How to check if your email has been in a data breach
It seems like every other week we hear about another massive data breach at a major company. Whether it’s a social media giant, a retail chain, or even a credit bureau, these leaks often include sensitive information like names, passwords, and—most commonly—email addresses. If you’ve been using the internet for more than a few years, there is a very high probability that your email address has been included in at least one of these breaches.
Finding out if your data is “out there” isn’t just about satisfying curiosity; it’s a vital part of maintaining your digital security. When hackers get a list of emails and passwords from one site, they often try those same combinations on hundreds of other sites, a technique called “credential stuffing.” Knowing which of your accounts might be compromised allows you to change your passwords before someone else uses them against you.
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How to spot a phishing email (with examples)
We’ve all been there: you’re clearing out your inbox when you see an urgent message from your bank, Amazon, or even your boss. It looks real, it sounds important, and it’s asking you to “click here” to fix a problem immediately. This is the classic setup for a phishing attack, one of the most common ways people lose control of their digital lives.
Phishing isn’t about complex hacking into your computer; it’s about hacking you. By creating a sense of urgency or fear, scammers hope you’ll skip the critical thinking part of your brain and hand over your passwords or credit card numbers. The good news is that once you know what to look for, these emails are actually quite easy to spot.
Read morePractically every email provider can and will read your emails
The tech blogosphere went haywire Friday as news broke that Microsoft read a French blogger’s emails and instant messages to root out an internal leaker. This is, in fact, perfectly legal. Why? Every user consents to this when they agree to the terms of use. The right to read its users emails is a right claimed by far more than just Microsoft, too.
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