Preventing Identity Theft
What is Identity Theft? It is the theft of your personal information, such as social security number, driver's license number, credit card and bank account numbers, mother's maiden name, and more, with the intent to obtain credit and credit cards from banks and retailers, steal money from the victim's existing accounts, apply for loans, establish accounts with utility companies, rent an apartment, file bankruptcy or obtain a job using the victim's name.
Did you know that in some states Identity Theft is not even against the law? The victim has to prove their innocence. This shocks most Identity Theft Victims, as it should. It shocks me. Law Enforcement and Credit Card Services should be there to help, but in many cases they don't.
Being prepared, just in case someone steals your identity is a must. It may be inconvenient, but unless you want to go out and try to use your credit card one day, just to find that someone else has been using your identity to make purchases and your card is no longer accepted, then you need to take steps to prevent your identity from being stolen. It can take years to clear this up if it happens to you, so a little prevention now is the answer.
Facts about Identity Theft;
It is considered by law enforcement to be an absolute epidemic, the fastest growing crime in the United States at this time.
For the criminal, identity theft is a relatively low-risk, high-reward endeavor. Credit card issuers often don't prosecute thieves who are apprehended. Why? The firms figure it's not cost efficient. They can afford to write off a certain amount of fraud as a cost of doing business.
Recently criminals have been using the victim's identity to commit crimes ranging form traffic infractions to felonies. How would you like to find out you are wanted for a crime you know nothing about? It has happened.
All that is needed is your social security number, your birth date and other identifying information such as your address and phone number and whatever else they can find out about you. With this information, and a false driver's license with their own picture, they can begin the crime.
If you wait until it happens to you, it's a nightmare. You won't know until you are denied credit or a creditor contacts you about a charge you know nothing about.
How do I prevent Identity Theft?
At Home;
If you have roommates, employ outside help, or are having work done in your home, make sure your personal information is not readily available to them.
Deposit your outgoing mail in post office collection boxes or at your local post office, rather than in an unsecured mailbox. Promptly remove mail from your mailbox. If you're planning to be away from home and can't pick up your mail, call the U.S. Postal Service at 1-800-275-8777 to request a vacation hold. The Postal Service will hold your mail at your local post office until you can pick it up or are home to receive it.
Tear or shred your charge receipts, copies of credit applications, insurance forms, physician statements, checks and bank statements, expired charge cards that you're discarding, and credit offers you get in the mail. To opt out of receiving offers of credit in the mail, call: 1-888-5-OPTOUT (1-888-567-8688).
Give your Social Security number only when absolutely necessary, and ask to use other types of identifiers. If your state uses your Social Security number as your driver's license number, ask to substitute another number. Do the same if your health insurance company uses your Social Security number as your policy number.
At Work;
Ask about information security procedures in your workplace or at businesses, doctor's offices or other institutions that collect your personally identifying information. Find out who has access to your personal information and verify that it is handled securely. Ask about the disposal procedures for those records as well. Find out if your information will be shared with anyone else. If so, ask how your information can be kept confidential. Keep your purse or wallet in a safe place at work; do the same with copies of administrative forms that have your sensitive personal information.
Online;
If you do financial transactions over the Internet, read their privacy and or security statements. You want to know who they share your personal information with. You want to know they use a "secure server" for transactions. You want to know how they store your personal information. If you don't like what you hear, don't do your business at that website. There are always alternatives.
Use PayPal. You can transfer a limited number of funds into your paypal account and use it to buy merchandise online instead of your credit card.
Don't give out personal information on the phone, through the mail, or on the Internet unless you've initiated the contact or are sure you know who you're dealing with.
Before you share any personal information, confirm that you are dealing with a legitimate organization. Check an organization's website by typing its URL in the address line, rather than cutting and pasting it. Be cautious when responding to promotions. Identity thieves may create phony promotional offers to get you to give them your personal information.
Going Out;
Carry only the identification information and the credit and debit cards that you'll actually need when you go out. Don't carry your social security card with you unless you expect to need it.
Should I buy identity theft insurance?
Some companies offer insurance or similar products that claim to give you protection against the costs associated with resolving an identity theft case. Be aware that most creditors will only deal with you to resolve problems, so the insurance company in most cases will not be able to reduce that burden. As with any product or service, make sure you understand what you're getting before you buy. If you decide to buy an identity theft insurance product, check out the company with your local Better Business Bureau, consumer protection agency and state Attorney General to see if they have any complaints on file.
Conclusion: Be smart. If someone is asking for your personal information, anyone, including friends, acquaintances, companies, stores, websites, or anyone else, ask questions. Find out why they need this information, what they are going to do with it, how long do they keep it stored, who they share it with, and how can you be sure it is going to be kept secure.
in Security
Source: http://www.readbud.com/Articles/Security/Preventing-Identity-Theft
Showing posts with label in Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label in Security. Show all posts
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Monday, December 27, 2010
The Modern Wild West
The Modern Wild West
They may think they are the Yosemite Sam's of the modern world, but you are the New Sheriff in town! Marauders of today do not come moseying up bow-legged into your path with a six-gun slung across their hip telling you to, "Stick 'em up, or else." Instead, today's modern outlaws can be in and out of your life without a trace of you knowing what has happened. With the explosive popularity of the Internet, untold numbers of citizens are blindly allowing computer data miners to collect sensitive information from their computers. This "mined" information can be used for many purposes, but the main issue here is that the information is stolen from people who quite literally hand it over with a smile. A random click here on a harmless looking popup or web link can mean the difference between a safe surfing experience, and one that results in a "Stagecoach Robbery".
Average Internet surfers just starting out have no idea if it's normal for them to win a thousand dollars with a single click or not, much less if it's normal for them to have to scroll through many sites to get to the one they first clicked on. Therein lays the Holy Grail for the modern day marauders.
Hijacking is one of the most serious threats to internet safety. These rascally scoundrels will set programs and lay in wait, watching your every move of your computer. They see that you innocently want to search for something and suddenly, you are taken to one of their websites. They hijacked your computer and made you go where they wanted you to go! Once at their site which are often fake search engines and portal sites, you begin to get pop-ups, they tag your computer with modern-day invisible post-it note reminders. Once these "reminder" files are embedded, they function like little thieving robots, storing and sending information on all the searches, websites, links that YOU and your family have clicked on in the past three months. In addition to that, there have now been hidden programs installed on your computer that generate a myriad of pop-up ads. The crook has planted his hijack, and only has to sit back and watch his booty collect.
You and your entire family are exposed and at risk. Your banking info, your credit card statements, even your cell phone are all potential threats just because you just simply didn't know you were making yourself an attractive target. Hijacking is one of the most alarmingly popular means of marauding of today, but take heart, there are ways to combat this problem and impose your own form of Martial Law to protect your family.
The first line of defense is a good firewall. Firewalls come in many different versions and are made by many companies. There are software firewalls, and hardware based ones as well, but they all serve a similar purpose. The purpose of a firewall is like a gate: nothing comes in or goes out through your Internet connection without you knowing about it. Firewalls, however, are only as good as the persons using them. Knowledge is power, and you should familiarize yourself with the normal functions and files that it takes to run them. When you know the real deal, counterfeit files or intruders are many times more likely to be recognized and apprehended. When this happens, you will not be finding yourself in uncharted territory and will be able to click "Access Denied" with confidence.<
Secondly, the market has come out with some really good anti-hijacking software that are specially designed to prevent your browser from being overtaken and can eventually save you from a totally dominated and bombarded computer. Software such as this is not used as a replacement for a firewall or antiviral defense. In fact, today, a myriad of software solutions should be used to keep your system totally clean and under your control.
Lastly, a good anti-spyware program is a good means at combating the problem of hijacking. It will guard against the editing of your registry which would command the start up of malware as well as prevent any information from being broadcast over the net or emailed back to the user. Some anti-spy programs will also guard against hijacking, but if you are a victim of hijacking, they will also prevent the usual serious repercussions of the hijack. Remember, prevention is key. It is much easier to start with a clean system, implement a firewall, antiviral software, anti-spyware, and anti-hijack software than it is to painstakingly scrub clean an infected system. After all, it's a lot easier to return to a mouth that has fed you, than to find another hand.
The last thing you should remember is that ownership is of utmost importance. If one chooses to be likened unto an ostrich and chooses to not educate themselves on the dangers that lurk about in this modern Wild West, that puts them at a severe disadvantage. Nobody is too old or too young to be aware of the dangers of this world, and it is just vital to change with the times and adapt. Familiarize yourself with firewalls and anti-hijacking software, get to know how your computer works, and you will be well on your way towards making sure you are safe from marauders!
There may well be some rootin-tootin, tech-savvy individuals out there, but you are the one with the badge in this horse town.
in Security
Source: http://www.readbud.com/Articles/Security/The-Modern-Wild-West
They may think they are the Yosemite Sam's of the modern world, but you are the New Sheriff in town! Marauders of today do not come moseying up bow-legged into your path with a six-gun slung across their hip telling you to, "Stick 'em up, or else." Instead, today's modern outlaws can be in and out of your life without a trace of you knowing what has happened. With the explosive popularity of the Internet, untold numbers of citizens are blindly allowing computer data miners to collect sensitive information from their computers. This "mined" information can be used for many purposes, but the main issue here is that the information is stolen from people who quite literally hand it over with a smile. A random click here on a harmless looking popup or web link can mean the difference between a safe surfing experience, and one that results in a "Stagecoach Robbery".
Average Internet surfers just starting out have no idea if it's normal for them to win a thousand dollars with a single click or not, much less if it's normal for them to have to scroll through many sites to get to the one they first clicked on. Therein lays the Holy Grail for the modern day marauders.
Hijacking is one of the most serious threats to internet safety. These rascally scoundrels will set programs and lay in wait, watching your every move of your computer. They see that you innocently want to search for something and suddenly, you are taken to one of their websites. They hijacked your computer and made you go where they wanted you to go! Once at their site which are often fake search engines and portal sites, you begin to get pop-ups, they tag your computer with modern-day invisible post-it note reminders. Once these "reminder" files are embedded, they function like little thieving robots, storing and sending information on all the searches, websites, links that YOU and your family have clicked on in the past three months. In addition to that, there have now been hidden programs installed on your computer that generate a myriad of pop-up ads. The crook has planted his hijack, and only has to sit back and watch his booty collect.
You and your entire family are exposed and at risk. Your banking info, your credit card statements, even your cell phone are all potential threats just because you just simply didn't know you were making yourself an attractive target. Hijacking is one of the most alarmingly popular means of marauding of today, but take heart, there are ways to combat this problem and impose your own form of Martial Law to protect your family.
The first line of defense is a good firewall. Firewalls come in many different versions and are made by many companies. There are software firewalls, and hardware based ones as well, but they all serve a similar purpose. The purpose of a firewall is like a gate: nothing comes in or goes out through your Internet connection without you knowing about it. Firewalls, however, are only as good as the persons using them. Knowledge is power, and you should familiarize yourself with the normal functions and files that it takes to run them. When you know the real deal, counterfeit files or intruders are many times more likely to be recognized and apprehended. When this happens, you will not be finding yourself in uncharted territory and will be able to click "Access Denied" with confidence.<
Secondly, the market has come out with some really good anti-hijacking software that are specially designed to prevent your browser from being overtaken and can eventually save you from a totally dominated and bombarded computer. Software such as this is not used as a replacement for a firewall or antiviral defense. In fact, today, a myriad of software solutions should be used to keep your system totally clean and under your control.
Lastly, a good anti-spyware program is a good means at combating the problem of hijacking. It will guard against the editing of your registry which would command the start up of malware as well as prevent any information from being broadcast over the net or emailed back to the user. Some anti-spy programs will also guard against hijacking, but if you are a victim of hijacking, they will also prevent the usual serious repercussions of the hijack. Remember, prevention is key. It is much easier to start with a clean system, implement a firewall, antiviral software, anti-spyware, and anti-hijack software than it is to painstakingly scrub clean an infected system. After all, it's a lot easier to return to a mouth that has fed you, than to find another hand.
The last thing you should remember is that ownership is of utmost importance. If one chooses to be likened unto an ostrich and chooses to not educate themselves on the dangers that lurk about in this modern Wild West, that puts them at a severe disadvantage. Nobody is too old or too young to be aware of the dangers of this world, and it is just vital to change with the times and adapt. Familiarize yourself with firewalls and anti-hijacking software, get to know how your computer works, and you will be well on your way towards making sure you are safe from marauders!
There may well be some rootin-tootin, tech-savvy individuals out there, but you are the one with the badge in this horse town.
in Security
Source: http://www.readbud.com/Articles/Security/The-Modern-Wild-West
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Your Next PR Nightmare Could Be Only a Click Away
Your Next PR Nightmare Could Be Only a Click Away
In the age of Enron and failed intelligence, scandals remain the rage of the front page. Companies want to see positive spin and not scandal related material published. Imagine for a moment the educational software site where employees are identified as regular visitors to pornography websites. The effect to such a company's image could be devastating.
Leaks, Peeks & Sneaks
There are numerous security risks facing companies with internal networks. Primary among their concerns are stifling leaks and backdoors that allow hackers to penetrate their firewalls. But the threat from within the company may prove to be more devastating to a company's reputation and subsequently their stock value and much more.
Employees face a four-pronged attack from blended threats across the board. Phishing and pharming are two of the more popular attacks that face Internet users everyday. Typically sent via email, phishing attacks depend on the concern of an employee to take care of matters ranging from personal to financial. The uneducated user will click an embedded link and leave the network vulnerable to an attack.
The sophistication of these attacks can penetrate even the most complex of security systems unless user error can be compensated for. The most popular forms of phishing involve instant messaging and emails. Despite the widely known understanding of spoofing, most users do not expect to receive messages from spoofed accounts.
Increasing a systems security perimeter can block instant messaging ports and prevent such external security breaches. Network security devices can also block web requests to URLs presented in instant messages. Better still, URLs or web requests from internal users can be compared to a database of acceptable websites and disallowed or denied if they do not match.
Living on the Fringe
Installing spyware and malware is another by-product of visiting less than secure websites. Internet users are often besieged by offers for free software, free access and freebies. The lure of the freebie is as potent if not more so on the Internet than it is in real life. Downloading such freebies can come with passenger programs designed to record keystrokes and much more
The least of the problems that spyware can commit is to tie up bandwidth and computer memory. The worst is that it can actually spawn Internet attacks to other sites, download critical data and send it elsewhere. Employees do not have to be lured just by a freebie either. They can simply make a typo in submitting a URL and find themselves in the wrong Internet neighborhood. Clever programmers can generate pop-up windows and disguise a button with a simple label like 'close' and the user will click it, thinking they will only close the nuisance window. Some programs on high-speed network access can be downloaded in the blink of an eye, compromising the computer and potentially the network.
One-Click Scandals
Scandals need very little fuel to fire. A user who chooses to go to a website of questionable integrity and intent and a user who is lured there by a bad link or a typo offer the same type of danger to a company. Scandals do not have to make the front page to generate reputation-damaging issues for a company.
Word of mouth is as fast a delivery service for reputation sabotage as press reporting is. A network security company that cannot protect against hacking of their website does not engender trust or confidence. A financial investment firm that is accused of insider trading when emails and instant messages from employees are subpoenaed and found to be questionable will likely lose clients, capital and more.
The Burden of Responsibility
Scandal can be generated by an innocent act as easily as by one of guilty intent. Corporations are responsible for the actions of their employees. Questionable Internet behavior and activity can and will affect a company's reputation, financial standing and potentially their legal standing as well.
A corporation bears the burden of responsibility for its employees and their actions. By employing network security devices to monitor and restrict Internet activity, a corporation not only relieves a large measure of their burden, but also protects their interests on numerous fronts. Without such protection, a company is courting disaster and inviting scandal.
in Security
Source: http://www.readbud.com/Articles/Security/Your-Next-PR-Nightmare-Could-Be-Only-a-Click-Away
In the age of Enron and failed intelligence, scandals remain the rage of the front page. Companies want to see positive spin and not scandal related material published. Imagine for a moment the educational software site where employees are identified as regular visitors to pornography websites. The effect to such a company's image could be devastating.
Leaks, Peeks & Sneaks
There are numerous security risks facing companies with internal networks. Primary among their concerns are stifling leaks and backdoors that allow hackers to penetrate their firewalls. But the threat from within the company may prove to be more devastating to a company's reputation and subsequently their stock value and much more.
Employees face a four-pronged attack from blended threats across the board. Phishing and pharming are two of the more popular attacks that face Internet users everyday. Typically sent via email, phishing attacks depend on the concern of an employee to take care of matters ranging from personal to financial. The uneducated user will click an embedded link and leave the network vulnerable to an attack.
The sophistication of these attacks can penetrate even the most complex of security systems unless user error can be compensated for. The most popular forms of phishing involve instant messaging and emails. Despite the widely known understanding of spoofing, most users do not expect to receive messages from spoofed accounts.
Increasing a systems security perimeter can block instant messaging ports and prevent such external security breaches. Network security devices can also block web requests to URLs presented in instant messages. Better still, URLs or web requests from internal users can be compared to a database of acceptable websites and disallowed or denied if they do not match.
Living on the Fringe
Installing spyware and malware is another by-product of visiting less than secure websites. Internet users are often besieged by offers for free software, free access and freebies. The lure of the freebie is as potent if not more so on the Internet than it is in real life. Downloading such freebies can come with passenger programs designed to record keystrokes and much more
The least of the problems that spyware can commit is to tie up bandwidth and computer memory. The worst is that it can actually spawn Internet attacks to other sites, download critical data and send it elsewhere. Employees do not have to be lured just by a freebie either. They can simply make a typo in submitting a URL and find themselves in the wrong Internet neighborhood. Clever programmers can generate pop-up windows and disguise a button with a simple label like 'close' and the user will click it, thinking they will only close the nuisance window. Some programs on high-speed network access can be downloaded in the blink of an eye, compromising the computer and potentially the network.
One-Click Scandals
Scandals need very little fuel to fire. A user who chooses to go to a website of questionable integrity and intent and a user who is lured there by a bad link or a typo offer the same type of danger to a company. Scandals do not have to make the front page to generate reputation-damaging issues for a company.
Word of mouth is as fast a delivery service for reputation sabotage as press reporting is. A network security company that cannot protect against hacking of their website does not engender trust or confidence. A financial investment firm that is accused of insider trading when emails and instant messages from employees are subpoenaed and found to be questionable will likely lose clients, capital and more.
The Burden of Responsibility
Scandal can be generated by an innocent act as easily as by one of guilty intent. Corporations are responsible for the actions of their employees. Questionable Internet behavior and activity can and will affect a company's reputation, financial standing and potentially their legal standing as well.
A corporation bears the burden of responsibility for its employees and their actions. By employing network security devices to monitor and restrict Internet activity, a corporation not only relieves a large measure of their burden, but also protects their interests on numerous fronts. Without such protection, a company is courting disaster and inviting scandal.
in Security
Source: http://www.readbud.com/Articles/Security/Your-Next-PR-Nightmare-Could-Be-Only-a-Click-Away
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