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A good time to check if someone is using your identity is before it even happens. 

One of identity theft’s several downsides is how people discover they’ve become a victim in the first place—by surprise. They go to rent an apartment, open a line of credit, or apply for financing, only to discover that their finances or reputation has taken a hit because of identity thief.  

And those hits add up, particularly when you look at the dollars involved. In 2020, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported $3.3 billion in financial losses from 4.7 million reported cases of fraud, a 45% increase over the year prior. Of those reports, identity theft was the leading fraud category, accounting for 29% of fraud incidents.  

What’s at risk?  

Plenty. Depending on the type and amount of information an identity thief gets their hands on, they can harm your finances and reputation in several ways, including: 

• Open utility accounts in your name 
• Use your credit cards for purchases 
• Hijack your email 
• Claim healthcare expenses under your insurance 
• Steal your tax refund
• Even use your identity when they’re arrested for a crime 

Rather than ending up with a rude and potentially costly surprise of your own, you can get ahead of thieves by checking to see if someone is using your identity before it’s a problem or before it really takes root. 

The Neiman Marcus breach: now is a good time to check your identity 

Major data breaches that expose personal information seem to hit the headlines with some regularity, not to mention the many, many more that don’t get national or international press coverage. Most recently we have the Neiman Marcus breach, where this major retailer alerted 4.6 million customers that “an unauthorized party obtained personal information associated with certain Neiman Marcus customers’ online accounts.”  

And as it is with many such breaches, it took quite some time before the theft of information was discovered. Per Neiman Marcus, it’s believed that the breach occurred in May 2020 and only discovered in September of 2021. Potentially compromised information included: 

• Names and contact information 
• Payment card numbers and expiration dates (without CVV numbers) 
• Neiman Marcus virtual gift card numbers (without PINs) 
• Usernames, passwords, and security questions of Neiman Marcus online accounts 

Whether or not you have reason to suspect that your information got caught up in this recent large-scale breach, it serves as a good reminder that any time is the right time to check up on your identity. Acting now can save headaches, potentially big headaches, later. 

How you can protect yourself from identity theft right now 

Quite a bit of identity theft prevention begins with taking stock of the accounts and services you have in your name. This ranges anywhere from bank accounts to public utilities and from credit cards to loans, all of which contain varying degrees of personal information about you. With a sense of where your personal identity is being used, you can better look for instances where it’s being misused. 

Ways you can spot for possible identity theft include: 

Track your bills and when they are due. 

If you stop receiving a bill that normally comes to you, such as a utility bill or for a department store credit card, that could be a sign that a thief has changed the mailing address and has potentially hijacked your identity. 

Check your statements and accounts for irregularities.

This is rather straightforward, yet it reminds us how important it is to look at our statements closely. Charges that you didn’t ring up or that seem slightly higher than normal are a surefire sign that you should follow up with the bank or company involved and let them know of possible fraud. 

Review your credit reports. 

In the U.S., you have annual access to free credit reports from the major credit reporting agencies. Not only will this give you a sense of your credit score, but it will also show the credit that’s open in your name, along with addresses associated with your identity. Spotting an account that you haven’t signed up for or seeing an address of a residence that you’re not renting are other common signs that your identity may have been compromised. 

Sign up for credit monitoring services. 

With the number of accounts many of us have these days, a credit monitoring service can help you stay on top of what’s happening in your name. Often offered through banks, credit unions, and even insurance providers, credit monitoring can alert you in several instances, including: 

• When a company checks your credit history. 

• If new loan or credit card appears in your name. 
• Changes in your address or phone number. 

Overall, credit monitoring can act as another set of eyes for you and spot potential identity issues. Different services provide different levels of monitoring, so consider reviewing a few options to find the one that works best for you. 

Consider an identity protection service.

One like our own Identity Protection Service will monitor several types of personally identifiable information, alert you of potentially stolen personal info, and offer guided help to neutralize the threat—in addition to offering several preventative steps to help keep theft from happening in the first place. With this set up on your computers and smartphone you can stay in the know and address issues immediately. 

Five extra steps for preventing identity theft 

Along with keeping an eye on what’s happening with your identity online and elsewhere, there are a few more things you can do to make it tougher for thieves to steal your identity. 

1) Protect your digital files and devices. 

Given all the banking and shopping we do on our computers and phones, installing and using comprehensive online protection software is a must these days. It puts several layers of security in place, such as creating complex passwords automatically, shielding credit card info from prying eyes, and protecting your privacy and data online by connecting with a VPN. In short, online protection software acts as a solid first line of defense. 

2) Protect your accounts with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication. 

As mentioned above, comprehensive online protection software often includes a password manager that can generate strong, unique passwords for each of your accounts and remember them for you. It’s extra protection that makes life a lot easier for you by managing all the accounts you’re juggling. Also, use MFA (multi-factor authentication) on the accounts that give you the option, which makes it harder for a thief to crack your accounts with a password alone. 

3) Shred sensitive documents when you’re done with them. 

Sensitive documents come in all forms. Top-of-the-line examples include things like tax returns, bank statements, and financial records. Yet there are also things like your phone and utility bills, statements from your doctor’s office, and offers that come to you via mail. Together, these things can contain personal information such as account numbers, your full Social Security Number, the last four digits of your Social Security Number (which can still be useful to thieves), and other information that may uniquely identify you. You’ll want to dispose of sensitive documents like these so that they can’t be harvested by hackers. 

For physical documents, consider the low-cost investment of a paper shredder to help ensure they don’t fall into the wrong hands when you are done with them. (And let’s face it, they’re fun to use!) For digital documents, simply deleting a file is not enough – online protection software is a great resource that often includes a digital document shredder, designed to render the data practically unusable when you’re ready to trash the file. 

4) Keep your Social Security Number to yourself. 

Your Social Security Number is one of the most prized possessions a thief can run away with because it is so closely associated with you and things like your tax returns, employment, and so on. Keep it stored in a safe location rather than on your person or in your wallet. Likewise, be careful about giving out your SSN. While organizations like the IRS, your bank, and employer require it, there are other organizations who do not—but may ask for it anyway. (Doctor’s offices are a prime example.) If you get such a request, ask them what they intend to use it for and then ask if another form of identification will work instead.  

5) Keep an eye out for phishing attacks. 

Phishing attacks are one of the primary ways identity thieves steal personal information. Whether they come via a direct message, on social media, or through email, text, or phone calls, thieves use them to harvest your personal info by posing as a legitimate organization—such as in this recent IRS phishing scam. Phishing is a topic all unto itself, and you can check out this quick read to see how you can spot phishing scams and protect yourself from them. 

No surprises 

Like any criminal, identity thieves do their dirtiest work in the shadows—quietly stealing money under your nose, or worse, as we outlined above. By shining a light on your identity and keeping regular track of what’s happening with it, you can spot unusual activity right away. Even the small stuff is important. A co-worker of mine once saw an incorrect address listed on his credit report. Turned out, that address was used to rack up several large charges at a retailer, which he was able to fix with the aid of the credit reporting agency and the retailer in question.  

No doubt about it. Identity theft is indeed on the rise, and your best bet to avoid such a nasty surprise is to keep an eye on your digital identity the same way you keep an eye on your actual wallet. 

The post How to Check if Someone is Using Your Identity appeared first on McAfee Blogs.

Welcome back to our executive blog series, where I chat with some of the pivotal players behind McAfee Enterprise to hear their takes on today’s security trends, challenges, and opportunities for enterprises across the globe. Dive into the conversation below with Vice President, Global Commercial, Britt Norwood.

Q: What’s the first career you dreamed of having as a kid?

My first career was as a paper boy from 5th through 8th grade, but I always wanted to be a professional golfer. However, when I realized I was not that good at golf, I decided to pursue a career in business and technology.

Q: What do you think about talent in the technology and security industry?

The talent we have in this industry is amazing, people are working so hard every day, but our foes are relentless, and we will always need talent who can look at problems with diverse viewpoints.

Q: Which emerging technology do you think holds the most promise once it matures?

I’m interested in seeing the continued progress around the unification of threat hunting (EDR, XDR, MDR), as we better understand the power of machine learning, automated detection, and AI as it pertains to quickly identifying malicious code and non-conforming behaviors. This is a world where the surface is just being scratched. As this technology matures and develops, there is power for good, but it will always need to be balanced in a way that makes sure the uses are ethical and moral. This will be a true new frontier as it unfolds.

Q: What are some of the trends you are currently noticing within the privacy and cybersecurity space?

Everyone knows that a layered model is necessary to protect valuable data against attacks, but there is fatigue within many IT departments about the number of tools they need and that need to be connected to each other to work properly. Most CIOs and CISOs are looking for platforms that simplify management and streamline threat research to consolidate and reduce complexities.

On the attack front, both the cryptocurrency phenomenon is allowing bad actors to be more aggressive, as they have a way to anonymously launder ransoms, which is why there are so many ransomware attacks happening now. Cryptocurrency needs to be examined from a regulatory standpoint to protect innocent consumers and businesses who are vulnerable to such attacks. Until that time, it falls back to security platforms to assist them.

 

The post Executive Spotlight: Q&A with Vice President, Global Commercial, Britt Norwood appeared first on McAfee Blogs.

The nationally recognized Hispanic Heritage Month grew out of a desire to educate people all over the country about the many contributions the Hispanic community has made to U.S. culture.

Here at McAfee Enterprise, we’re taking this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month to spotlight members of the LatinX community who are using their platforms to make their voices heard and contribute to the cybersecurity community. I spoke with Arnie Lopez, Vice President Worldwide Systems Engineering, about his heritage and journey to cybersecurity. 

What do you enjoy most about your heritage and what is one of your favorite memories growing up?

I love our food and music.  I remember my mom cooking up some great dishes while we danced around the house listening to fun music.

How have Hispanic/LatinX individuals helped contribute to where you are today in life and career?

I had two great LatinX mentors/role models, Carlos Dominguez and Guillermo Diaz that helped tremendously early in my career.

Tell us about your journey to a career in technology and how your heritage played a role to where you are today?

Our culture is hard working and sometimes very stubborn. Early in my career I was very interested in technology and asked people to teach me different types of technologies and would not take no for an answer. I started early on with learning computers, then servers, networking, security, then cloud and applications. All of this helped my career and had a huge impact.

What do you hope to pass on to future generations?

Embrace your LatinX culture, use it as a differentiator when competing for new roles.

What are the three most important things that people should know about your culture?

1) Our passion makes us great team members

2) We love to have fun… Work hard and play hard

3) We come in many different colors and sub-cultures but have common core values

Is there a tradition or celebration that you hope that your descendants maintain?

I hope my kids and nephews keep up the celebration of Bolivian Independence Day (Seis de Agosto).  It’s a big national party on August 6 every year with music, food and dancing.

As the country continues to grow more diverse, what advice would you give to young Hispanic/LatinX individuals interested in starting a career in cybersecurity?

Don’t be intimated by the lack of LatinX in Cyber, it’s up to us to change the demographics and we will do it. Find a LatinX mentor or coach that already works in Cyber to provide you candid and honest feedback and guidance.

What are some of your ideas on how to attract more Hispanic/LatinX individuals to cybersecurity?

Get involved, participate, and give back. Get involved in LatinX youth, corporate and University panels and events and tell your story.  “If they can SEE it, They can BE it!”

The post 2021 Hispanic Heritage Month Pt. 2: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope appeared first on McAfee Blogs.

McAfee Enterprise is prepared to protect our customers from day 1 of their journey with the new Windows 11 release.

This summer Microsoft announced planned changes to its Windows platform with the release of Windows 11. McAfee Enterprise is proud to announce that we have delivered day 1 support for the benefit of our current and future customers. We know that today’s hybrid workspaces call for flexibility and ease of use without compromising security, so now that Windows 11 is here, we want to address a few important topics regarding what to expect from your trusted security vendor, McAfee Enterprise:

What does McAfee Enterprise day 1 support of Windows 11 mean to you?

Customers can rely on McAfee Enterprise products to already have the most important Windows 11 box checked—ensuring your systems are secure and protected against threats from day 1.

McAfee Enterprise is committed to continue this same level of support for Microsoft’s future release cadence of Windows 11. We work closely with Microsoft to make sure that McAfee Enterprise security software and hardware products are fully compatible with Windows operating systems.

What if my organization is not ready to upgrade to Windows 11?

We recognize that not every environment will be ready to upgrade on day 1, or even at the start of the new year. Regardless of the date of your transition, McAfee Enterprise is here to ensure you remain protected across your devices and OS versions.

Our ongoing commitment is to continue to support our customers and the release cadence of the Windows 10 platform. We keep apprised of Microsoft OS support cycles and ensure that our customers remain covered throughout their lifecycles. For more information, see KB85784 – Windows 10 compatibility with McAfee Enterprise products

That said, having a plan outlined in advance is a key ingredient to any successful environment upgrade or transition. McAfee Enterprise Technical Support and your Enterprise Customer Success teams are available to support and partner with you on your journey and to answer any product questions along the way.

Related resources:

• Support for Windows 7/Server 2008/2008 R2 after January 2020
• Supported Platforms for Endpoint Security for Windows
• Dynamic search list of McAfee Enterprise products Supported Platforms articles

What is an ideal security environment for McAfee Enterprise customers utilizing the new Windows 11 OS?

With McAfee Enterprise’s security platform, you can command a centrally managed solution that protects your environment across varied devices and operating systems. A combination of fully enabled Endpoint Security Adaptive Threat Protection (ENS ATP),  EDR, and MVISION Insights delivers proactive threat intelligence and defenses across the entire attack lifecycle. Our security teams work around the clock to anticipate future security needs and drive home industry-leading innovation. More on the McAfee Enterprise Endpoint Protection Platform here.

Additional product resources:

• Preview MVISION Insights
• Are you ready for XDR?

Where can I find documentation regarding McAfee Enterprise product support for the new Windows 11 release?

Our product teams have outlined our portfolio’s support in KB94901 – Windows 11 compatibility with McAfee Enterprise products.

To ensure a quality experience, each McAfee Enterprise product team is required to complete validations of all new releases that Microsoft publishes for Windows 11. The McAfee Enterprise goal is to add same-day support for all Windows 11 releases over time, for those products that don’t currently offer this cadence.

For general upgrade guidance or questions, customers may contact Enterprise Technical Support or visit our Support Portal here.

Take advantage of our latest Endpoint Security offering by visiting us here.

The post McAfee Enterprise Is Ready for Windows 11, Are You? appeared first on McAfee Blogs.

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