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ZDNET’s key takeaways

• A burner email address can protect you against spam and phishing.
• Use the burner address to set up an account at an unfamiliar website.
• The burner address is temporary and disposable, so it’s for short-term use.

You’ve come across a new website that you want to access, only to discover that you have to set up an account just to use it. That means exposing your primary email address to yet another site where it could be vulnerable. What’s the alternative? You can always turn to a burner email address instead.

A burner email address is a temporary and disposable address that you create for one-time purposes or limited use with a particular website or service. By setting up access with the burner address, you avoid revealing your primary one. That’s a particularly useful option for unknown or unfamiliar sites where your address could be exposed to certain threats.

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Last year, more than 501 million unique email addresses were found among breached databases that popped up on the dark web, according to new data from NordVPN’s NordStellar threat management segment. As a result of the data breaches, those addresses all became susceptible to spam, phishing attacks, and account takeovers.

Using a disposable burner address instead of your primary one doesn’t eliminate such threats, but it does reduce your exposure to them. Such addresses act as damage control, NordVPN product director Domininkas Virbickas said in a news release. In the event of a data breach, a burner address makes it more difficult for attackers to connect your different accounts, fill your inbox with spam and scam messages, or reuse your leaked credentials.

When and where would you use a burner address?

“Burner email addresses are commonly used when signing up for online services or platforms you don’t fully trust, such as free trials, webinars, or gated content, or when you simply want to avoid mandatory registrations,” Virbickas explained. “Disposable email addresses are quick to set up and often self-destruct after a short period or some number of uses, helping protect your real email address from unwanted marketing messages or phishing attempts.”

How do you choose and use a burner address?

First, you want to select a trusted provider for one-time use or short-term access. NordVPN recommends such services as 10 Minute Mail, Guerrilla Mail, EmailOnDeck, and TempMail. Helped by advertisements, all four are free on a basic level, which typically grants you one burner address. EmailOnDeck and TempMail offer paid plans that give you more addresses and other perks. Head to the site for any of these services. Your temporary email address is automatically generated. After you use it to set up access to a particular website, check your inbox at the provider you chose to see your new emails.

Second, limit burner addresses to non-essential services. Many disposable email services lack encryption and security controls, according to NordVPN. Never use them for sensitive accounts like banking or healthcare.

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Third, make sure you use the addresses responsibly. Scammers will often use burner email addresses to commit fraud. Because of that, some websites block burner email domains to thwart their abuse.

Finally, there are alternatives to burner email addresses. Email masking services let you create an address to establish accounts with online services without revealing your primary address. Any messages sent to the masked address can be forwarded to your main address or blocked entirely. Another option is to use an email alias. Here, you create an alias address that’s linked to your primary one. If you start to get spam or phishing emails, just delete the alias address to sever the link.

“Many disposable email service providers prioritize convenience over long-term protection, which means these services should be used thoughtfully and with caution,” Virbickas said. “When used responsibly and for low-risk sign-ups, they can be an effective way to keep your primary email address out of data breaches.”