishing scams. If you are unfamiliar with Venmo, it is a mobile app used to send and receive money, similar to PayPal, Zelle or Cash App. If you already have a personal profile on Venmo, you can create a business profile to keep track of your transactions and give you more payment methods, including the option to receive tips.

Your email address can reveal a substantial amount of personal information including your full name, phone number, home address, place of work, social media profiles and other online accounts. Keep reading to learn what information someone can get from your email address, whether your identity can be stolen and how to keep your email address safe.

If you’re tempted to share a password over email, there are several security risks you should be aware of before doing so. Sending passwords over email is dangerous because emails are unencrypted and can be intercepted by cybercriminals. When data is unencrypted, it could be read or saved by the wrong or malicious recipients. Read on to learn why sending passwords through email is risky and how you can use a password manager to safely share your passwords instead.

On July 24, 2024, Google announced an 18-hour-long issue on its Chrome web browser regarding its password manager. A bug prevented millions of Windows users from accessing their passwords on Google Password Manager when using Chrome as their web browser.