These are the biggest security threats of 2024 - are you protected?

As a new year dawns, it's a great time to make some changes, whether that's to diet, health, or personal activities - but it's also the ideal moment to ensure your cybersecurity protections are up to scratch.

AI has been the buzzword across the technology industry in recent months, but along with the myriad of positive uses, its tools may also be used for more nefarious cases as well.

Deepfake videos have become a growing risk, as scammers create fake versions of celebrities or colleagues to try and trick victims into handing over personal or workplace financial details or logins. However there are also an increasing amount of deepfake audio scams, as hackers use advanced text-to-voice AI systems to create convincing replicas of family members, bosses or famous people to take these scams to the next level.

There are a number of actions you can take to ensure you stay safe from identity theft and other scams. Taking a few minutes to really scrutinise any messages you receive may seem like an obvious step, but a bit of extra focus can help you weed out any suspect content.

Security threats are always evolving, as hackers and scammers look to find new ways to circumvent online protections and cause havoc. Fortunately, security providers are equally as vigilant, with the Norton 360 Advanced Powerful Device Security platform providing a comprehensive suite of protection against the latest and greatest threats,  including the ability to monitor and respond to identity threats via its Identity Advisor Plus service. If the worst does happen, the company also offers Identity Restoration Support, where you can get guidance on how to cancel or replace items such as bank cards and drivers licence, and provide a wealth of advice for the next steps to take.

The platform also offers credit report services so that your financial reputation is not damaged by any kind of scam or attack, with alerts sent out if there are any significant changes to your credit report, such as closed accounts or missed payments.

If you do suspect that your information or accounts may have been compromised, you can use Norton's Dark Web Monitoring service to check. The tool searches dark web sites and forums to see if your data has been made available to buy on the dark web, and will alert you to any leaks - and not just email addresses or credit card numbers, but also extra identifiers such as gamer tags, insurance ID or even your mother's maiden name.

And if you do require a bit more privacy and safety, Norton 360 Advanced comes with a specially-designed Secure VPN. This no-log service is able to protect your data by encrypting your personal information when in use, and like most VPN services, doesn’t track or store your online activity or location, meaning you can check emails, pay bills and engage with social media even when out of the office or not at home.

Elsewhere, you might think that being at work, where your activities are protected by in-house IT or security teams, would make you safe from online threats - but that isn't always the case.

Email attacks have always been a pertinent threat for workers everywhere, as criminals go after not just big businesses, but the low-hanging fruit of smaller firms who might not have the same level of protection.

Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks typically masquerade as bosses or executives making a request of employees into actions such as buying online gift cards or making bank transfers. AI is again expected to help such crimes evolve and become more sophisticated, leading not only to more successful scams, but also eroding trust within businesses between co-workers.

Fortunately, Norton 360 Advanced provides a tough firewall and even tougher antivirus protections to keep you safe, with real-time threat protection keeping your business safe against existing and emerging threats.

So if you want to ensure your devices stay protected, and your most valuable information and data remains just where you want it, sign up to Norton 360 Advanced Powerful Device Security today. What's more, there's even a £10 off offer for TechRadar Pro readers signing up between February 6-20 - meaning you can get all of Norton's protection tools for just £24.99 (regular non-promo price £39.99).