Your best source for news, video, blogging and information about identity theft and data breaches - updated every day. We intentionally chose .info for our name because this is an informational web site about identity theft.
For ID Victims, Paying Taxes Is A Nightmare Thursday, March 22, 2012 ABC 7 witn.com After Meghan Bach learned last year that her husband’s identity had been stolen to collect a fake tax refund, she spent perhaps 200 hours working to resolve the issue
IRS May Share Tax Information with Police to Fight Fraud Thursday, March 22, 2012 Accounting Today A surge in tax refund fraud and identity theft has prompted the Internal Revenue Service to consider sharing more tax return information with police, a senior official told a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
Do You Know Your Rights If Your Identity Is Stolen? Wedsday, March 21, 2012 Time according to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transaction Act, if you file a police report in association with an identity theft, the credit bureaus are required to block negative information on your credit report that is a result of that crime.
NYC woman discovers she is 'married' to multiple men after identity theft Saturday, March 17, 2012 Fox News The 37-year-old Queens mom was the victim of an identity-theft nightmare, in which a parade of mysterious creeps arranged fake marriages by using her birth certificate, which she lost some 16 years ago.
6 Easy Ways to Deter Identity Theft Monday, March 12, 2012 Huffington Post Check your personal financial information often. Pull your credit reports from all three agencies.
Utah pilots first Child Identity Protection program Wednesday, February 01, 2012 Utah Attorney General & TransUnion The Utah Attorney General's Child Identity Protection (CIP) program is intended to help prevent identity thieves from using the personal identifying information of Utah children in the issuance of credit. CIP provides Utah parents/guardians with a secure process to enroll a child's information with a national credit reporting company (TransUnion) which will take certain proprietary fraud prevention steps. Such information will remain in the High Risk Fraud database until the child's 17th birthday, at which time it will be removed.
National crackdown on identity theft Wednesday, February 01, 2012 Salt Lake Tribune The Internal Revenue Service and the Justice Department have announced the results of a massive national crack down on suspected identity theft.
ID theft victim launches nonprofits to help others Tuesday, January 31, 2012 New Mexico Business Weekly He had worked with legislators to push through a law in 2009 that would let victims like him get some kind of symbol on their drivers’ licenses so the next time they got caught up in a routine traffic stop, they wouldn’t wind up in jail on someone else’s rap sheet.
Physician Medical Identity Theft Wednesday, January 18, 2012 Journal of the American Medical Association This realization occurred after patients reported that her name was on their Medicare Summary Notices although they had never seen her.
Identity theft charges involve false tax returns Saturday, January 28, 2012 Tulsa World A Tulsa woman was charged Friday with 40 counts alleging that she stole others' identities and filed false tax returns to obtain more than $55,000 in refunds.
Use Google Alerts as an Identity Theft Watchdog Friday, January 27, 2012 LifeHacker Google Alerts can be a great tool for monitoring any search term including your own name and other personal information. Use Google Alerts to check if a thief is using your info anywhere online.
How to prevent hackers from accessing your cellphone's voice mail Wednesday, July 20, 2011 MSN With a method probably similar to that used by hackers at News Corp.'s British tabloid News of the World, I can hack into your cellphone's voice mail. Fortunately, preventing this kind of hack on your voice mail is as simple as changing your voice mail preferences and setting up a password or PIN.
Postal authorities on high alert after mailbox thefts Thurssday, July 14, 2011 Los Angeles Times A recent spate of mailbox thefts in LA has put postal authorities on high alert and raised concern that customers may be vulnerable to identity theft.
Sony Extends PlayStation ID Theft Protection Monday, July 11, 2011 PC Magazine Sony is giving consumers a few extra weeks to take advantage of the ID theft protection it offered up after the massive hack of its PlayStation
Fraudsters targeting Kids Thursday, July 7, 2011 Fox Business News Identity theft: it could happen to you; it could also happen to your child.
Malcolm X's daughter guilty of ID theft Monday, June 20, 2011 CNN Malikah Shabazz avoided a prison sentence after pleading guilty to defrauding the 70-year-old widow of one of her father's bodyguards
IRS Experienced 'Significant Increase' In Identity Theft Issues Monday, June 13, 2011 The Wall Street Journal In 2010, the IRS identified almost 245,000 identity theft incidents, up from 169,087 in 2009 and just 51,702 in 2008, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office.
Beware of the "Dumpster Diver" Monday, May 16, 2011 WTVA.com When you take out your trash you don't expect someone to rummage through it looking to steal your identity, but it happens.
Immigration crackdown raises identity-theft risk Monday, May 16, 2011 Reuters Employers, increasingly double-checking would-be workers because of a nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration, may inadvertently be fanning demand for stolen documents.
Thanks to ID thieves, your child may have more debt than you Monday, May 16, 2011 Network World Recent investigations show that kids, even unborn babies, are hotter targets than adults for ID theft, racking up millions in debt before parents even know about it.
Sony Apologizes; Free ID Theft Services Offered Friday, May 6, 2011 PC Magazine Sony chairman and chief executive Howard Stringer offered a personal apology to the millions of users affected by the Sony hack, and offered a year of free ID theft services.
Miss USA pageant contestant charged with ID theft Monday, May 16, 2011 NY Daily News Miss Wisconsin (Shaletta Porterfield), a top contender for next month's Miss USA title has dropped out of the pageant after being charged with identity theft.
New Twist for ID Theft: Fake Tax Returns Monday, May 16, 2011 The Sacremento Bee Crooks filing bogus electronic 1040 returns isn't an everyday scam. But it certainly appears to be a growing problem.
Seniors and Identity Theft - save yourself Wednesday, March 23, 2011 PBS In tonight`s video "Money Profiles," Benno Schmidt shows how ID theft can take over a victim`s life and how to fight back.
Data theft warning over old phones Friday, March 25, 2011 TheStar.co.uk People disposing of old mobile phones are putting themselves at risk of identity theft by failing to wipe them of personal data.
Survey: Millions Open Door To ID Theft Via Social Networks Thursday, March 24, 2011 wmtw.com news 8 Nearly 13 million Americans aged 18 or older who are on social networking sites will accept any social media connection request from a member of the opposite sex, regardless of whether or not they know that person, according to a recent survey.
Identity theft tops complaints to FTC Wednesday, March 09, 2011 TheInquirer.net ID THEFT was the major consumer complaint in the US in 2010, according to a report published today by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC). A whopping 1.34 million complaints were received by the FTC last year, with 19 per cent of them, or 250,854, focusing on identity theft.
Don't take passwords to the grave Wednesday, March 02, 2011 MSN Your survivors will have enough on their minds when you die, so take steps now to ensure that they’ll be able to access your digital accounts.
ID theft via stolen tax refunds up 300% Tuesday, March 01, 2011 The Republic Cases of stolen tax returns have surged, even as overall identity theft complaints to federal authorities have declined in the last half-decade.
New Widely Available Hacking Tools ID Theft Wednsday, February 16, 2011 New York Times Free Wi-Fi cracking software lets just about anyone sitting next to you at your local coffee shop watch you browse the Web and even assume your identity online.
Auto dealership employee stole identities of customers Tuesday, February 22, 2011 WKYT NewsFirst Police say Paul Anthony Casolari used the identities of prior customers to buy vehicles for resale. He was employed as the finance manager of an auto dealership
California retailers can't ask patrons for ZIP Codes, court rules Friday, February 11, 2011 Los Angeles Times The California state Supreme Court ruled unanimously that retailers may no longer collect ZIP Codes from credit card customers, except in limited cases. Involved attorney, Stonebarger said the decision would help protect consumers from credit card fraud and identity theft.
Skimming new debit and credit cards remotely Thursday, February 10, 2011 GoBankingRates Identity thieves are able to harvest numbers and personal details from new debit and credit cards by brushing past a purse or wallet.
ID thefts frequency decreases but victim damages increases Tuesday, February 8, 2011 MSNBC Consumers say the volume of ID theft crimes plummeted sharply last year, but ID theft victims faced much stiffer consequences. The average out-of-pocket loss suffered by ID theft victims jumped from $387 to $631 per incident.
How your Facebook profile can lead to ID theft Tuesday, February 8, 2011 Fox 19 News Last year, a computer system was created that was able to correctly guess the social security numbers for 8.5% of Americans born after 1989.
Do you fit the profile of an identity theft victim? Friday, January 28, 2011 Wicked Local A high percentage of ID fraud victims live in affluent suburbs and high-density metro areas, have an advanced degree and a spouse, and are interested in politics and leisure activities.
Inmate Ran Identity Theft Ring From Inside Prison Monday, January 24, 2011 ConsumerAffairs.com A man led an identity-theft ring that ran up a quarter-million dollars worth of charges from inside a federal prison.
Cybercriminals Shift Focus From PCs to Apple & Mobile Devices Friday, January 21, 2011 CircleID.com In a major cybercrime turning point, scammers have begun shifting their focus away from Windows-based PCs to other operating systems and platforms, including smart phones, tablet computers, and mobile platforms.
Study: Troops face high risk of ID theft Monday, January 10, 2011 islandPacket.com U.S. troops are among the Americans most vulnerable to identify theft -- and the military is doing little to protect them, a new study claims.
ID theft, data breaches jumped 33 percent in 2010 Wednesday, January 5, 2011 MSNBC The Identity Theft Resource Center recorded 662 data breaches in the United States in 2010, a nearly 33 percent increase from 2009. To cybersecurity analysts, this is further proof that organizations that handle and store sensitive digital data need to do a much better job. As of (Jan. 4), nine breaches have already been reported in 2011, with 175 documents potentially exposed.
Where Every Phisher Knows Your Name Tuesday, January 04, 2011 Circle ID Spear phishing is when a message is specifically crafted, using either public or previously stolen information, to fool the recipient into believing that it's legitimate.
Lawyers win exemption from identity theft Red Flag rules Monday, December 13, 2010 Washington Post The House last Tuesday approved a measure that exempts lawyers and law firms from new rules intended to prevent identity theft.
McDonalds customers warned over identity theft Monday, December 13, 2010 TG Daily The stolen data was gathered through various customer promotions and includes users' age, contact information such as addresses and mobile phone numbers
Congress Exempts Physicians From ID Theft 'Red Flags' Rule Wednesday, December 08, 2010 AAFP Congress has voted to exempt physicians from the Federal Trade Commission's antifraud identity theft regulation known as the "Red Flags" Rule
Identity theft danger grows during the holidays Monday, December 06, 2010 ABC 12 According to the Michigan State Police, with increased spending around the holidays there are more reports of identity theft.
Synthetic Identity Theft: The Silent Swindler Friday, December 03, 2010 Peter Silva Synthetic Identity Theft is typically when a criminal uses either totally fake or a mixture of fake and real information to create a new identity.
Mobile Phone Identity Theft Tuesday, November 30, 2010 Network World Mobile phone phishing, sometimes called smishing and vishing, too often results in identity theft and causes victims great pain.
FaceTime Flaw Exposes Mac Users To Identity Theft Thursday, October 21, 2010 CIO Today Mac users may want to avoid FaceTime for Mac because of a security flaw that could let an attacker steal a user's identity.
FinCEN reports rise in suspected identity theft scams Monday, October 18, 2010 Search Financial Security The number of suspected identity theft cases is on the rise, but financial institutions are managing to catch more than half of fraudulent auto or student loans
Treasury Department Says Identity Theft Up Dramatically Monday, October 18, 2010 Credit Union Times The number of suspicious activity reports that involve identity theft increased by 123% from 2004-2009, according to a report issued today by the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.
Microsoft moves to nuke Zeus ID-theft malware Thursday, October 14, 2010 ZD NET
Microsoft has added Zeus disinfection instructions onto its malicious software removal tool in hopes to disable the botnet of infected WIndows machines.
Deputies raid Phoenix business in ID theft probe Wednesday, October 13, 2010 Businessweek Maricopa County Sheriff's deputies have made 14 arrests during a raid at a west Phoenix business where workers were suspected of identity theft.
Police, BBB suggest cell-phone identity theft precautions Wednesday, October 13, 2010 As cell phones act as computers with internet connection, consumer advocates and law enforcement warn that because they're now much more than phones, users are more at risk of identify theft than ever before.
Watch Out for ATM Skimming Tuesday, October 12, 2010 Wall Stree Journal The next time you pull up to an ATM, take a closer look at the machine. Does it look a little clunkier than usual? Sophisticated skimming devices placed right over a card-reader slot allow scammers to capture the information embedded on the magnetic strip of a debit or credit card.
What Not to Tell Facebook Friends Tuesday, October 12, 2010 New York Times In a recent Bucks post, “Don’t Tell Facebook Friends That You’re Going Away,” Ron Lieber advised readers not to share their vacation status or birthday on the social networking site. Why? Such information can be useful to burglars and identity thieves.
Phishers Target Social Media, Universities Tuesday, October 12, 2010 Information Week Cybercriminals lured by abundance of personal information shared on Facebook, Twitter, and college campuses.
Discover Card ranked best at identity theft resolution Thursday, October 7, 2010 Credit Net While all credit card lenders have to contend with the threat and fallout of identity theft for their customers, Discover was recently ranked as the best in the industry.
Police officer sentenced in identity theft case Thursday, September 30, 2010 Miami Herald A Miami police officer accused of using a accident victim's ATM card to steal more than $460 has been sentenced to 13 months in prison, federal officials said Wednesday.
New Facebook ID Theft scam: 'Dislike' button Monday, August 16, 2010 Charlotte Observer The Better Business Bureau warns Facebook users against clicking a ‘dislike’ button siting a new identity theft scam.
Cell Phones: Easy ID Theft Targets Monday, August 16, 2010 CBS NEws The hackers are always really one step ahead of everyone else, because they're going where the money is. … Whatever you're saying or doing [on your cell phone] may not be as private as you think.
New ID theft targets kids' SS numbers Wednesday, August 04, 2010 AP Thieves are targeting your kid's number. They sell the numbers under another name to help people establish phony credit and run up huge debts they will never pay off.
Petri bill would enlist IRS against identity theft Wednesday, August 04, 2010 The Northwestern Social Security Identity Defense (SSIDA) Act would require the IRS to inform a taxpayer when his SSN has been used fraudulently to gain employment.
Identity Theft scams to watch for Wednesday, August 04, 2010 WalletPop Forewarned is forearmed, so here are some of the hottest scams to be aware of this summer.
BBB recommends tips to college students Wednesday, August 04, 2010 Wane.com The Better Business Bureau is recommending steps that college students should take to protect themselves from identity theft.
Online ID theft, Protect your handheld devices Tuesday, August 03, 2010 CNN Make sure to secure your mobile devices, like smart phones or iPads, with passwords and encryption just in case they are lost or stolen.
Hotel guests still most at risk for identity theft Thursday, July 29, 2010 USA Today Computer hackers continue to steal hotel guests' credit-card data more than any other industry - and there's little consumers can do to protect themselves
FTC ends Pre-Paid Legal Services inquiry Tuesday, July 27, 2010 Business Week Federal investigators are no longer examining Pre-Paid Legal Services Inc., ending a three-year investigation without any action
Senators try again on identity theft bill Wednesday, July 14, 2010 The Hill Proposed bill would require companies to notify consumers when their personal information has been stolen.
TDoS Attacks THE LATEST PHONE SCAM Thursday, July 01, 2010 FBI Imagine getting hundreds or thousands of calls on home or cell phones, tying up the lines. Meanwhile your banks is trying to contact you regarding the transfer of all the funds out of your account.
Puerto Ricans targeted in massive ID theft schemes Saturday, June 26, 2010 AP No government or law enforcement official can put a dollar amount on the illegal trade, but documents are so valuable that addicts on the island trade their own documents for drugs.
2 Men steal inmates identities Monday, May 24, 2010 Miami Herald Wilson told investigators they used names and personal information of inmates found on websites to apply for the cards.
Latest Trend In ID Theft: Bank Text Alerts Monday, May 24, 2010 CBS 2 Chicago It looks like a legitimate text message from your bank, warning your account has been locked...
The State of Phishing Thursday, May 13, 2010 Ram Mohan Anti-Phishing Working Group’s Global Phishing Survey has become a widely cited source.
TSA Officials Had Identities Stolen Thursday, May 13, 2010 Fox News A Massachusetts couple has been charged with perpetrating widespread identity theft.
Bank Phishing Attacks Tally Major Damage Thursday, May 13, 2010 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading If you've ever wondered just how lucrative a phishing campaign against your bank can really be, then consider this: Phishers actually land a tiny percentage of victims, but the end result is big bucks -- to the tune of $2.4 million to $9.4 million a year, according to a new study that measured real phishing attacks on banks.
Calls for Cybersecurity Overhaul Monday, December 07, 2009 news.yahoo.com The government and private businesses need to overhaul the way they look at cybersecurity the Internet Security Alliance said. The alliance also called for permanent international cybersecurity collaboration centers, new security for VoIP communications and programs to educate corporate leaders about the benefits of enhanced cybersecurity.
Theft of Navy Laptops Serves As Reminder Monday, December 07, 2009 DarkReading.com The incident serves as a reminder that external storage drives are a security risk.
Top 10 Most Famous Hackers Tuesday, December 01, 2009 expressbuzz.com The Daily Telegraph presents the ten most famous hackers.
Do and Don’ts For Passwords Tuesday, December 01, 2009 blogs.technet.com A top 10 list with the most common user names used in automated attacks.
Exploit Masquerades As Flash Player Tuesday, December 01, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com A new phishing attack promises to enhance the security of the user's email.
The Year Of The Mega Data Breach Monday, November 30, 2009 forbes.com In 2009, a small number of data leaks exposed more info than ever before.
DoD Lost 72,000 Combat Medical Records Monday, November 30, 2009 govexec.com Defense officials can't account for more than 72,000 health questionnaires.
Cyberattacks on U.S. Military Jump Monday, November 30, 2009 networkworld.com Cyberattacks on the U.S. Department of Defense have jumped sharply in 2009.
iPhone Worm Behaves Like Botnet Monday, November 30, 2009 zdnet.com New worm has botnet capability and is more threatening than its predecessor.
Encryption Making Little Headway Monday, November 23, 2009 Information Week Only 14% of respondents say encryption is pervasive in their organizations.
Three Indicted For Comcast Site Hack Monday, November 23, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com 'Kryogeniks' gang redirected traffic to its own Web page in 2008.
UK Police Make Zeus Trojan Arrests Monday, November 23, 2009 zdnet.com e-Crime Unit made two arrests earlier for suspected use of the Zeus Trojan.
Holiday Shopping Invites Retail Fraud Monday, November 23, 2009 Phillip Britt - IdentityTheft.info Correspondent U.S. merchants are incurring $191 billion in fraud losses each year.
Check Your Account Often Online? Monday, November 23, 2009 finextra.com Given the level of malware, Internet banking has never been less safe.
FTC may sue Pre-Paid Legal Services Thursday, November 19, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info The FTC sent Pre-Paid Legal Services (NYSE: PPD) a draft of a potential lawsuit
Are Nations Paying for Botnet Attacks? Tuesday, November 17, 2009 ComputerWorld.com Nations can simply order botnet attack services from cybercriminals.
Cyber Threats Target Traditional Firms Tuesday, November 17, 2009 homelandsecuritynewswire.com Companies are more and more exposed to cyber threats from organized crime.
Vulnerability in Microsoft SMB Tuesday, November 17, 2009 microsoft.com Microsoft is investigating a possible denial of service vulnerability.
Hackers: E-mails of Holocaust Denier Monday, November 16, 2009 Kim Zetter - Wired Hacked the web site and AOL e-mail of controversial British historian.
1/3 Fed IT Pros Deal With Daily Threat Monday, November 16, 2009 darkreading.com A third of federal IT pros experience at least one cybersecurity incident a day.
DNSSEC Rollout Gains Traction Monday, November 16, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading More signs that DNSSEC implementation is making inroads:
ISF Report on Cloud Computing Security Monday, November 16, 2009 securecomputing.net.au Firms can minimise data security risks when moving to cloud computing.
Will Fed Breach Law Pre-Empts States? Monday, November 16, 2009 nextgov.com Impact of federal standards depends on whether they pre-empt state laws.
Unpatched SMB Bug Crashes Windows 7 Friday, November 13, 2009 ComputerWorld.com Microsoft investigating public exploit that locks up Windows 7.
Facebook Hit by ‘Control Your Info’ Friday, November 13, 2009 msnbc.msn.com Social networking site had small number of groups affected, company says.
Hacking Ring Caught in $9 Million Fraud Friday, November 13, 2009 The Associated Press Feds: 'One of the most sophisticated computer hacking rings in the world.'
Beware the NACHA Gotcha Friday, November 13, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Cyber thieves are impersonating The Electronic Payments Association.
How to Take Down a Botnet Friday, November 13, 2009 threatpost.com The botnet problem has reached epidemic levels in recent months.
Bernanke’s ID thief sentenced Friday, November 13, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Clyde Austin Gray Jr. was sentenced to prison/restitution as ringleader of nationwide ID theft ring
Config Errors Create Security Headaches Friday, November 13, 2009 esecurityplanet.com Cloud computing has created gaping security holes in enterprise IP networks.
Britney's Twitter Feed Hacked Again Friday, November 13, 2009 theregister.co.uk Britney Spears' Twitter profile was again seized by hackers on Thursday.
MassMutual Warns Of Data Breach Thursday, November 12, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com A leak at a third-party service provider may have caused a compromise.
Potentially Large Identity Theft data Breach at Mercy Wednesday, November 11, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info police are looking into a security data breach at the Mercy Medical Center which may affect a large number of patient’s records at that facility
Blackouts a Result of Cyber Hacking Tuesday, November 10, 2009 news.com.au Massive power outages in Brazil in 2005 and 2007 were caused by hackers.
Koobface Abuses Google Reader Pages Tuesday, November 10, 2009 blog.trendmicro.com Botnet is abusing Google Reader to spam malicious URLs in social networks.
MySpace Phish Plants Spy Software Tuesday, November 10, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Tricks victims into installing password-stealing malicious software.
FTC: Fourth Red Flags Rule Extension Tuesday, November 10, 2009 searchfinancialsecurity.techtarget.com The FTC has again delayed its enforcement of the Red Flags Rule.
FTC Red Flags delayed to June 1st, 2010 Friday, November 06, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info This fourth extension delays FTC Red Flags Rule until June 1, 2010
Breaches Increase Odds of ID Theft Friday, November 06, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com Individuals whose personal information has been compromised in a corporate breach are four times more likely to suffer identity theft or fraud. This result runs contrary to the common mantra among breached companies, which often say that they have no indication that the compromised data has been used by criminals.
Botnet Authors Crash WordPress Sites Friday, November 06, 2009 networkworld.com Thousands of Web sites running the WordPress blogging software have been broken.
FDIC: 'Money Mule' Bank Customers Wednesday, November 04, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading FDIC warns about "money mules" moving money stolen via online banking.
Gumblar Attacks Spread Wednesday, November 04, 2009 threatpost.com Gumblar is continuing to spread, compromising hundreds of new sites.
PhoneSnoop App Bugs BlackBerrys Monday, November 02, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Can turn a handset into a microphone that can be accessed remotely.
Conficker Infects 7M Computers Monday, November 02, 2009 Robert McMillan - ComputerWorld.com Conficker has infected over 7 million computers, security experts estimate.
When Hackers Get the Blues Monday, November 02, 2009 itwire.com Hacking is a lonely profession: the wee hours are the most productive.
N. Korea Behind Cyberattacks on U.S. Monday, November 02, 2009 The Associated Press The North Korean government was the source of high-profile cyberattacks.
Judge Rejects TD Ameritrade Settlement Monday, November 02, 2009 The Associated Press Refuses settlement over contact info stolen from online brokerage.
Hospital Employees Sentenced for HIPAA Monday, November 02, 2009 Federal Bureau of Investigation HIPAA applies equally to every person with access to protected health info.
Security Flaws In EDD Website Tuesday, October 27, 2009 cbs5.com A Calif. web site may be putting hundreds of thousands at risk of ID theft.
6 Million Infected Web Pages Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Ex-Google crew tallies major jump in Website compromises, breadth of infections.
Gift Cards Easy To Hack Tuesday, October 27, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading The magnetic-stripe technology makes them attractive targets for bad guys.
Botnet Click Fraud at Record High Tuesday, October 27, 2009 theregister.co.uk Malware is increasingly being used to perpetrate click fraud.
'Avalanche' Kit Fuels Phishing Attacks Monday, October 26, 2009 threatpost.com "Avalanche" responsible for nearly 25% of all ID theft related phishing attacks.
China Expands Cyberspying in U.S. Monday, October 26, 2009 The Wall Street Journal The Chinese government is ratcheting up its cyberspying against the U.S.
65,000 Routers Exposed to Hacks Monday, October 26, 2009 wired.com Hackers can remotely access the device’s administrative menu over the Internet.
We've Been Blind to Attacks Thursday, October 22, 2009 ComputerWorld.com Do firewalls and intrusion-detection systems give a false sense of security?
ChoicePoint: $275,000 for Data Leak Thursday, October 22, 2009 theregister.co.uk The breach was the result of someone turning off a database monitoring system.
Most Americans Worried About ID Theft Thursday, October 22, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Terrorism, auto theft, and murder are less of a worry for Americans than ID theft.
Fake Security Software in Computers Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Reuters Tens of millions of U.S. computers are loaded with scam security software.
Hijacked Web Sites Attack Visitors Wednesday, October 21, 2009 ComputerWorld.com Some malware attacks site visitors rather than the site themselves.
Experts: Social Engineering Risks Wednesday, October 21, 2009 securecomputing.net.au Hackers use instant messaging apps to snare personal user log-ins.
Sentencing in Credit Card, Bank Fraud Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Office of Inadequate Security Used pre-approved credit card applications stolen from the mail.
Hiring Hackers: A Rebuttal Wednesday, October 21, 2009 networkworld.com Hackers as legitimate resources in the battle against computer crime.
Iconix Violated COPPA Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Federal Trade Commission FTC charged Iconix with violating Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act.
$1.8 Million Verdict for Pretexting Wednesday, October 21, 2009 chicagotribune.com Victim's phone records were obtained through what is known as "pretexting."
Botnet Unleashes New Phishing Attacks Wednesday, October 21, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Zbot has been launching a wave of relatively convincing phishing attacks.
Google Voice Mails Exposed Tuesday, October 20, 2009 blogs.zdnet.com A simple search query has exposed Google Voice mail messages.
Comcast Takes Botnet Security Step Tuesday, October 20, 2009 internetevolution.com Attempting to mitigate bots that are serviced by its network.
Engineer Allegedly Stole Ford's Secrets Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Ford may have been the victim of one of its own stealing trade secrets.
Phishing Attack Reveals Poor Passwords Tuesday, October 20, 2009 Robert McMillan - ComputerWorld.com The string of digits 1234567 is a popular password on Hotmail.
Fraudsters Target Call Centers Monday, October 19, 2009 dailymail.co.uk Shoppers who pay over the phone are at risk of having their card details stolen.
CIA Building Secure Cloud-Based System Monday, October 19, 2009 ComputerWorld.com Spy agency says its internal cloud enhances flexibility and keeps secrets safe.
Microsoft Patches 34 Security Holes Monday, October 19, 2009 msnbc.msn.com Many of the holes addressed expose regular PC users to harmful code.
Building a Better Password Monday, October 19, 2009 newsweek.com Passwords are the weak link in security. Billions hang in the balance.
Hackers Hijack Some Facebook Apps Monday, October 19, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Facebook apps hacked so that users are sent to sites that install malware.
New Bots Contain Thousands of Variants Friday, October 16, 2009 searchsecurity.techtarget.com New botnets should raise concern among security professionals.
Antivirus Attack Holds System Hostage Friday, October 16, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Attack forces user to purchase phony antivirus package to free computer.
Discipline for Bozeman Privacy Flap Friday, October 16, 2009 montanasnewsstation.com Probation for asking job applicants for Internet user names and passwords.
Audit of DRS Data Breach Completed Friday, October 16, 2009 theday.com 106,000 Conn. taxpayers' names and Social Security numbers were compromised.
DIY: Defending Against A DDoS Attack Friday, October 16, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading DDoS victims can "tarpit," or force the bot to drastically scale back.
White House Warns on Cyber Threat Friday, October 16, 2009 blogs.govinfosecurity.com Botnets could launch unprecedented denial-of-service attacks.
Show Me the Malware! Thursday, October 15, 2009 googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com Google has built auto scanners that detect malware on indexed websites.
DHS, Bank Chiefs Confer on IT Security Thursday, October 15, 2009 bankinfosecurity.com Discussed protecting the nation's financial info system from cyber attacks.
The Evolution Of Click Fraud Thursday, October 15, 2009 techcrunch.com Click fraud is evolving to a scale never seen before.
Obama Urged to Appoint Cyber Czar Thursday, October 15, 2009 gcn.com Congresswoman: Important to have a cybersecurity official in the White House.
Calif. Governor Vetoes Privacy Protection Thursday, October 15, 2009 californiachronicle.com The bill would have strengthened and updated landmark privacy protection.
The Fallacy of Identity Theft Wednesday, October 14, 2009 The Wall Street Journal I hate the term "identity theft." As far as I know, no one can steal my identity.
Piracy Leading To Malware Infection Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com Some 41% of software on PCs is pirated, according to a study.
Cyber Crime and Cyber Justice Tuesday, October 13, 2009 tonybradley.com Sophisticated scammers are taking a toll on the security of computer users.
Better Database Security Compliance Tuesday, October 13, 2009 DarkReading.com In a sea of compliance initiatives, database security is often overlooked.
Most Spammed States in the U.S. Tuesday, October 13, 2009 govtech.com A list of the most spammed states has recently been compiled by MessageLabs.
$30 Million Bank Fraud and ID Theft Ring Tuesday, October 13, 2009 Office of Inadequate Security ID theft scheme attempted to defraud banks and their account holders.
Windfall for Online Fraudsters Tuesday, October 13, 2009 theage.com.au Identity fraud is costing the Australian economy up to $3 billion a year.
Businesses and Online Banking Fraud Tuesday, October 13, 2009 smallbiztrends.com Businesses need to examine their online business banking practices.
Avoid Windows Malware Monday, October 12, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Don't use Microsoft Windows when accessing your bank account online.
Snow Leopard Bug Deletes All User Data Monday, October 12, 2009 Gregg Keizer - ComputerWorld.com Massive data loss after users upgrade and access a 'Guest' account.
T-Mobile: Sidekick Contacts, Data Gone Monday, October 12, 2009 The Associated Press The phones have been troubled by data outages for more than a week.
Security Tips for WiMAX Networks Monday, October 12, 2009 physorg.com WiMAX is a wireless protocol that can cover a campus or small town.
Inquiry About JPMorgan Chase Breach Monday, October 12, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com Lawmakers want to know about personal data contained in missing computer tape.
PayPal Suspends Hacker's Account Monday, October 12, 2009 scmagazineus.com Researcher had recently demonstrated proof-of-concept attack on SSL.
Training Security People Monday, October 12, 2009 1raindrop.typepad.com DHS will hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity experts over the next 3 years.
Comcast Battles ID Theft, Attacks Botnets Saturday, October 10, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Comcast “Constant Guard” identifies computers which may be part of a botnet.
Employers Block Twitter, Facebook Thursday, October 08, 2009 mashable.com Can’t check Facebook or Twitter from the office? You’re not alone.
FBI Jobs Site Gets Hacked Thursday, October 08, 2009 zone-h.org A turkish crew managed to exploit a SQL injection flaw.
Cybercriminals Set to Ride Google's Wave Thursday, October 08, 2009 itwales.com Scammers will ride the coat tails of Wave web searches and divert internet users.
Zeus Trojan Infiltrates Bank Security Firm Thursday, October 08, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Organized thieves have used it in a string of lucrative cyber heists.
Researcher Hit with Data Theft Charges Thursday, October 08, 2009 computerworld.com Former DuPont scientist allegedly attempted to steal secrets from the company.
Massive US, Egypt ID Theft Scheme Bust Wednesday, October 07, 2009 FBI and Egyptian authorities have charged almost 100 people involved in an identity theft racket.
Fake 2010 U.S. Census Email Scams Wednesday, October 07, 2009 enigmasoftware.com Cyber-criminals will take advantage of this event to send out email scams.
World War III Could Be on the Internet Wednesday, October 07, 2009 tech.yahoo.com In cyberspace "there is no such thing as a superpower: Every citizen is a superpower." With an army of "bots," or compromised computers, at their command, almost anyone could wield great power in a virtual battle, as recent denial-of-service attacks around the world have shown.
Phishing Websites Skyrocket in 2009 Wednesday, October 07, 2009 searchsecurity.techtarget.com The number of phishing websites reached a high of 50,000 in June.
Thousands of Email Passwords Posted Wednesday, October 07, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Lists containing thousands of stolen email usernames and passwords have shown up online in what researchers say likely came out of multiple phishing attacks. Most of the accounts were from Hotmail, but Gmail, Yahoo, Comcast, and Earthlink accounts also showed up on lists posted on Pastebin.com.
UNC Latest College to Unveil Data Breach Monday, October 05, 2009 Phillip Britt - IdentityTheft.info Correspondent UNC Latest College to Unveil Data Breach. Colleges, Universities are Popular Targets
Automated Facebook Attack Underway Friday, October 02, 2009 thompson.blog.avg.com LinkScanner detecting rogue spyware attacks originating from Facebook.
Hacker Breaks into Research Study Data Friday, October 02, 2009 charlotteobserver.com A hacker infiltrated a computer housing the personal data of 236,000 women.
Conficker Showdown: No End In Sight Friday, October 02, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Security researchers have picked it apart, but Conficker just won't go away.
DHS Recruiting Cybersecurity Experts Friday, October 02, 2009 internetnews.com As the Obama administration continues its efforts to shore up the nation's digital infrastructure, the lead agency that coordinates with the private sector on network security has secured funding to hire as many as 1,000 cybersecurity experts.
Twitter Gets Condemned by CISOs Friday, October 02, 2009 itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com Security pros worried social network could cause security problems.
RIM Plugs BlackBerry Phishing Hole Wednesday, September 30, 2009 blogs.zdnet.com Serious vulnerability exposes BlackBerry users to phishing attacks.
Organized Cybercrime Revealed Wednesday, September 30, 2009 networkworld.com The shadow economy for stolen identity and account info continues to evolve.
Google Shuts Bank Snafu Gmail Account Wednesday, September 30, 2009 theregister.co.uk Bank accidentally sent 1,300 confidential tax IDs to Gmail account.
Phishing URLs at All-Time High Wednesday, September 30, 2009 scmagazineus.com Number of phishing URLs reached record high during the second quarter of 2009.
Blackhats Saturate Google Wednesday, September 30, 2009 threatcenter.blogspot.com Since tropical storm Ondoy hit, attackers have planted malicious pages.
Women, Data Breaches and ID Theft Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info 163,000 women at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill had their data breached.
'Money Mule' Network Exposed Monday, September 28, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post Peering into how mules are recruited and communicate with their employers.
IRS Scam World's Biggest Email Virus Monday, September 28, 2009 Robert McMillan - ComputerWorld.com Fears of the tax collecter lead to inadvertently installing malware.
43 Cents For An Infected Mac Monday, September 28, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading The bad guys are looking at infected Macs as a potential money-maker. Sophos researcher Dmitry Samosseiko at the Virus Bulletin conference in Geneva this week gave an inside view of the Russian "partnerka," a network of cybercrime affiliates who spew spam and malware.
Fortune 100 Compromised by Trojan Friday, September 25, 2009 defintel.blogspot.com Defence Intelligence is tracking the growth of a new information stealing botnet.
Are Tweets Breaching Patient Privacy? Friday, September 25, 2009 time.com Unprofessional conduct on networking sites is common among medical students.
Compelling Cyber "Czar" to Testify Friday, September 25, 2009 govinfosecurity.com 'Czars' to testify before Congress or face losing funds for their offices.
Sophos Free Encryption Friday, September 25, 2009 sophos.com Sophos has released a tool, free for Windows users: Sophos Free Encryption.
NY Man Sentenced, Part of ID theft Ring Thursday, September 24, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Man guilty of ID theft gets 11+ years in a prison and $3.2 million restitution fee
Utah AG's Office Begins ID Theft Tour Thursday, September 24, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Utah AG Mark Shurtleff and ID theft expert Scott Morrill raise public awareness.
9% of Enterprise Machines Bot-Infected Thursday, September 24, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading In a three-month study of more than 600 different botnets found having infiltrated enterprise networks, researchers from Damballa discovered nearly 60 percent are botnets, and with only a handful to a few hundred bots built to target a particular organization. Only 5% of the bot infections were from big-name botnets.
Hackers Foil Two-Factor Security Wednesday, September 23, 2009 technologyreview.com One-time passwords are vulnerable to new hacking techniques.
600K Campus Records Hacked This Year Wednesday, September 23, 2009 ecampusnews.com Computer hackers reportedly have stolen identifying information and credit card numbers from more than half a million -- some 600,000 -- college students, faculty, and alumni this year. This is prompting some campus IT officials to call for a "total overhaul" of computer security protocol.
Most Dangerous Internet Security Myths Wednesday, September 23, 2009 ezinearticles.com We need to get rid of myths about the internet in order to stay safe online.
Microsoft Fights Rogue Antivirus Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Microsoft has taken a hard line on malicious online advertisers - known as "malvertisers" - by filing lawsuits against the suspected fraudsters in what are the first-ever legal moves against malvertising. The software giant's suits came on the heels of a rogue antivirus attack on the New York Times' Website.
Twitter Used to Spread Scareware Tuesday, September 22, 2009 Gregg Keizer - ComputerWorld.com Bogus accounts, real tweets, dupe people into installing fake antivirus software.
Bernanke ID Thief Pleads Guilty Monday, September 21, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Zanders most prominent victim was Anna Bernanke whose purse was stolen.
New Trojan Poses Online Banking Threat Monday, September 21, 2009 business.timesonline.co.uk Virus steals online banking log-in details from infected computers.
ID Thieves Love Kids Monday, September 21, 2009 Phillip Britt - IdentityTheft.info Correspondent As much as children know about technology, they are largely unschooled in the dangers of identity theft. They tend to be too trusting of the world at large, put too much information out on social networking sites and are too trusting of e-mails from unknown sources.
Service Promises To Hack Facebook Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com Once a Facebook account is hacked all personal data on the site can be stolen.
Web Service Confirms Identity Theft Monday, September 21, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Service lets individuals check whether their personal info is compromised.
Going After the Malvertising Threat Monday, September 21, 2009 microsoftontheissues.com That’s the industry term for malicious online advertising.
Beware the “Bahama” Botnet Monday, September 21, 2009 blog.clickforensics.com The Bahama botnet appears to be closely related to recent “scareware” attacks.
Code Thefts Don't Worry Brokerages Monday, September 21, 2009 tradersmagazine.com Code theft involving major institutions have the industry's attention.
Defense Analyst Charged With Hacking Thursday, September 17, 2009 Kevin Poulsen - Wired Allegedly hacked top-secret system in a classified terror investigation.
PBS Website Compromised Thursday, September 17, 2009 blog.purewire.com Used to serve exploits from a malicious domain via an iframe.
Cyber Crooks Target Schools Thursday, September 17, 2009 Brian Krebs - The Washington Post A gang of organized cyber criminals that has stolen millions from businesses across the United States over the past month appears to have turned its sights on public schools and universities. The thefts all appear related in at least one respect. "Financial agents" for Focus Group Inc.
Bankers, Budget Cuts and Fraud Thursday, September 17, 2009 finextra.com Cost cutting measures are leaving banks vulnerable to criminal attack.
Breach Notification Rule Effective Soon Thursday, September 17, 2009 hr.blr.com New “breach notification” regs apply to HIPAA entities and their associates.
FTC to Hold Privacy Roundtables Thursday, September 17, 2009 The Wall Street Journal The Federal Trade Commission is planning three public discussions, starting in December, devoted to technology and consumer privacy. According to the FTC, the roundtables will address topics such as social networking, cloud computing, online advertising and mobile marketing.
Security and Google's Government Cloud Thursday, September 17, 2009 Jaikumar Vijayan - ComputerWorld.com Challenge is to overcome fears about cloud security in government setting.
Unborn ID Theft Victims Wednesday, September 16, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Many unborn children have already had their SSN's stolen.
60% of Attacks Hit Web Apps Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Most organizations are focusing their patching efforts and vulnerability scanning on the operating system - but 60 percent of the total number of attacks occur on Web applications, and many attacks are aimed at third-party applications such as Microsoft Office, and Adobe Flash and other tools.
DDoS Attack on Joe Wilson Tuesday, September 15, 2009 mashable.com Piryx reports DDoS attack against site of politican who yelled "You Lie!"
Hacker Guilty in Wal-Mart ID Theft Scam Friday, September 11, 2009 mxlogic.com Personal info stolen with phishing to open fraudulent Wal-Mart credit accounts.
7 Reasons Websites Are Not Safe Friday, September 11, 2009 cio.com According to research, sites we take for granted are not as secure as they appear.
Google Groups Trojan Friday, September 11, 2009 symantec.com Trojan.Grups has been using the Google Groups newsgroups to distribute commands.
Privacy Bill Heads to Governor Friday, September 11, 2009 californiachronicle.com Would require that notification letters contain specific information.
ID Theft and the Powerful Friday, September 11, 2009 Phillip Britt - IdentityTheft.info Correspondent The wife of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was recently snared by an identity theft ring. A doctor’s receptionist pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud in the scheme where, according to published reports, the fraudsters stole more than $2 million from 10 different banks.
DuPont:2nd Insider Breach In 2 Years Friday, September 11, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com Former employee may have been headed to China with company secrets.
US Government Identity News Friday, September 11, 2009 identityblog.burtongroup.com Government teams up with private sector to create Open Identity Initiative.
Obama: New Cybersecurity Czar Friday, September 11, 2009 Kelly Jackson Higgins - Dark Reading Former military official from Clinton administration is front-runner.
ID Theft, Illegals & E-Verify Wednesday, September 09, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Yesterday the federal government began implementing a system which orders federal contractors to use the online E-Verify system. Two unintended side effects of this legislation will be increased money flowing into the black market from identity theft and more US citizens becoming aware that they are victims of ID theft.
Identity Theft Carder Ring Convicted Tuesday, September 08, 2009 Keith Lubsen, Contributor - www.IdentityTheft.info Three caught using a credit card skimmer and encoder were convicted.
Men Reuse Passwords More Than Women Tuesday, September 08, 2009 Tim Wilson - DarkReading.com Forty-seven percent of men use the same password for every Website they visit.
Woman Loses $4000 in Facebook Fraud Tuesday, September 08, 2009 sophos.com It's a scam that's growing in popularity on social networks such as Facebook
Five Critical Windows Patches Today Tuesday, September 08, 2009 Gregg Keizer - ComputerWorld.com Few clues in advance warning make Sept. 8 updates a mystery, says researcher.
Data Breach Trends Wednesday, September 02, 2009 govinfosecurity.com The targets are bigger, the fraudsters bolder, and we have a lot to lose.
Poor Security and Social Networkers Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Phillip Britt - IdentityTheft.info Correspondent A pair of reports released at the end of August highlight the lack of care that a large percentage of people take when engaging in online social networking. Poll participants indicated concern over growing phishing, spam and malware attacks and nearly half of those surveyed are very concerned about their personal identity being stolen in an online community.
Poor Security and Social Networkers Phillip Britt - IdentityTheft.info Correspondent A pair of reports released at the end of August highlight the lack of care that a large percentage of people take when engaging in online social networking. Poll participants indicated concern over growing phishing, spam and malware attacks and nearly half of those surveyed are very concerned about their personal identity being stolen in an online community.
Lawyer: Card Hacker Not Ringleader Wednesday, September 02, 2009 Reuters Albert Gonzalez attorney says client not ringleader for payment-card thefts.
Revised Cybersecurity Emergency Bill Wednesday, September 02, 2009 fiercetelecom.com The bill still gives President the right to declare a cyber emergency.