CLEVELAND, Ohio — This Cybersecurity Awareness Month, digital safety is top of mind for so many people.
New search data from Google backs that up, since many have turned to the web with at least one of these searches:
- “Is this a fake phone call?” is up 110% since this time last year.
- “How to tell if a text is a scam” is a breakout search this year, up more than 5,000%.
- Searches for “is this AI” are up more than 100% year-over-year.
Of course, we talk a lot about passwords when it comes to digital safety, but history has shown us they are easy to break and they're constantly leaked in data breaches.
So many consumers are now ditching traditional passwords for passkeys.
I spoke with a Google tech expert, Kimberly Samra, who told me passkeys are stored on your phone and they are phishing resistant, meaning nobody can trick you into giving them away.
They're also easier than trying to remember several different passwords.
"We do find that once people start using passkeys, they realize the ease of use and the peace of mind that comes with the security of them right now," Samra said.
Google offers several security features for Android, including fake call detection.
The tech company describes it as a digital handshake that confirms a call is legitimate.
Fake call detection can help with voice cloning and impersonation.
Circle search allows users to circle a message and it automatically gives insights on whether you need to block that contact and delete the message.
