That's especially true for buzzy features like "Dark Web monitoring." Most third-party security software developed for use by consumers offers only marginal extra protection, at best. That might have been true two decades ago, but it's certainly not true today. As part of that effort, they try their best to convince you that the core protections built into your PC, Mac, or mobile device cannot possibly be as good as the product they sell.Īlso: Scammers are using AI to impersonate your loved ones The security software industry wants you to be afraid. You don't need to pay for security software When in doubt, don't click that link instead, use a bookmark you've saved for the site in question or type the URL directly to do whatever you need to do.
And even if the message doesn't have any obvious red flags, it's still OK to be suspicious, especially if you're being asked to click a link to do something you didn't ask for.