Robert Siciliano Security Analyst at Safr.me
It is easier than ever to guess or predict an individual’s Social Security number, which puts us all at a greater risk for identity theft. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have developed a reliable method for predicting Social Security numbers, using information from social networking sites, data brokers, voter registration lists, online ...
02 March 2011 /security /regulation
Our everyday activities are being monitored, today, right now, either by self-imposed technology or the ever-present Big Brother. Traditionally, documenting our existence went like this: You’re born, and you get a medical and a birth record. These documents follow you throughout your life, filed and viewed by many. You must present these records in...
Prognosticators are silly. Or that’s how I’ve always viewed them, anyway. They combine past experience with their perspective on current trends to make predictions and pretend to be smarter than you. Many prognosticators in the financial world have failed miserably, and we’re all paying the price now. Their current excuse is “irrational exuberance....
28 February 2011 /security /regulation
The number of households in the United States that rely solely on wireless telephones continues increasing. More than one in four households had cell phones and no landlines in the first half of 2010, which is an increase of 2.1% since the second half of 2009. And almost one in six households uses cell phones exclusively or almost exclusively desp...
24 February 2011 /security /regulation
According to the Identity Theft Resource Center, there were at least 662 data breaches in 2010, which exposed more than 16 million records. Nearly two-thirds of breaches exposed Social Security numbers, and 26% involved credit or debit card data. The ITRC elaborated, “Other than breaches reported by the media and a few progressive state websites, ...
22 February 2011 /security /regulation
The wild, wild web is the most exciting, alluring, and all-around awesome thing available to us today. It’s also something we have come to rely on to a fault. And that’s a little scary. The Internet is a decentralized wilderness, used by billions of devices worldwide. Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Commit...
16 February 2011 /security /regulation
Account takeover happens when your existing bank or credit card accounts are infiltrated and money is siphoned out. A hacked account or stolen credit card is often to blame. The drop in account takeover may be due in part to a few different things. Less breaches. There was a drop in data breaches from 221 million records in 604 breaches during 2009...
15 February 2011 /security /regulation
As long as identity thieves continue to breach databases and steal Social Security numbers, new account fraud will plague the public. New account fraud refers to financial identity theft in which the victim’s personal identifying information and good credit standing are used to create new accounts, which are then used to obtain products and service...
12 February 2011 /security /regulation
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, many single people return to thoughts of finding love online. But while your head is in the online clouds, you should know – and sorry to sound like a parent – that cyberscammers may be there with you looking to take advantage of your vulnerable heart. To help you stay safe on Valentine’s Day and year-round...
In a small Maine town, local school officials buck state requirements and tell parents not to give out their child’s Social Security number. The Bangor Daily reports “School departments across the state are required by a new state law to collect students’ Social Security numbers for all enrolled this fall. Parents, however, should know that they c...
09 February 2011 /security /regulation
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