Big security alerts! I know you want to keep up with the tech world, which is why you get The Current. This other free email from me — The Current Tech Alerts — is also important. Here, I tell you about data breaches, important recalls and other major tech issues you won’t hear about anywhere else. I only send this when your security is at risk.

📱 Thanks for reading, and remember, I always have your back. To keep this free email going, if you have a tween or teen in the family, monitor and control what they do (and when!) with a Bark Phone. It works! — Kim

Sometimes, these alerts will be one major hack you need to know about; other times, there’s enough going on that I need to pack a lot in. Sorry, friends, but this is one of those days. I’ll tell you about the data breaches and what you need to do.

Have a PlayStation or Sony account?

Sony was hacked by a group with connections to the dark web. They accessed Sony's internal data, including confidential internal testing information and a document repository containing over 6,000 files.

Sony hasn’t confirmed whether customer data was compromised, but the group says, “We will sell the data. Due to Sony not wanting to pay. DATA IS FOR SALE. WE ARE SELLING IT.” If you have a PlayStation at home, that could mean you.

Calling all students

Chalk this one up to the massive MOVEit file service transfer breach. Data from roughly 900 colleges and universities is up for grabs. Personal student information was stolen, including names, birth dates, Social Security numbers, student ID numbers and school-related records. If you have a student in your life, let them know.

Health care hack

Nuance Communications, a health care software company, says over 1.2 million individuals had their personal information revealed, including names, demographic data and names of relatives.

It gets worse. Sensitive medical information was compromised — dates of service, medical facility info, practitioners’ names, health insurance numbers, medication info, diagnoses and patient identifiers. This is bad … really bad.

Word of warning, vacationers

On Booking[.]com, security researchers discovered hackers were using the site to breach the systems of hotels, booking sites and travel agencies. From there, they used their access to steal customer financial data.

Hackers created a fake Booking[.]com payment page to steal credit card information. Scary stuff: The page looks like a legitimate request from a hotel and is professionally written.

‘What the heck do I do about this, Kim?’

Glad you asked. I’m all about action. There’s a new breach around every corner, but you can protect yourself.

• Passwords: Take a good, hard look at your passwords, especially for any impacted services. Have a PlayStation or university login? Yep, change those passwords.
• Medical ID theft: Contact your health insurance provider and ask for your most recent Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Review it and confirm all services were received by you or your family.
• Freeze your credit through the three major credit bureaus — Experian, Equifax and TransUnion — and sign up for credit monitoring.
• Traveling soon? If you booked a trip, room or anything else and received a suspicious message, contact the hotel or company directly to confirm it's legitimate. Don’t click links in any unsolicited emails.

▶️ Do your part: Share this important info with a friend or family member. Forward the email, use the buttons below to share, give them a call — whatever you want. Let’s get more folks tech-safe!

Don’t underestimate how good kids and teens are with tech. They can get around parental controls no problem. That’s why the tamper-free Bark Phone is unique.

• Content monitoring: The Bark Phone automatically scans your child's texts, social media, apps and searches.
• Tamper-proof design: Kids can't delete texts, change parental controls or access VPNs to bypass restrictions.
• Location tracking: Keep tabs on your child with real-time location tracking.
• Screen-time limits: Set firm, unchangeable screen time limits.

Get all of this (and peace of mind) for $49 a month.

1. PSA: 55% of Americans have been scammed. Don’t be one of them.
2. Your tech is listening. You can control when and what it records.
3. Update it: Most of the Big Tech companies have new security updates you need to install.

😮‍💨 Phew, I’m glad you’re on this list so you’re protected. I’ll only send out an alert when something big happens that threatens your digital life (think one or two times a month).

Have a great evening and sleep well knowing you have me to count on! And do me a solid and check out our great sponsor, the Bark Phone for kids, to keep these free, important newsletters coming your way. Thank you! — Kim