Posted on January - 10 - 2010
San Diego, CA (January 8, 2010): In 2009, 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 not disclosure, and provide minimal enforcement or penalty for non-compliance, we can expect a lack of public disclosure. Counting breaches becomes an exercise in insanity.
ITRC collects information about data breaches made public via reliable media and notification lists from various governmental agencies. There are breaches that occurred in 2009 that never made public news. So rather than focus on a question without an answer, ITRC used percentages to analyze the 498 breaches recorded this year looking for any changes or new trends. (Both raw numbers and percentages have been provided in the charts).
The main highlights are:
- paper breaches account for nearly 26% of known breaches (an increase of 46% over 2008)
- business sector climbed from 21% to 41% between 2006 to 2009, the worst sector performance by far
- malicious attacks have surpassed human error for the first time in three years
- Out of 498 breaches, only six reported that they had either encryption or other strong security features protecting the exposed data
In 2009, the business sector increased to 41% of all the publicly reported breaches. While there are
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Posted on January - 07 - 2010
No matter how we try… computer crimes keep popping up — especially the ever-present email scam, also known as phishing. Computer criminals continue to get more and more adept at making their emails look official. Become familiar with the latest Internet-related computer crimes and protect yourself.
By now most people know better than to hand over their life savings in the infamous Nigerian scams– but what about a message from the IRS demanding your SSN? Here are some common scams that may wind up in your inbox, don’t fall victim to these types of identity theft.
1. Banks
A number of computer crimes occur in the names of various banks.
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Posted on January - 06 - 2010
(December 31, 2009) 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 ITRC offers the following top 10 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 other important personal documents, in a safe, locked box or safety deposit box. <
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Posted on January - 05 - 2010
Simply put, identity theft occurs when someone other than you uses your personal information. In almost all cases, this information will be used to commit fraud and other crimes.
A form of fraud, by sheer definition, identity thieves often use this information to create bank accounts, obtain credit cards and secure mobile phone contracts. With such systems in place, they can go on racking up charges, seemingly incurred by you, and not have to pay for it.
In some of the most extreme cases, it has been known for such criminals to obtain houses, cars and even yachts using such practices.
Identity theft comes in many forms of course, but is most often linked with the illegal use of information such as your name and address details, your social security number, credit card details and bank details.
It is estimated that nine million US citizens are victims of identity theft each year, though this number could be much, much higher according to experts in the industry.
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