5 new steps you can take right now to stay safer online
The FBI recently reported a 400% increase in cyberattack complaints received since the start of the pandemic. If you haven’t given your devices and accounts a security checkup, now’s the time to do it.
Precautions like two-factor authentication and strong passwords are good places to start, but there are subtle tactics hackers can use against you even with these measures in place. Tap or click here to see a scam that targets 2FA codes.
There are so many dangers online that it might feel impossible to cover all your bases. That’s why we put together five new security steps to help you safeguard your accounts and devices.
1. Check if you’re part of a zombie network
Botnets are dangerous malware networks that take control of computers and accounts. If a device becomes part of a botnet, hackers can send spam emails and malware to every contact on file.
Emotet is a botnet that sends more than 250,000 messages each day filled with spam, viruses and ransomware to accounts worldwide. If an account gets compromised or a computer becomes infected, it’s drafted into Emotet’s spam army.
Tap or click here to see why Emotet is so dangerous.
It’s easy to check if your email or domain address has been infected. Visit haveIbeenEMOTET and run a search on yourself. Just enter your email address or domain name into the tool on the homepage and click enter.
The site will run your information against domains and addresses sending spam on behalf of Emotet. If your email address or domain has been used, it will be marked as either “sender fake,” “sender real” or “recipient.”
If your address or domain is marked as “sender real” or “recipient,” it’s been compromised by Emotet. Take these steps:
- Scan your computer for malware. Emotet uses Trojans and other hidden malware to infect its victims. Tap or click here to see our favorite anti-malware scanners.
- If your anti-malware crashes during a scan, an Emotet infection may be interfering with it. You may need to run your computer in safe mode and try the scan again. Tap or click here and scroll down to Step 4 to see how to activate safe mode for Windows 10 and macOS.
- Change the password for your email account. Create a complex password that won’t be easily guessed using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols. Tap or click here to see how to generate stronger passwords.
- Avoid opening unknown emails in the future. If you get emails with links or attachments, do not interact with them. If someone you know sends you an odd email with a link or attachment, confirm that they sent it before opening. They may be part of a botnet, too.
2. Use this extension to make all your favorite sites more secure
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It seems as if most of us are faced with a never-ending deluge of spam these days. Whether it comes in the form of emails or robocalls, there’s no escaping that the huxters of the web are using this period of global lockdown to bombard people stuck in their homes with junk advertising and scams.
Kim's free security pick that needs to be on all your devices
Cybercrime, data breaches and internet attacks are on the rise. Between sophisticated new tools and the global pandemic, numbers are off the charts.
Some of the more popular schemes used by cybercriminals are phishing attacks, website misdirections and cloned sites. They often build real-looking websites that copy a legitimate brand or service’s official site to fool you into giving out your personal data, credentials and financial information.