Staying safer online in a modern world
Where there once was a clear distinction between our online identities and our offline selves, today they are increasingly intertwined. Similarly, where people were previously occasionally offline, today we’re living in a world of constant connectivity.
This has brought with it many innovations and improvements to our lives but have also made the risks of cyber attacks seriously disrupting our lives a lot more real.
A thriller like 1995’s “The Net” might've seemed like a far-fetched scenario when that movie came out nearly 30 years ago, but today people are living the realities of identity theft on a daily basis. According to identitytheft.org, the FTC received 1.4 million identity theft related reports in 2023 to date.
In today’s security landscape, the emphasis of attackers is much more on the person using the device then the person’s devices, requiring modern security solutions to look past the device boundaries to help address these concerns.
Microsoft knows this, and it’s exactly why we launched our first identity theft monitoring functionalities for Defender last year (https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/security-compliance-and-identity/introducing-identity-theft-monitoring-in-microsoft-defender-for/ba-p/3639525) to help our users keep tabs on leaks affecting their personal data.
Today, we're excited to announce the expansion of this functionality with two crucial additions to Defender's security arsenal coming soon to the US: credit monitoring and privacy protection.
Credit monitoring
We’re proud to announce we are expanding our identity theft monitoring capabilities with new credit monitoring functionality1. Where identity theft monitoring users already got real time alerts and insights into leaks containing up to 64 of their identity assets online2, credit monitoring helps them stay ahead of any potential impacts of such leaks by continuously monitoring their credit file and credit activities for signs of malicious behavior.
All too often breaches have a delayed fuse; A breach happens, you get alerted about it by the affected party (hopefully), you check your accounts, and life goes on. Right?
The reality is that this breached data is often compiled into big archives that trade hands on the dark web to the highest bidder. And now, five months after the breach happened, you’re noticing you are suddenly getting a lot more spam calls then you used to. That’s the delayed fuse.
And while it’s annoying to have to deal with spam callers, things can get really painful, really quickly when attackers manage to get a hold of credit information or identity details that enable them to access your credit file and impersonate you (such as a Social Security Number). Sometimes you’re lucky and you’ll notice a weird transaction when your credit card statement arrives at the end of the month.
Often times though, these attacks go entirely unnoticed for months or years when malicious individuals will attempt to take out credit in their victim’s names and the affected individual only finds out when they want to take out a new loan or remortgage their house.
This is where credit monitoring comes in. It constantly monitors your credit and will alert you as soon as it sees any activity that might be malicious, from something as small as an unexpected credit activity increase, to credit inquiries, authentication attempts, address changes, and even new credit accounts being opened in your name.
By giving you access to this information as it happens, credit monitoring allows you to take action immediately, and help stop any malicious activity while it is occurring. From contacting the lender involved in the activity to report a fraudulent attempt, or placing a credit freeze, to contacting our 24/7 restoration experts for advice on how to deal with the issue at hand.
And (as is the case for all Defender identity theft monitor subscribers) users of credit monitoring are also covered by identity theft insurance3 up to USD $1 million, and lost funds recovery up to USD $100,000 for added piece of mind.
Together with the existing dark web scanning functionalities in identity theft monitoring, the new credit monitoring functionality helps you and your family stay safer by knowing what data is out there and alerting you if anyone attempts to maliciously use this information for financial gain.
Privacy protection
In today's interconnected world, where the internet plays an integral role in our daily lives, safeguarding our digital security and privacy has become more crucial than ever. We want to be always connected, anytime, and any place. We want to keep our family member’s connections safer. Enter Microsoft Defender’s Privacy protection4, a security feature designed to shield your sensitive data from threats when you are connected via open and public Wi-Fi networks.
When you connect to a public Wi-Fi network, such as at a coffee shop, airport or hotel, you can expose your data to anyone who might be snooping on the same network. Privacy protection reduces online tracking and protects against hackers on unsecured networks. With privacy protection, you can hide your IP address and location from websites, apps, and advertisers that may attempt to track your online activity and collect your personal data.
This feature also encrypts your internet traffic and data through a virtual private network (VPN), making it unreadable and inaccessible to anyone who may try to intercept it, such as hackers, internet service providers (ISPs), or government agencies. At the heart of privacy protection is a commitment to preserving your privacy.
Microsoft holds firm in our promise never to utilize this feature to track, log, or sell your online activities. We believe that your internet usage should remain your business alone. By choosing Defender’s privacy protection, you opt for a service that places your privacy at the forefront, providing you with a genuine sense of online security.
Get Microsoft Defender today
Start using the protections available today by signing into the Microsoft Defender web portal at mydefender.microsoft.com.
Sign-in with the personal Microsoft account (@gmail, @outlook, etc.) linked to your Microsoft 365 Personal or Family subscription or start your 1-month Microsoft 365 Family trial5.
You can download the app from the Microsoft Store, Google Play Store, and Apple App Store or as a direct download for MacOS. (if you haven’t already)!
Start using credit monitoring and privacy protection on October 2 2023.
To get started with credit monitoring and privacy protection, visit https://mydefender.microsoft.com, sign-in with the personal Microsoft account (@gmail, @outlook, etc.) linked to your Microsoft 365 subscription, find the identity theft monitoring card on the dashboard, and select “Get started.”
For privacy protection, download the app and select “Get started” on the privacy protection tile.1
- Feature available in the United States and US territories. Credit score is a single bureau VantageScore 3.0 provided by Experian®. The monthly credit report is provided by Experian® using single bureau data. For users under the age of 18 or those without a credit history, credit score not included. Family organizers will not have the ability to onboard, view, and receive alerts related to family member credit monitoring. Your device's primary display language must be set to English.
- A one-time parent or legal guardian verification is required to receive alert details for children. If the organizer’s family member is under 13, consent is not required to create and/or monitor a child’s identity or credit. Consent is required to create and/or monitor identity or credit status of family members over 13 years of age.
- The identity theft insurance is underwritten and administered by American Bankers Insurance Company of Florida, an Assurant company. Please refer to the actual policies for terms, conditions, and exclusions of coverage. Coverage may not be available in all jurisdictions. Review the Summary of Benefits.
- Privacy protection (vpn) is available on Android devices in the United States and US territories. Privacy protection is coming soon to Windows. Some streaming services are excluded. After 10 GB per month, data transfer speeds may be limited.
- Subscription automatically renews. Cancel any time to stop future charges. After your 1-month free trial, Microsoft 365 Family is $99.99 per year. Credit card required. Cancel any time to stop future charges.
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