Tag: security

💧 The weekend hackers came for the water

Hackers hit 30+ Minnesota water systems over two days. Here’s what could’ve happened, along with your 15-minute prep plan.

The FBI warns that scammers are impersonating its agents to rob victims a second time

Crooks run AI-generated videos of senior FBI officials and copycat versions of ic3.gov, all aimed at people who already lost money once. The bureau issued the alert on July 20. Four rules keep you out of danger.

My husband’s credit score fell from 810 to 575 overnight. A week later, the dentures bill arrived.

Three maxed-out credit cards. A $250,000 mortgage application. And a full set of dentures in Florida, ordered by a woman using Barry’s name. He did nothing wrong. It still took months to undo. Here is exactly what we did, in order.

Five tricks power users type into AI that you don’t. Steal all five.

Same chatbot, same monthly bill, wildly different answers. The gap isn’t intelligence. It’s vocabulary. Here are the five commands that turn a chatbot into a consultant, an editor, a burglar and a tutor.

Robert pays for identity monitoring. It told him his SSN was on the dark web, then did nothing.

There are three different products in the identity protection aisle, and the companies would rather you not learn the difference. One watches. One fixes. One pays. Most people buy the cheapest and assume they bought all three.

Why 911 can’t always find you when you call from a cell phone

Uber can find your front door, but for years, 23 million 911 calls annually went to the wrong dispatch center. A federal fix just kicked in, but it still has holes. Here are the phone settings that close them.

Verified badge. Dragged link. Both can wipe your accounts.

A verified X ad and a routine browser habit are being used to hijack Mac users and Microsoft 365 accounts alike. Here’s exactly how both attacks work and what stops them cold.

🚨 ‘I’d know if my identity got stolen.’ No, Chris. You wouldn’t.

A reader swears he’d catch identity theft himself because he checks his bank account. I had to break the bad news. The theft that ruins you never shows up there. Here’s what happens and how to catch it before the damage piles up.

🏠 Home sweet upgrade: 10 Prime Day home picks worth every penny

Inside: Smarter lighting, cleaner floors, better sleep and storage hacks I’d add to my cart before the deals fly away.

Give your sick computer a free AI checkup (without handing over your files)

Before you pay the Geek Squad $100 or panic-buy a laptop you don’t need, let AI read your computer’s own health report. Works on Windows and Mac. And it never touches your files.

That free Spotify tutorial stole your passwords. Here’s what to do.

Criminals are running polished fake tutorial videos on social media promising free Spotify Premium, Microsoft Office and Windows activation. Following the steps installs a password-stealing malware called Vidar that quietly takes every saved login, bank credential and credit card number on your device. One video got 100,000 views. Here’s exactly what it grabs and what to do right now.

Scammers are mailing fake VA benefit postcards to veterans across the country

The VA issued an official warning June 10 about a wave of fraudulent postcards claiming veterans qualify for extra benefits through something called the “Veterans Savings Program.” No such program exists. The goal is to get you on the phone so scammers can steal your Social Security number and bank account information. Here’s what to do if one shows up in your mailbox.

Your GPS has been receiving secret military messages for 20 years

A security researcher proved every GPS satellite doubles as a Cold War-style “numbers station,” beaming encrypted Pentagon code to every phone, car and smartwatch on Earth.

A reader drove China’s $10,300 EV and wants one. Here’s why he can’t have it, and how America fights back

Mark in San Diego test-drove the BYD Seagull in China and would buy one tomorrow. Kim breaks down the national security reason he can’t and the $200 billion American factory boom answering the challenge.

Your Wi-Fi router can “see” you move, even behind walls. No camera required.

That box on your shelf isn’t just sending you Netflix. New Wi-Fi sensing reads how your body bends the signals bouncing around your home, accurately enough to track movement through walls. Here’s how it works, and why nobody asked your permission.

Crooks are using your Social Security number to build a fake person. It’s the fastest-growing crime in America.

They take one real number, usually a child’s or a senior’s, glue on a fake name and birthday, then create a brand-new “person” who racks up credit and vanishes. You don’t find out until your file is wrecked. Here’s how to catch it.

7 companies owe you money. Here’s how to claim every dollar.

Amazon, Trader Joe’s, Bank of America, Krispy Kreme and more settled lawsuits over sneaky fees, bad receipts and data breaches. Payouts run from $3.25 to $5,000, most claims take five minutes and the first deadline is Tuesday.

Your Spectrum bill isn’t the only thing they took. Hackers claim 42 million customer records.

The group that hit Ticketmaster just targeted your internet provider. Here’s what was stolen, why Charter’s statement doesn’t add up and what to do before May 27.

Google will permanently delete your account after 2 years of inactivity. Here’s the free 5-minute fix that protects everything.

Gmail. Google Drive. Google Photos. All of it gone after two years of no activity. And without a legacy contact set up, your family can’t access any of it if something happens to you. Here’s how to fix it today.

The next big identity theft target isn’t your Social Security number. It’s your camera roll.

A passport pic on your phone sells for $600 on the dark web. Your photos contain GPS coordinates, faces, license plates and the inside of your house. The five photos to delete tonight.