Welcome to a techtastic Saturday, friend. This is just awful. A woman on vacation in Turks and Caicos spotted a shark on the beach. She went over to snap a selfie for social media. You know what’s coming. The seven-footer attacked and she lost both her hands. Let me be clear: no amount of likes is worth your life. Think before you risk it all for the ‘gram.

👋 Weekend chores are more fun with company. Catch my award-winning weekend radio show on a station near you. Not sure where and when? Enter your ZIP code into my handy-dandy station finder or get my show’s podcast. OK, let’s do this thing! — Kim

I wrote about tech myths recently and missed a big one: “Phones can’t get viruses.”

Of course they can! Your phone is basically a mini-computer and a prime target for hackers. Let’s break down how these threats work and where they come from.

Red flags your phone is infected

The signs vary depending on what your device is infected with, of course. But these symptoms spell trouble:

• Data spike? Malware could be eating up your bandwidth.
• Sluggish phone, crashing apps? Not a good sign.
• Random pop-ups? That’s classic malware behavior.
• Battery draining fast? Something shady could be running in the background.
• Phone overheating? Malware might be overworking it.
• Weird charges on your bill? You may be signed up for something you never agreed to.
• New apps you didn’t install? Hackers may have added them.
• Homepage or search engine changed? That’s a red flag.
• Friends getting odd messages from you? Your phone could be compromised.
• Random restarts or shutdowns? Malware loves to mess with your system.

OK, how’d that happen?

Malware, adware, spyware and all the other types of malicious software generally come from a few places.

🔗 You clicked on a malicious link that arrived through a phishing email, text, messaging or social media app, or spoofed website. Security 101: Never click on links or open attachments in unsolicited messages.

📲 You downloaded a bad app. Scammers are good at creating fraudulent apps that look like the real thing. While these can end up in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store, they’re most often distributed through third-party app sites. Only download apps from official app stores, please and thank you!

📶 You connected to public Wi-Fi. Cybercriminals can use public Wi-Fi to spy on unsuspecting users. They could steal your bank password, credit card details or Social Security number and infect your device with malware.

So, do you need antivirus software?

The answer is clear: Yes! While your phone has some built-in safeguards to protect you, the more help you can get, the better. 

If your phone isn’t protected by antivirus software, or if you’re depending on a free antivirus solution, or the price for your current antivirus has crept up, get the antivirus software I use and recommend: TotalAV.

• It protects you wherever you browse: All your gadgets need equal protection. TotalAV has you covered, whether you’re on your PC, Mac, iPhone or Android.
• It makes your tech run more efficiently: TotalAV can improve the performance of your smartphone, computer or tablet. It removes junk files to restore space, and it can reduce your background processes to improve battery life.
• It busts shady websites ahead of time: TotalAV stops you from landing on an untrustworthy site before that happens. Score.
• It gives you firewall protection: This is essential for protecting your device, or hackers could enter your system through an exposed networking port.

You can get this five-star protection for a steep discount. Right now, get TotalAV’s real-time antivirus protection across five devices for $100 off. An entire year of protection is just $19. I know you won’t find a better deal. I asked!

✅ Stop waiting for the worst to happen. Save 85% now on protection you can trust. I don’t get any kickbacks or residuals if you buy. Just want to keep you safe.

📅 Don’t RSVP: If you get a random Google Calendar invite, don’t click on any links. Scammers are tricking folks with Gmail accounts into sharing their personal info through a fake support page. Legit invites come from calendar-notification@google⁠.com. Report phishing: Hit the three-dot icon in the right-hand corner.

Grok needs a tutor: Elon Musk is hiring thousands to train the xAI chatbot. You don’t need a degree, but it’s a plus if you have a knack for writing and speak more than one language. Most jobs are temporary full-time and pay $35 to $65 an hour. Check them out here.

“Bossware” is big now: This software demand is up 54% and lets your boss watch what you do all day. For about $6 per month per person, it tracks what you type, takes screenshots of your computer throughout the day and even records video through your webcam. Smile!

✈️ Tag, you’re it! I always toss an AirTag in my luggage, just in case. Now American Airlines supports Apple’s Share Item Location. If your bag goes missing, you can share the last known location to help them track it down. United, Delta, Air Canada and Virgin use it, too.

♟️ Queen a rook and a hard place: AI bots are sore losers at chess. When they’re about to lose, ChatGPT and others cheat by hacking their opponent’s game pieces. OK, that’s harmless, right? As AI gets smarter, it could start breaking other rules, like getting around security measures.

The fix that didn’t: Fitbit pushed out a mandatory update to stop batteries from overheating and burning you. Turns out it also cut battery life in Sense and Versa 3 models from up to six days to … one day. Fill out this form if you want $50 as their “oops, sorry.”

Offline Nights: The hot new thing with 20 and 30-somethings addicted to their tech. Pay for a ticket, drop your phone in a deposit box and spend a few hours talking to real people, not staring at a screen. What will they think of next?!

Do you bank on your phone? What about checking email and shopping? If you said “yes” to any of those, you’re a target. A keylogger captures everything you type, including your account numbers and passwords. Encrypt your keystrokes with EndpointLock. Hit this link for 10% off.*

It’s a goldmine: Your printer stores copies of docs you’ve printed. If yours is spitting out random documents or your settings are funky, reset it to factory defaults. Unplug the printer, then press and hold the Reset button (on the back or bottom). While holding, plug the printer back in and turn it on. In about 20 seconds, lights will flash to tell you it’s done.

Better safe than sorry: Here’s a free tool to make sure the crazy deal on a slightly used iPhone isn’t because it’s stolen. You’ll need the device’s serial number, IMEI, MEID or ESN. If the seller won’t provide it, that’s a red flag. On most Androids, dial *#06#. On an iPhone: Settings > General > About. 

The Super Bowl is over: Delete the Tubi account you made to watch if you don’t need it anymore. Sign in, click your name > Account Settings > Delete My Account. Enter your password > Delete.

🐌 Sloooow down: On your Mac, adjust how fast your cursor whips around the screen. Hit the Apple menu  > System Settings > Mouse or Trackpad Select Click Point & Click, then drag the Tracking speed slider to your liking.

🥴 “What’d you say?” If you find yourself asking this more and more, it’s time to make a change. Forget the hearing aids your grandpa wore; today’s tech is so much better. These hearing aids* have two tiny processors that analyze the sound around you to make conversations crystal clear. Incredible.

You’re my favorite: Pin the apps you use most to your Windows Start menu. Open your app list, right click one, then pick Pin the Start. Drag them around to any order you want.

• Keep a pocket-sized phone screen cleaner (20% off) handy. It's got a cloth built into the bottle.

• Put down that gas station squeegee. Pick up a windshield cleaner with a swivel head (25% off).

• Did water marks ruin your wooden coffee table? This remover cloth under $8 will make it look new.

• While you’re at it, snag a set of eight coasters (10% off) for any hot or cold drink.

• Oh this is so handy. Stop your glasses from slipping off your face with a silicone sleeve ($7).

🍨 Oh my. Did you see Ninja has a new ice cream maker that makes soft serve, too? Help, I just gained 10 pounds typing that!

Vincent, let’s get one thing straight, this isn’t just some “run-of-the-mill” newsletter. Come on. And that yellow arrow? It’s on you! Gmail decides what’s important based on what you open most. Reminder: hit that yellow arrow and make sure my emails don’t get lost in the shuffle!

Free flights! OK, not that kind, but I found a free flight simulator if you’re not ready to drop money on Microsoft Flight Simulator or Prepar3d. FlightGear is open-source, so it’s a bit less polished than the expensive versions, but it’s free! Word on the street is it works much better on Windows than Mac.

🌌 Why do all astronauts use a Mac? Because it's dangerous to open windows in space. (Total dad joke, I know.)

I’m here to help you. Drop your questions for me here. I read every single note. Thanks for being such a loyal reader of the best tech newsletter in the universe! See you tomorrow. — Kim