35 Million Data Records Exposed in 2008 to Identity Theft
Last year over 35,000,000 personal data records were exposed via
656 separate security breaches representing a 47% increase from
2007.
According to a recently released study by the ITRC, the overwhelming
majority of those exposed records also did not include encryption nor
password protection to minimize unauthorized access:
"...only 2.4% of all breaches had encryption or other
strong protection methods in use.
Only 8.5% of reported breaches had password protection."
But, even more alarming of this very large number of Americans who
were unnecessarily exposed to potential identity theft, the unreported
number of records exposed could be much higher as not every state
has laws requiring businesses requiring consumer disclosure.
And of those states which do, the laws vary greatly which renders a
great many Americans vulnerable to the often times hidden potential
identity theft has already been perpetrated against their financial
safety but goes unreported solely due to some company avoiding
embarassment:
"Some 15.7 percent of all breaches were attributed to
insider theft, a figure that more than doubled between
2007 and 2008, ITRC said."
So, our tip for today is one New Year's resolution you can easily
achieve. Get protected by following these simple steps:
1) Get a copy of your free credit report to check for any fraudulent
credit accounts listed in your name.
2) Enroll in automatic credit monitoring available through your
bank or credit institutions you currently have accounts with.
3) Get your public information profile (PIP) checked out to really
catch the often times hidden identity theft which can lurk in any of
the over 400 data sources containing your name that are
not covered by your credit report.
* Criminal identity theft here can get your arrested or lose your job
without you even knowing why, when, or who accessed your file.
Finally, make sure to let your friends and family members know about
these alarming growth trends in identity theft which can be minimized
by taking advantage of these free, anonymous tips for identity theft.
posted by agent99 @ 1:04 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Let's see - 35 million consumers - that's almost as many Americans who also do not have health insurance in this country - shameful isn't it?!!
Wow, I'm not quite sure what's scarier: the 35 million people who were exposed in 2007 or the 15% that were k-n-o-w-n to have been "insider" theft.
With all of the turmoil on Wall street and the resulting consolidation of banks, I wouldn't be surprised at all if we see even more "insider" identity theft.
Thanks, Agent99 for exposing this and for the free tips.
Very scary, and underlines how important it is to take the steps to both limit your risk for identity theft and monitor your credit reports to make sure you're not a victim.
Do you know which six states do not have laws requiring exposure?
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