Identity Theft Protection By Malwarebytes Safeguards Users Across Devices and Environments

In a Nutshell: Malwarebytes is a veteran in the internet security industry, with more than 15 years of experience providing strong antivirus and privacy protection. The company stays successful because it continually evolves and adapts to new threats. A case in point is its new Identity Theft Protection product, which provides identity and credit alerts and reports across multiple devices and environments. In addition to that seamless and proactive protection, Identity Theft Protection goes several steps further by including recovery and resolution services backed by up to $2 million in insurance.

If you haven’t heard of identity theft and had experts tell you to do something about it, you’re living under a rock. Even those who barely read or listen to the news are familiar with stories about financial and data breaches and fraudsters stealing money and dignity from people.

You’re reading this, so you’ve probably at least heard of phishing, card skimming, and similar criminal pursuits. But that doesn’t mean you’re doing anything about it, says internet antivirus and privacy pioneer Malwarebytes in its recent report, “Everyone’s Afraid of the Internet.”

Malwarebytes has released a new product, Identity Theft Protection, to fix that.

One of the best-established cybersecurity firms in the industry, Malwarebytes has more than 15 years under its belt as a protector of consumer data and privacy. Its award-winning antivirus and virtual private network platforms are accepted worldwide and are top performers in benchmarking studies.

In “Everyone’s Afraid of the Internet,” Malwarebytes brings bad news to consumers who may think they can skirt the gaze of the bad actors out to steal their identities. Almost all respondents (97%) said they were worried about cybersecurity threats, 79% were “very” concerned, and 64% said they were explicitly worried about identity theft.

Yet only 13% of respondents say they have identity theft protection. It’s a classic case of denialism over common sense — because, the report states, “the more we engage online, the more vulnerable we are to the very cybersecurity threats that worry people the most.”

Where’s the disconnect? Malwarebytes Senior Product Marketing Manager Jamie Fong summed up the situation nicely.

“There’s a sense of the unknown regarding how technology is moving and a recognition that people should protect themselves,” Fong said. “But there’s also a sense of paralysis because people don’t know what they don’t know.”

In tech, you don’t last as long as Malwarebytes has without keeping your ear to the ground and your nose to the grindstone. Fong said Malwarebytes closely monitors consumer concerns through reports like “Everybody’s Afraid of the Internet” and incorporates customer feedback in everything it does.

That’s where Malwarebytes’ Identity Theft Protection comes in. It’s a pathbreaking product designed to alleviate fears of the unknown through straightforward solutions. It may make Malwarebytes more valuable to consumers today than it’s ever been in its 15-year history.

“We continually evolve and adapt to consumer needs,” Fong said. “Today, people aren’t looking just for device protection but for whole-home digital-life security to protect against things they can’t control. Expanding to identity theft protection just made sense to us.”

The software provides substantial benefits. Identity theft monitoring and alerts encompass the dark web to flag suspicious activity anywhere it might occur. Because signs of identity theft appear after the fact in credit reports, the program also alerts when something’s out of kilter in credit records.

In the rare case where something goes wrong and criminal activity slips through the cracks, Identity Theft Protection assists users with incident assistance to help them report the crime, dispute fraudulent charges, restore their identity, and recoup financial losses. If funds disappear forever, it’ll even back up that work with up to $2 million in insurance.

These features demonstrate that Malwarebytes no longer solely concerns itself with protecting consumer hardware. It’s out there accompanying users as they live their digital lives at home and on the go. Users don’t notice it working behind the scenes unless an alert pops up. Then they know they made the right choice in installing it.

“Having identity protection gives you peace of mind,” Fong said.

However, those hardware protections are still vitally important. Malwarebytes Premium continues to set an antivirus standard, protecting users against hackers, malware, spyware, and ransomware.

So is web privacy. Malwarebytes Privacy VPN masks IP addresses and protects against wifi infiltration without compromising data transfer speeds.

Suppose you’re among the 13% doing the right thing and putting fences between your identity and the outside world. You may wonder whether Malwarebytes has an all-in-one approach or asks users to shell out again and again for comprehensive protection.

Happily, it’s the former: Identity Theft Protection includes antivirus and VPN protection, along with the free Malwarebytes Browser Guard, a browser extension that filters ads and blocks trackers.

“We’re going for comprehensive, holistic protection: security, privacy, and identity,” Fong said.

Malwarebytes makes achieving holistic protection easier by offering versions of Identity Theft Protection that fit various use cases and consumer preferences.

Malwarebytes Identity Essential includes identity theft monitoring, alerts, and recovery services backed by $1 million in insurance. It’s ideal for users who may have credit monitoring from another source.

Malwarebytes Identity Advanced monitors one of the three major US credit bureaus and includes social media monitoring. It’s the perfect choice for users who want comprehensive and seamless protection.

Malwarebytes Identity Ultimate monitors all three credit bureaus, includes financial asset and investment account monitoring, and increases the insurance to $2 million. It’s the power-user solution, perfect for folks who have transferred most of their personal and work lives online.

“There are additional benefits like change of address and even sex offender registry monitoring,” Fong said. “Ultimate is for people who want the whole shebang.”

In an industry characterized by constant change, Malwarebytes is still founder-led after 15+ years. Marcin Kleczynski, the company’s founder, wrote the original antivirus code when he was 15 because existing software couldn’t remove malware on his home computer.

Things obviously snowballed from there because today’s Malwarebytes offers personal and business cyberprotection solutions on a global scale. Consumers gravitate to Malwarebytes because it continues to adhere to Kleczynski’s practical problem-solving ethos. Products from Malwaybytes are intuitive, effective, and inclusive.

“We build our products on proprietary AI models, and we have a world-class team of threat researchers,” Fong said. “We’re known throughout the industry as a product that catches what others miss.”

A remediation map on the company website displays instances where Malwarebytes finds potential concerns on devices with other cybersecurity solutions installed.

Beyond the tech details, consumers flock to Malwarebytes because success breeds trust. Fong said the highest goal at the company is to be seen as a trusted advisor to consumers as they navigate the ever-changing tech landscape.

“We build trust into everything we do and strive to guide our customers, especially in security, privacy, and identity,” she said. “Ultimately, we seek to empower our users and give them the tools they need to feel safe and have peace of mind.”

Fong said that’s what it’s all about in the tech world. Living and working online brings convenience and opens doors for consumers and families on many levels. But it also invites threats, and controlling who enters those spaces is a full-time job. Millions trust Malwarebytes to stay abreast of threat vectors to keep them safe.

Identity Theft Protection is the latest version of that commitment from Malwarebytes. Consumers can count on the company to continue to innovate and to learn through research like “Everyone’s Afraid of the Internet.”

“There’s this sense that so much is changing, and people don’t know where the next threat will come from,” Fong said. “We provide tactical, actionable steps people can take to stay safe.”