Watch out! Your latest data breach notification might not be real

With so many data breaches happening recently, it no longer feels unusual to receive yet another email about another breach. But before clicking any link, please review the message carefully – this may be a phishing attempt.

Yes, the message you receive may be fake, designed to trick you into sharing sensitive information such as your login credentials or personal details. This kind of scraping is not uncommon, and the methods may vary. Some may directly impersonate companies, while others may impersonate security software (such as Norton, Malwarebytes, etc.) and regularly send legitimate emails to subscribers about the latest online attacks.

Fortunately, you can avoid these attacks by avoiding these messages. Don’t click on any links, but open a new browser tab and search for the company name along with “data breach” or “hacked.” If the leak is real, it will be in the news and/or announced on their official website. You’ll also find legal information on how to take steps to protect your account.

Additionally, follow these tips to protect against phishing attacks:

• Make sure anti-virus software is active on your computer. By default, Windows security is enabled, but Excellent third-party antivirus software exists If you want more features. While not 100% foolproof, a good app will help catch and block accidental clicks on suspicious URLs.
• Keep your browser software up to date. Modern browsers such as Chrome and Firefox will block known malicious links.
• Phishing websites often try to steal login information, so use master keymay only be used with the original website for which it was created. This prevents your credentials from falling into the hands of strangers.
• Virtual credit card numbers can help keep your financial information safe from fraudsters because some card numbers can be reserved for a single merchant. They are also easy to cancel. Some can even be limited to a certain amount to minimize the loss if stolen.

If you’re exhausted from data breaches (not to mention online security), you’re not alone. It’s a drag. Thankfully, most software maintenance is now automated, and once keys are set up, you don’t need to change or rotate them like passwords. The hardest part is training yourself to distrust links, but the habit sticks faster than you think.

Further reading: These simple operations will make you safer online