data breaches: Protect Yourself from Social Engineering
- 01/14/10 04:30 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Social engineering is the act of manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information. While similar to a confidence trick or simple fraud, the term typically applies to trickery or deception for the purpose of information gathering, fraud, or computer system access; in most cases the attacker never comes face-to-face with the victim. But in many cases the attacker certainly does come in contact with the victim.
You may be doing all you can and should to protect yourself from hackers and scammers. But a response to a simple email that looks exactly like your … (0 comments)
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data breaches: Data Breaches: The Insanity Continues
- 01/12/10 02:11 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
The Identity Theft Resource Center Breach Report also monitors how breaches occur. This task is made more difficult by the scarcity of information provided (publicly) for approximately 1/3 of the recorded breaches. For the remainder, those events that do state how the breach occurred, malicious attacks (Hacking + Insider Theft) have taken the lead (36.4%) over human error (Data on the Move + Accidental Exposure = 27.5%) in 2009. This was a change from all previous years, where human error was higher than malicious attacks. One theory for this change is that the organization and sophistication … (1 comments)
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data breaches: 2009 Data Breaches: Identity Theft Continues
- 01/11/10 02:40 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
The Identity Theft Resource Center® Breach Report recorded 498 breaches, less than the 657 in 2008, more than the 446 in 2007. Are data breaches increasing or decreasing? That is the question no one can answer. This fact will not change until there is a single data breach list requiring mandatory public reporting. With some breaches not being reported publicly, and some state Attorneys General not allowing public access to reported breaches, we doubt that anyone is in a position to answer the question above. When we allow laws to be created requiring breach reporting but … (1 comments)
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data breaches: Data Security Predictions For 2010
- 01/11/10 01:39 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Forrester Research, Inc. in Cambridge, MA is an independent research company that provides pragmatic and forward-thinking advice to global leaders in business and technology.
They released their 2010 data security predictions. Heading into 2010, they are predicting five new data security trends:
1) Enterprises will keep their data security budgets relatively flat;
2) Market penetration for data loss prevention (DLP) tools will increase even as prices fall by half;
3) Cloud data security concerns will begin to dissipate;
4) Full disk encryption will continue its steady march into the enterprise, spurred on by breach disclosure laws; … (0 comments)
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data breaches: Impostor Poses as Secret Service Agent and Police Officer
- 01/10/10 08:06 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
A bunch of us recently celebrated a 40th birthday of a friend. The conversation at one point revolved around my ATM scam and how easy it is to con people. A new boyfriend of a friend began to tell everyone how he often cons people to get in bars and clubs. “I NEVER wait in lines” he said, “and I always get VIP treatment”. I hate lines too, but I have a hard time lying to get what I want. Anyway the guy is 6 foot 8 inches, which in many ways is a handicap in … (37 comments)
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data breaches: Pair Accused Of Stealing TSA Workers Identities
- 01/09/10 07:54 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
In my early 20’s I bought real estate in a depressed area north of Boston in Lynn Massachusetts. At 20, that’s all I could afford. Lynn was then and is now known as “Lynn Lynn the City of Sin, you don’t go out the way you come in.” Lynn’s a hard city known for drugs and prostitution. It’s also the home of various biker gangs known as “one percenters” The theory is 1% of all people come out of their momma just bad.
No surprise that the Boston Channel reports a Lynn couple was accused of … (1 comments)
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data breaches: How to Hack a Corporate Network…with Facebook
- 01/07/10 02:00 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
There’s a lot of excessive trust in the Facebook world. People have entirely dropped their sense of cynicism when logged on. They have no reason to distrust. People who are your “Friends” are generally those who you “know, like and trust”. In this world, your guard is as down as it will ever be. You are in the safety of your own home or office hanging with people all over the world in big cities and little towns and never have to watch your back.
Ethical hackers are the tech industries white nights, also known as … (1 comments)
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data breaches: How I Wasted 4 Hours with a Criminal Hacker
- 01/04/10 11:46 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Lately I’ve been coming across “advertisements” posted on forums from criminal hackers looking to sell our stolen information. They are “carders” selling “dumps” and “fullz” I wrote about it HERE. Well I decided to make contact with one of them to see what the deal is. It turns out the one I connected with was less than forthcoming, but was very persistent and more than likely has and will continue to scam people. Here is the FIRST and SECOND postings set up by criminals that I’ve found this week. The links are functional as of this … (5 comments)
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data breaches: Resolve to Dissolve Identity Theft
- 01/04/10 12:44 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Here we are again, getting ready to face a new year. Time to set those dreaded New Year’s resolutions. You know, lose the 10 pounds, give up the chocolate, quit smoking, and win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Along with the breaking of some bad habits, now is the time to take on some new habits to protect you against identity theft. The Identity Theft Resource Center® (ITRC) offers the following top resolutions you can make in 2010:
Lock up your social security card! Get it out of your wallet! Put this valuable card, along with all … (0 comments)
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data breaches: ID Theft Is Set To Rise On The Heels Of The Recession
- 01/03/10 03:48 PM
Jay McDonald from Creditcards.com does a great job of summarizing Identity Theft Predictions for 2010.
“Like wolves to injured prey, identity thieves are out to turn the recession struggles of average Americans to their own advantage.
“In my adult life, I’ve never seen more varations of old scams and the degree of sophistication in newer scams,” says Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com.
The Identity Theft Resource Center predicts an increase in the number of identity theft crimes and victims during the next two years.
Particularly vulnerable are jobseekers whose desperate search for employment makes them easy targets for fake job listings … (6 comments)
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data breaches: 5 Tips to Credit Card Identity Theft Prevention
- 01/01/10 10:25 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
In a recent article in Computer World, Tom Patterson CSO of Magtek, with his Glamor Shot photo, provides “5 counter-fraud tips you’ve never been told”. Anything a consumer can do to reduce their risk for account takeover, they should exercise. While in most cases the consumer isn’t responsible for the losses, as long as you refute the fraud in a specified time frame, and it’s your duty as a citizen to do so. Studies show much of the terrorists funding is coming from card fraud. Card fraud is a breach of national security.
Tip#1 Stare down … (0 comments)
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data breaches: Police, DA Investigators Conduct Fake ID Sting
- 12/29/09 11:39 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Do an online search for “fake ids” and you’ll be amazed to discover how easy it can be to obtain an ID allowing you to pose as someone else. Or how easy it can be for someone else to obtain an ID that will allow him or her to pose as you. Some websites peddle poor quality cards, others offer excellent quality, and many websites are simply scams.
The fact is, our existing identification systems are insufficiently secure, and our identifying documents are easily copied. Anyone with a computer, scanner and printer can recreate an ID. … (0 comments)
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data breaches: Profile of a “REAL (Bad) HACKER HERE”
- 12/29/09 11:25 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
The wild, wild web never ceases to amaze me. My daily routine includes a tremendous amount of research, keeping me on top of what’s new in information and personal security. Every day, I spend about three hours simply “consuming” information via news alerts, feeds, and subscriptions, then breaking it down for others.
Recently, I was shocked to come across a website created by a self-declared “real hacker,” advertising his services.
“I SELL CCV2,tracks+ ATM PIN,FULLZ, BANK LOGIN, BANK TRANSFER… PRICE FOR CCV us (visa or master)= 2$ us (amex or dis)= 3$ uk (visa or master)= … (1 comments)
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data breaches: Expanding Internet Capabilities Makes U.S. IT More Vulnerable
- 12/28/09 01:23 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
The FBI considers the cyber threat against our nation to be one of the greatest concerns of the 21st century.
Steven R. Chabinsky is deputy assistant director of the cyber division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This article is sourced from GovInfoSecurity.com and was adapted from written testimony he delivered earlier this month to the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security.
“Despite the enormous advantages of the Internet, our networked systems have a gaping and widening hole in the security posture of both our private sector and government systems. An … (0 comments)
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data breaches: U.S. Cyber Challenge to Defeat Criminal Identity Theft
- 12/27/09 12:13 PM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
President Obama has chimed in with a directive to review the nations cyber security as it relates to security and our critical infrastructures.
CNN recently reported about the “U.S. Cyber Challenge” to find and develop 10,000 cybersecurity specialists to help the U.S. regain the lead in cyberspace. In its simplest form, the U.S. Cyber Challenge participants are white-hats in training who play a game called NetWars, which is an online version of Capture the Flag, with competitors vying to penetrate and take control of target computer systems and then protect them from other intruders.
… (2 comments)
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data breaches: The Feast of the 7 Phishes
- 12/22/09 10:40 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Being a “Siciliano” and having roots in Italy, namely Sicily, the little island at the bottom of the boot, we have a tradition where we celebrate “the vigil” (La Vigilia), with a Feast of the Seven Fishes (festa dei sette pesci).
It’s a day of cooking, eating and enjoying your favorite beverage in substantial quantity. I do the cooking and start serving at noon. I generally cook to order and serve lobster, mussels, little neck clams, scallops, squid, also known as calamari, a white fish, sword fish, and a small fish called “smelt”. Funny name, but … (3 comments)
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data breaches: Craigslist ATM I bought Causes Industry Stir
- 12/22/09 02:46 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Apparently I raised a hackle or two. Seems my little stunt got the attention of industry insiders, and not all of them believe that I bought a used ATM on Craigslist, which turned out to contain thousands of credit card numbers. Well, it did actually happen, and despite what many say, that the ATM couldn’t have contained 16-digit credit and debit card numbers on it, it did.
The most intense resistance to my experiment came from one Boston cop who watched me plant this thing in Downtown Crossing. He crossed his arms, glared at me, and … (1 comments)
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data breaches: Lack of Laptop Security Leads to Identity Theft
- 12/20/09 08:38 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
In 2003, an estimated 1.5 million laptops were stolen worldwide. Today, that number has climbed to 2.6 million. That’s a 70% increase in just a few years. That’s one stolen laptop every 12 seconds.
Laptop computers have been the source of some of the biggest data breaches of all time. 800,000 doctors were recently put at risk for identity theft when a laptop containing their personal data went missing from the Chicago-based Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.
As the years pass, laptop prices come down and their computing power goes up, making them increasingly … (0 comments)
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data breaches: Facebook Newest Portal for Social Media Identity Theft
- 12/15/09 02:57 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
Imagine trying to log into your online accounts one after the other and being locked out. At first you think the site you are visiting screwed up but then it keeps happening over and over again no matter where you go. Then you start receiving messages from friends and family asking you why you are behaving so freakishly online.
This is what happened to Matasha Allen as described in the Eastern Michigan Universitys Eastern Echo.
“Allen, 28, was a substitute teacher at the time, teaching music as well as elementary classes. Her only outlet to the … (1 comments)
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data breaches: Child Identity Theft Protection
- 12/14/09 11:13 AM
Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
In a blog I guest contribute to called “NextAdvisor” they offer the following advice on child identity theft protection:
The following post in our Reader Question series is an actual user submitted question.
“Q: I found out that someone used my grandson’s Social Security number to get phone service. How can I stop this? He’s only 11 years old.
A: If someone has used or is using a child’s Social Security number to secure a service, the child is a victim of identity theft. You should file a report with a local police department immediately. … (0 comments)
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Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert
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