Technology

How to protect a loved one’s identity after death

Published

2 weeks ago

February 7, 2026

How to protect a loved one’s identity after death

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When someone you love dies, the to-do list can feel endless. There are legal steps, financial paperwork and emotional weight all happening at once. What many families do not realize is that identity protection rarely makes those lists, even though it should.

Scammers actively target the identities of people who have died. They rely on delays, data gaps and the assumption that someone else is handling it. Janet from Indiana recently reached out with a question many families quietly worry about but rarely ask.

My husband just passed away in December. There are lists upon lists of things to do to wrap up his estate, but nothing that tells me how to lock down his identity now that he’s gone so that fraudsters cannot use it. Maybe our government is efficient enough to report to all of the credit bureaus that he is deceased, but I don’t want to bet my financial security on it. We both have our credit frozen with all three agencies, but is there more that I should do? Thank you.
— Janet in Indiana

Janet’s instincts are exactly right. The system often does not work as cleanly as people expect.

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MICROSOFT CROSSES PRIVACY LINE FEW EXPECTED

Scammers often look for recently deceased names because they know systems do not update instantly and families are overwhelmed. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What the government and credit bureaus do and don’t do

When someone dies, Social Security is usually notified by the funeral home. That step helps, but it does not automatically secure a person’s financial identity.

Here is what often surprises families:

Credit bureaus are not synchronized in real time
A death notice does not instantly stop fraud attempts
Scammers specifically target recently deceased individuals
Gaps between systems create opportunities for misuse

In short, relying on automation alone leaves room for problems.

AI DEEPFAKE ROMANCE SCAM STEALS WOMAN’S HOME AND LIFE SAVINGS

Credit freezes and alerts help, but they do not stop every attempt to misuse personal information after a death. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

What you’ve already done right

Before adding more steps, it matters to acknowledge what Janet already did correctly.

Credit freezes with all three bureaus
Early awareness of identity risks
Taking action before fraud appears

When speed matters, credit locks — different from freezes — give you instant on/off control. That combination puts someone well ahead of most families.

Steps to protect a loved one’s identity after death

Once the immediate paperwork is underway, these practical steps help close the gaps scammers look for. None of them is super complicated, but together they create a much stronger layer of protection.

1) Add a deceased flag to credit files

Even with a credit freeze in place, this step adds another layer of protection that lenders see immediately.

Contact Equifax, Experian and TransUnion and ask them to mark the credit file as deceased. Each bureau may request:

A copy of the death certificate

Proof that you are the surviving spouse or executor

Once the flag is added, fraudulent applications become much harder to process because lenders are alerted upfront. A credit lock provides the same blocking effect, but with real-time control; this can matter when you’re managing a deceased estate or responding quickly to lender requests.

2) Monitor identity activity while you manage everything else

This is where many checklists fall short. Credit freezes and deceased flags help, but identity misuse can still surface in other ways.

Fraud attempts may appear as:

Account takeovers
Unauthorized credit inquiries
Use of personal data outside traditional credit

That is why ongoing monitoring still matters.

Why identity theft protection helps at this stage

Identity theft protection focuses on identity protection rather than just credit scores, which makes it especially useful after a loss.

Monitors for misuse tied to your loved one’s information
Sends alerts if something suspicious appears
Includes fraud support if action is needed
Reduces the burden of constant manual checks

One of the best parts of my pick for top identity theft service is its all-in-one approach to safeguarding your personal and financial life. It includes identity theft insurance of up to $1 million per adult to cover eligible losses and legal fees, plus 24/7 U.S.-based fraud resolution support with dedicated case managers ready to help restore your identity fast. It also combines three-bureau credit monitoring with an instant credit lock that lets you quickly lock down your Experian file right from the app.

See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com.

3) Secure sensitive documents during estate administration

Estate administration often requires sharing paperwork, which is where identity leaks can happen.

Lock down and limit access to:

Death certificate copies
Social Security numbers
Old tax returns
Insurance and pension records

Only share what is required and keep track of where documents go.

MILLIONS OF AI CHAT MESSAGES EXPOSED IN APP DATA LEAK

A man types on a laptop. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

4) Watch mail and phone calls for warning signs

Small signals often reveal fraud attempts early.

Pay close attention to:

Bills or collection notices in their name
Credit card or loan offers
Bank or government letters you did not expect
Calls asking to verify personal information

If something feels off, pause before responding and verify the source independently.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Protecting a loved one’s identity after death is one more responsibility no one prepares you for. It is not about mistrusting the system. It is about protecting yourself during a time when you are already carrying enough. Janet’s question reflects what many families experience quietly. Identity protection does not end when life does, and scammers know that grief creates gaps. Taking a few extra steps now can spare you months or even years of stress later. You are not being overly cautious. You are being careful at a moment when the system does not always move fast enough to keep up with real life.

If you have handled an estate or are planning ahead, have you taken steps to protect a loved one’s identity after death, or is this something you are just learning about now? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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Technology

Samsung is adding Perplexity to Galaxy AI

Published

1 hour ago

February 22, 2026

Press Room

Samsung is adding Perplexity to Galaxy AI

In addition to summoning Bixby or Gemini, Galaxy S26 users will be able to call on Perplexity by saying “hey, Plex.” The integration of Perplexity into Galaxy AI is just one element of the company’s embrace of a “multi-agent ecosystem.”

Often, people will use different AI agents for different tasks, depending on where their strengths lie. So Samsung is opening up the ability to integrate different agents into the OS. Hey, Plex isn’t just some transparent version of the app baked into a Galaxy phone to quickly get answers to questions. Perplexity will have access to Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder, and Calendar, as well as select third-party apps, though which ones specifically Samsung didn’t say.

Samsung seems to believe that people will increasingly use AI to interact with their phones. But, as we’ve learned, people can develop strong attachments to particular AIs. So the company is betting that giving people the freedom to put whatever agent they want at the heart of their phone will help differentiate them from competition like Apple and Google.

Of course, Samsung’s next Unpacked event is just around the corner. I’m sure we’ll hear more about Galaxy AI and Samsung’s vision for a multi-agent future on the 25th.

Technology

Conduent data breach hits millions across multiple states

Published

2 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Press Room

Conduent data breach hits millions across multiple states

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A ransomware attack on government technology giant Conduent is turning out to be far bigger than first reported. What initially sounded like a limited incident now appears to affect tens of millions of people across multiple states. In Texas alone, at least 15.4 million residents may have had their data exposed. Oregon has reported another 10.5 million affected individuals. And notifications have also gone out to hundreds of thousands of people in states like Delaware, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. If you rely on state healthcare programs or government services, your data could be part of this breach.

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What we know about the breach so far

149 MILLION PASSWORDS EXPOSED IN MASSIVE CREDENTIAL LEAK

What started as a “limited” ransomware incident now appears to impact tens of millions of people across multiple states. (Sebastian Kahnert/picture alliance via Getty Images)

The cyberattack happened in January 2025 and was later claimed by the Safeway ransomware gang, which says it stole more than 8 terabytes of data. Conduent first disclosed the incident publicly in April, months after hackers disrupted its systems and caused outages to government services across the country.

The company initially said about 4 million people in Texas were affected. That number has since jumped to 15.4 million, nearly half the state’s population. Oregon’s attorney general reported another 10.5 million impacted residents. Combined with other states issuing notifications, the total could reach into the dozens of millions.

The stolen data includes names, Social Security numbers, medical information, and health insurance details. That combination is particularly dangerous because it can be used for identity theft, medical fraud, and highly targeted scams.

Conduent processes data for large corporations, state agencies, and government healthcare programs. The company says its systems support services for more than 100 million people nationwide. However, it has not confirmed whether the breach affects that many individuals.

In a filing with the SEC, Conduent acknowledged that the stolen data included a “significant number” of individuals’ personal information tied to its clients’ end users, meaning people who rely on government agencies and corporate services powered by the company.

RANSOMWARE ATTACK EXPOSES SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS AT MAJOR GAS STATION CHAIN

Why this breach is especially concerning

Unlike a retail breach, where credit card data might be exposed, this incident involves deeply sensitive personal and medical information. Social Security numbers and health records are long-term identifiers. You cannot simply cancel or replace them like a debit card.

Healthcare-related data is especially valuable on the black market because it can be used to file fraudulent insurance claims, obtain prescription drugs, or open financial accounts. And because Conduent works behind the scenes for state agencies, many people may not even realize their data was stored by the company in the first place.

Conduent said it is still in the process of notifying affected individuals and expects to complete those notifications by early 2026. The company did not provide a clearer timeline or confirm how many total people will ultimately be alerted. Many people could be waiting months before knowing whether their information was compromised.

Conduent responds to January 2025 data breach

We reached out to Conduent for comment, and a company spokesperson provided CyberGuy with the following statement:

“As previously disclosed in its April 2025 Form 8-K filing with the SEC, in January 2025, Conduent discovered that it was the victim of a cybersecurity incident. With respect to that incident, Conduent has agreed to send notification letters, on behalf of its clients, to individuals whose personal information may have been affected by this incident. Working in conjunction with our clients, we expect to send out all of the consumer notifications by April 15. In addition, a dedicated call center has been set up to address consumer inquiries. At this time, Conduent has no evidence of any attempted or actual misuse of any information potentially affected by this incident.

“Upon discovery of the incident, Conduent acted quickly to secure its networks, restore its systems and operations, notify law enforcement, and conduct an investigation with the assistance of third-party forensics experts. In addition, given the nature and complexity of the data involved, Conduent worked diligently with a dedicated review team, including internal and external experts, and conducted a detailed analysis of the affected files to identify the personal information contained therein, which was a time-intensive process.

“Both Conduent and our third-party experts monitor the dark web regularly and have no evidence of any personal information being released on the dark web.

“Rest assured, we have followed all of the right protocols and have assured our clients that we have secured the necessary data. Conduent has been working with law enforcement and takes this matter seriously. We regret any inconvenience this incident may have caused.”

How can I check if my information was sold on the dark web?

To check if your information was sold on the dark web, you can go to haveibeenpwned.com and enter your email address into the search bar. The website will search to see what data of yours is out there and display if there were data breaches associated with your email address on various sites.

If you find your data is out on the web, remove it with a data removal service. Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

Hackers claim they stole more than 8 terabytes of data, including Social Security numbers and sensitive medical information. (Philip Dulian/picture alliance via Getty Images)

8 steps you can take to protect yourself after the Conduent breach

When a breach involves Social Security numbers and medical data, you need to think long term. Here’s what you should do.

1) Place a credit freeze

A credit freeze prevents lenders from opening new accounts in your name without your approval. It’s free and can be placed with Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. This is one of the strongest protections you can put in place after an SSN exposure. You can temporarily lift it if you need to apply for credit.

2) Monitor your credit reports regularly

You’re entitled to free credit reports from all three major bureaus. Look for unfamiliar accounts, credit inquiries, or address changes. Early detection makes it much easier to shut down fraud before it snowballs.

3) Use a password manager

If attackers obtained personal details like your name and email, they may try credential-stuffing attacks against your other accounts. A password manager creates strong, unique passwords for every account, so one breach does not unlock everything else. Many password managers also include breach alerts if your credentials show up in known leaks.

Also, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our #1 password manager (see Cyberguy.com) pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2026 at Cyberguy.com

4) Secure your email account first

Your email account is the gateway to nearly everything. Protect it with a strong password and two-factor authentication. Review recovery settings and recent login activity to make sure nothing has been altered.

5) Enable two-factor authentication everywhere possible

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds another barrier, even if someone has your password. Use an authenticator app rather than SMS whenever possible for stronger protection.

6) Install strong antivirus software

Strong antivirus software can help block malicious links, phishing attempts, and ransomware. After a major breach, scammers often target victims with follow-up attacks pretending to offer help or compensation. Security software adds another layer of protection.

Get my picks for the best 2026 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com

7) Consider identity theft protection

Identity theft services monitor your Social Security number, financial accounts, and even dark web marketplaces. If your information is misused, they can alert you quickly and help you recover faster. When SSNs are exposed, ongoing monitoring becomes especially important.

See my tips and best picks on how to protect yourself from identity theft at Cyberguy.com

8) Reduce your digital footprint with a data removal service

Scammers often combine breach data with personal details found on data broker sites. A data removal service works to remove your phone number, address, and other exposed information from hundreds of databases. While no service can erase everything, reducing what’s publicly available makes targeted fraud much harder.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com

Because Conduent powers government and healthcare services behind the scenes, many affected people may not even realize their data was stored there. (Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images)

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com

Kurt’s key takeaway

The Conduent breach highlights a growing risk that many people never see coming. When large government contractors are hit, millions can be affected at once. And because these companies operate behind the scenes, you may not even realize they hold your data. If your information was exposed, taking action now can prevent long-term damage. The sooner you lock things down, the harder it becomes for criminals to profit from your data.

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Do you think companies that process government data are doing enough to protect it? Let us know your thoughts by writing to us at Cyberguy.com

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Technology

This magazine plays Tetris — here’s how

Published

13 hours ago

February 22, 2026

Press Room

Tetris has been immortalized in a playable McDonald’s plastic chicken nugget, a playable fake 7-Eleven Slurpee cup, and a playable wristwatch. But the most intriguing way to play Tetris yet is encased in paper.

Last year the Tetris Company partnered with Red Bull for a gaming tournament that culminated in the 150-meter-tall Dubai Frame landmark being turned into the world’s largest playable Tetris installation using over 2,000 drones that functioned as pixels. Although the timing was a coincidence, Red Bull also published a 180-page gaming edition of its The Red Bulletin lifestyle magazine around the same time as the event, with a limited number of copies wrapped in a less grandiose, but no less technically impressive, version of Alexey Pajitnov’s iconic puzzle game.

To create a playable gaming magazine, Red Bull Media House (the company’s media wing) enlisted the help of Kevin Bates, who in 2014 wowed the internet by creating an ultra-thin Tetris-playing business card. In 2015, he launched the $39 Arduboy, a credit card-sized, open-source handheld that attracted a thriving community of developers. Over the course of a decade, Bates also created a pair of equally pocketable Tetris-playing handhelds that cost less than $30, and the shrunken-down USB-C Arduboy Mini.

The GamePop GP-1 Playable Magazine System (as it’s officially called) is the latest evolution of Bates’ mission to use existing, accessible, and affordable technologies to reimagine what a portable gaming device can be. It took “most of last year” to develop, Bates revealed during a call with The Verge. He wouldn’t divulge the exact details of how his collaboration with Red Bull came to be. But if you’re looking to make an officially licensed version of Tetris that’s thin enough to flex, Bates has the experience, and he shared with us some of the technical details that make this creation work.

The game’s screen is made up of 180 tiny RGB LEDs on a custom circuit board that can flex and bend.

While OLED display technology has given us tablet-sized devices that fold into smartphones, they’re still expensive and fragile. To make a display that can survive being embedded in a flexible magazine cover without reinforcement, Bates created a custom matrix of 180 2mm RGB LEDs mounted to a flexible circuit board just 0.1mm thick. While the display and coin-cell batteries make it thicker in a few places — nearly 5mm at its thickest point — you genuinely feel like you’re playing a handheld made of paper. The flexible circuits are bonded between two sheets of paper to create the sleeve that wraps around the book-sized magazine, and it feels satisfyingly thin and flexible.

Flexible circuits aren’t a new idea. They’ve been used in electronics for decades. You can find them in flip phones old enough they now feel like antiques, and nearly every laptop. They’re also frequently used to miniaturize devices that don’t fold or flex at all, connecting internal components where space is extremely limited. But it’s only in the past five or six years that the technology has become available to smaller makers, and Bates says he’s been “messing around with the flexible circuits for about as much time.” This collaboration was an opportunity to use what he’s learned to create a device that would live outside his workshop.

The GamePop GP-1’s display resolution pales in comparison to the OLED screens used in folding phones, but Bates’ creation is far more durable. The game has not only undergone the typical safety tests, but Bates even “hit it with a hammer a few times” to test its durability. His display survived, but don’t try that with a folding phone. They’re still far less durable.

The front cover of the Red Bull GamePop magazine.

To keep it as thin as possible, the Tetris game uses embedded touch sensors instead of physical buttons.

Instead of buttons, the game uses seven capacitive touch sensors that are directly “printed in the copper layer of the board,” Bates says. There’s no true mechanical feedback when pressed, but the paper’s flex helps them feel a bit like a button when you press down. Bates says the responsiveness of the sensors was specifically tuned to account for the thickness of the paper stock and the glues used in the final print run. You’re not going to be chasing Tetris world records on the cover of a magazine, but the controls are satisfyingly responsive and the game is surprisingly much easier to play than other Tetris devices I’ve tested.

The Red Bull magazine’s cover illuminated from behind revealing some of its internal components.

Most of the game is made using flexible electronics, but there is a thin rigid PCB housing its processor and rechargeable batteries.

How much does a flexible Tetris game cost to manufacture? Neither Bates nor Red Bull would divulge the total price tag for all the off-the-shelf and custom components you’ll find sandwiched inside the magazine’s cover. But to help keep costs down, not all components are flexible. Inside the edge of the cover, next to the magazine’s spine, you’ll find a long but thin rigid PCB where an ARM-based 32-bit microprocessor is located, along with four rechargeable LIR2016 3V coin cell batteries.

A close-up of a USB-C cable plugged into a charging port on the bottom of a magazine cover.

The magazine features a deconstructed USB-C charging port along the bottom edge of its cover.

Like most devices now, the game can be recharged using a USB-C cable, but it’s not immediately obvious where. Hidden along the bottom edge of the magazine’s cover is a deconstructed USB-C port. Instead of a metal ring, its socket is a small paper pocket containing a pin-covered head inside. It doesn’t feel quite as durable as the charging port on your phone, but it’s a welcome alternative to making the game disposable when the batteries die.

Bates did have to cut some corners. The GamePop GP-1 saves high scores, but modern Tetris gameplay features, like previews of upcoming pieces and being able to save tetrominoes for later, aren’t included. There’s sound effects, but when starting a game you only hear a small snippet of the iconic Tetris theme. The game’s piezo speaker “uses about as much energy as it does to run the rest of the system,” Bates says, so this helps prolong the life of the small rechargeable batteries. He tells us you can play for an hour or two that way, and the battery should last many months when not in use.

Red Bull made around 1,000 copies of the magazine. It’s only available online in Europe, but can also be found in some stores and newsstands, including Iconic Magazines in New York and Rare Mags outside Manchester in the UK. However, only 150 copies with the playable cover were produced, and none were made available to the public. They were distributed to Tetris competitors, those featured in the magazine, influencers, and select media.

The playable cover isn’t going to revolutionize the print industry, or pave the way for smartphones we can roll up and stick in our back pockets. The goal was to use existing tech in a way that gamers haven’t seen before.

Photography by Andrew Liszewski / The Verge

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