5 new security steps you can use to protect your accounts and devices

The FBI recently reported a 400% increase in cyberattack complaints received since the start of the pandemic. If you haven’t given your devices and accounts a security checkup, now’s the time to do it.

Precautions like two-factor authentication and strong passwords are good places to start, but there are subtle tactics hackers can use against you even with these measures in place. Tap or click here to see a scam that targets 2FA codes.

There are so many dangers online that it might feel impossible to cover all your bases. That’s why we put together five new security steps to help you safeguard your accounts and devices.

1. Check if you’re part of a zombie network

Botnets are dangerous malware networks that take control of computers and accounts. If a device becomes part of a botnet, hackers can send spam emails and malware to every contact on file.

Emotet is a botnet that sends more than 250,000 messages each day filled with spam, viruses and ransomware to accounts worldwide. If an account gets compromised or a computer becomes infected, it’s drafted into Emotet’s spam army.

Tap or click here to see why Emotet is so dangerous.

It’s easy to check if your email or domain address has been infected. Visit haveIbeenEMOTET and run a search on yourself. Just enter your email address or domain name into the tool on the homepage and click enter.

The site will run your information against domains and addresses sending spam on behalf of Emotet. If your email address or domain has been used, it will be marked as either “sender fake,” “sender real” or “recipient.”

If your address or domain is marked as “sender real” or “recipient,” it’s been compromised by Emotet. Take these steps:

2. Use this extension to make all your favorite sites more secure

When browsing the web, stick to websites that start with “HTTPS://.” This tells you the site transfers data over a secure encrypted connection. You’ll also see an icon shaped like a lock in your browser’s address bar.

What if you want to visit a site that isn’t encrypted? That’s where the HTTPS Everywhere browser extension comes in. It rewrites your web requests as HTTPS, even if the site isn’t set…