How Protected Am I Online? | McAfee Blog

“How protected am I online?”

Customers often ask us some version of this question. It’s a good question, and in the past, there was no direct answer — only recommendations. For example, we recommended online protection that goes beyond antivirus to include identity and privacy protection. We also promoted safety best practices like using multi-factor authentication. We wondered if there was a simpler and easier way to give people the best protection advice.

We followed that up by asking our customers what was important to them about online protection. We found that 74% of you have concerns about keeping private online. Another 57% said that they want more control of their personal info online. And more broadly, 47% said they wish they felt safer in general. Simply put, customers are more conscious of their safety online than ever before, and eager to play an active role in their protection.

It’s time for a new approach — meet the McAfee Protection Score.

What is the McAfee Protection Score?

If you’re thinking this looks like a credit, fitness, sleep, or any of the other scores we now use to visualize and quantify aspects of our life, you’re on the right track.

Your personalized McAfee Protection Score is a measure of your security online. The higher your score, the safer you’re online. Your score highlights any weaknesses in your security and helps you fix them with easy step-by-step instructions. We’ll also let you know which features haven’t been set up so you can get the most out of your protection.

McAfee Protection Score is the simple way to understand and act on your online security.

When we developed McAfee Protection Score the idea was to give customers a simple solution to better protect themselves and get the most from their subscription. That includes offering security tips to protect their identities, privacy, and devices, while also improving their online habits. We wanted it to be easy for anyone to:

• Protect any weak spots – Personalized feedback helps you improve your security and address any data breaches.
• See how safe you’re online — Measure the strength of your online protection with a real-time evaluation.
• Make protection easy – Simple instructions make it easy to set up your protection so you can get the most out of your subscription.
• Get the most out of your subscription — Make sure you’re fully utilizing your McAfee online protection subscription — we’ll let you know which features haven’t been set up.

How do I improve my McAfee Protection Score?

Now that we’ve talked about McAfee Protection Score generally, let’s look at how it works in practice. Your score is based on a few things, including setting up your McAfee protection, strengthening your security with our safety recommendations, and ensuring your personal info is safely monitored with Identity Protection.

For example, if your info is exposed in a data breach your score might drop, but you can improve it by following our easy-to-follow remediation steps. After you’ve completed those steps, your score will go back up and you can be confident knowing you’re better protected online.

A perfect score doesn’t mean you’re perfectly safe, but it does mean that you’re doing an excellent job of preventing and managing risks.

Where can I find my McAfee Protection Score?

You can find your McAfee Protection Score in your browser on any device. There, you can review our guidance and improve your score from wherever you are. McAfee Protection Score marked a first in online protection when we released it. Since then, we’ve improved upon it by adding more personalization and accessibility — so you can enjoy your life online knowing exactly how protected you are.