Sys GuardCompare & Learn which identity theft protection service is the best

If you want to protect yourself from identity theft, not just any old firewall will do. Chances are you could become the victim of identity theft if you don’t understand firewalls and how they work. To prevent this from happening, be sure to know where you are vulnerable and which firewall you need to protect yourself and your personal information.

Identity theft and firewalls

Concerned about identity theft but confused about firewalls? Computer jargon can become confusing causing the average computer user to just give up and cross their fingers for protection. Avoiding identity theft doesn’t have to be confusing.

If you have a computer that stays connected to the Internet 24/7, you are in danger.

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Branch is currently Associate Dean of Student Services, Henley Putnam University. This on-line university specializes in professional studies in Intelligence, Protection Management and Terrorism-Counterterrorism studies for military, law enforcement, security and intelligence professionals. He was formerly the Manager of Safety and Security Compliance at Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

Mr. Walton has more than 40 years direct experience in federal law enforcement, private security and college teaching. He retired from the United States Secret Service after a 21-year career.

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The almighty Google has apparently deemed this blog unworthy of search love, despite my effort at producing informative, well written posts on the subject of identity theft and protecting yourself from it. 

So what if I’m trying to make money?  I don’t have the luxury of a cushy corporate seat, and if I did, I would sure as heck get myself some identity theft protection.  A viable, honorable business finds a need and fills it.  People need to prevent their personal information from falling into the wrong hands (the purpose of writing this blog) and they need to find out about it when it happens — and it does happen.

Sheesh, I mean, I see spammy blogs full of crummy information on the top of Google all the time.  This blog is chock-full of golden nuggets.  So what if it’s a bit cheeky about its ulterior motives? 

There are a number of very simple steps to prevent identity theft. We’re all familiar with the idea of shredding documents and not falling for Internet scams by now, but there are some other easy ways to make sure that you’re safe from fraud and cheats.

1. Debit cards are for debit machines

Some companies now allow you to use your debit card online. Guess what? If someone gets his hands on that information, you’re completely unprotected (not to mention they now have access to your bank account). Stick to credit cards with companies you trust.

2. Protect your receipts

An easy way to prevent identity theft is to take your receipts with you — and that means putting them in your purse or wallet, not your shopping bag.

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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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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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