Tips & Advice

One of the oldest tricks in the cybercrime playbook is phishing. It first hit the digital scene in 1995, at a time when millions flocked to America Online (AOL) every day. And if we know one thing about cybercriminals, it’s that they tend to follow the masses. In earlier iterations, phishing attempts were easy to

Your phone buzzes. You hope it’s a reply from last night’s date, but instead you get an entirely different swooping feeling: It’s an alarming SMS text alerting you about suspicious activity on your bank account and that immediate action is necessary.   Take a deep breath and make sure to read the message carefully. Luckily, your

In the fall of 2021, cryptocurrency value skyrocketed. Ethereum and Bitcoin had their highest values ever, causing a huge stir in interest in online currencies from experts, hobbyists and newbies alike … and in cybercriminals seeking huge paydays. Since then, cryptocurrency value has cooled, as has the public’s opinion about whether it’s worth the risk.

Happy Cybersecurity Awareness Month!   Every October, the National Cybersecurity Alliance selects a theme around which to publish extensive awareness resources and practical tips to help you improve your cybersecurity.1 This year’s theme is “It’s easy to stay safe online.” With the number of cyber threats and breaches dominating the headlines, it can seem like

Our all-new ransomware coverage is now available, ready to help just in case—all backed by expert advice to help you find the quickest and best possible path to recovery.  Ransomware coverage from McAfee can reimburse you up to $25,000 for losses resulting from a ransomware threat, including financial losses and ransom fees. You’ll find this

With “See Yourself in Cyber” as the theme for this year’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the focus is on you with a look at several quick ways you can quickly get safer online.  Now in its 21st year, Cybersecurity Awareness Month marks a long-standing collaboration between the U.S. government and private industry. It’s aim, empower people

Are you hoping to buy a house or apply for a car, personal, or business loan at some point? A great credit score helps to achieve all those things. You never know the twists and turns life might take you, so even if these financial milestones aren’t on your radar now, it’s nice to know

McAfee’s Secure VPN now supports the WireGuard protocol, which gives you faster connection speeds plus enhanced stability and security.   WireGuard is the latest standard in Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology, and we’re rolling it out across McAfee Secure VPN and our comprehensive online protection software. And just as before, it offers smart protection that can

How do hackers hack phones? Several ways. Just as there are several ways you can prevent it from happening to you.  The thing is that our phones are like little treasure chests. They’re loaded with plenty of personal data, and we use them to shop, bank, and take care of other personal and financial matters—all of which

Optus, one of Australia’s largest telecommunications carriers, reported news of a data breach that may have compromised the information of current and former customers. As of this writing, the company has not stated how many customers may have been affected, citing their ongoing investigation in conjunction with law enforcement and Australian government officials According to

There’s little rest for your hard-working smartphone. If you’re like many professionals today, you use it for work, play, and a mix of personal business in between. Now, what if something went wrong with that phone, like loss or theft? Worse yet, what if your smartphone got hacked? Let’s try and keep that from happening to you.  Globally, plenty of people pull double duty

The social network TikTok is chockfull of interesting, fun, laugh-out-loud videos shared by creators worldwide. Kids, as well as parents, can easily spend hours glued to the platform. But as with most popular platforms, the fun can eventually turn dark, even deadly, when viral challenges make their rounds.   The latest viral challenge, the “blackout

Here’s to the hashtags, the likes, the followers, the DMs, and the LOLs—June 30th marks Social Media Day, a time to celebrate and reflect on how social media has changed our lives over the years.  Started in 2010 by media and entertainment company Mashable, celebrations have taken on all kinds of forms. Meetups, contests, calls to increase your social circle

When it comes to passwords, most of us would love nothing more than to set it and forget it. But that’s exactly what hackers are hoping for — in fact, it makes their job a lot easier. This means the best line of defense is frequent password changes.   But how often should you create new

*TW: Mentions Suicide Our passion for protecting people doesn’t stop with online safety. We deeply care for our people, their families and friends, and our communities. To recognize World Suicide Prevention on Sept. 10 and help normalize and encourage conversations about mental health year-round, we recently hosted a discussion with McAfee colleagues and suicide prevention

I can’t tell you how many times over my 25 years of parenting that I’ve just wanted to wrap my boys in cotton wool and protect them from all the tricky stuff that life can throw our way. But unfortunately, that’s never been an option. Whether it’s been friendship issues in the playground, dramas on

If you recently found yourself looking for a new job, you are far from alone. According to the Institute of Labor Economics, more Canadians were seeking new employment opportunities at the height of the pandemic than during the previous three recessions combined. Job hunters only used to have to worry about the clarity of their cover letters and impressing interviewers. Now, however,

An old banking scam has a new look. And it’s making the rounds again.  Recently Bank of America alerted its customers of the “Pay Yourself Scam,” where scammers use phony fraud alerts and trick their victims into giving them access to their online banking accounts. It’s a form of phishing attack, and according to Bank

Have you ever said something you wish you could take back? Maybe it was a comment muttered in the heat of the moment that hurt someone’s feelings. Or maybe you just had a night out full of silly antics that you wouldn’t want your boss or grandma to see.   These are completely normal occurrences that

McAfee’s Mobile Research team recently analyzed new malware targeting NTT DOCOMO users in Japan. The malware which was distributed on the Google Play store pretends to be a legitimate mobile security app, but it is in fact a payment fraud malware stealing passwords and abusing reverse proxy targeting NTT DOCOMO mobile payment service users. McAfee

Safety has a feeling all its own, and that’s what’s at the heart of McAfee+.  We created McAfee+ so people can not only be safe but feel safe online, particularly in a time when there’s so much concern about identity theft and invasion of our online privacy.    And those concerns have merit. Last year,

Wouldn’t it be nice if, along with grades for English, Science, and Algebra this year, our child’s report card included quarterly feedback on their mental health?   Recently, actor Tom Holland of Spider-Man fame reported on his mental health publicly by deleting several of his social media accounts. The actor stated that his social media accounts

It’s too bad cybercriminals don’t funnel their creativity into productive pursuits because they’re constantly coming up with nefarious new ways to eke out money and information from unsuspecting people. One of their newest schemes is called synthetic identity theft, a type of identity theft that can happen to anyone. Luckily, there are ways to lower

Password protection is one of the most common security protocols available. By creating a unique password, you are both proving your identity and keeping your personal information safer. However, when every account you have requires a separate password, it can be an overwhelming task. While you should be concerned about the safety of your data,

Most every parent loves a new school year. Most likely because the beloved milestone offers us a clean slate and a chance to do things better, shape new habits, and close those digital safety gaps. The hope that fuels change is a powerful thing. However, if you want to ensure your new habits stick, there’s

“But everyone else has one.”  Those are familiar words to a parent, especially if you’re having the first smartphone conversation with your tween or pre-teen. In their mind, everyone else has a smartphone so they want a one too. But does “everyone” really have one? Well, your child isn’t wrong.   Our recent global study found

Fears and phobias. We all have them. But what are your biggest ones? I absolutely detest snakes but spiders don’t worry me at all. Well, new research by McAfee shows that cybercriminals and the fear of being hacked are now the 5th greatest fear among Aussies. With news of data breaches and hacking crusades filling

Using a VPN on your smartphone can boost your privacy in a big way, particularly with all the data tracking that’s happening out there today.  For some time now, we’ve recommended a VPN when using public Wi-Fi in airports, libraries, hotels, and coffee shops. Given that these are public networks, a determined hacker can snoop

Authored by Oliver Devane and Vallabh Chole  A few months ago, we blogged about malicious extensions redirecting users to phishing sites and inserting affiliate IDs into cookies of eCommerce sites. Since that time, we have investigated several other malicious extensions and discovered 5 extensions with a total install base of over 1,400,000 The extensions offer

Our phones store a lot of personal data, including contacts, social media account details, and bank account logins. We use our smartphones for everything under the sun, from work-related communication to online shopping.  However, like computer viruses, our phones can be vulnerable to malware. Viruses are a type of malware that replicate themselves and spread