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Category Archives: ID Theft

New GAO Reports – Government Support for Bank Holding Companies, InfoSec, James Webb Space Telescope

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT FOR BANK HOLDING COMPANIES – Statutory Changes to Limit Future Support Are Not Yet Fully Implemented, GAO-14-174T, Jan 8, 2014: “GAO found that from 2007 through 2009, the federal government’s actions to stabilize the financial system provided significant funding support and other benefits to bank holding companies and their subsidiaries. The Board of Governors of… Continue Reading

EPIC – Snapchat Data Breach Exposes 4.6 Million Usernames

“A data breach has exposed the usernames and partial phone numbers of 4.6 million users of Snapchat, a popular photo- and video-sharing app. The breach was accomplished by exploiting a flaw that was previously brought to company’s attention by security researchers. Last year, EPIC filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission regarding Snapchat’s deceptive claim that photos would “disappear forever”… Continue Reading

FBI Releases Annual Crime Statistics from National Incident-Based Reporting System

News release: “..the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) released its second compilation of annual data from the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). The report, NIBRS 2012, presents core tables about incident and offense data submitted by a third of the nation’s law enforcement agencies that participate in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, as well… Continue Reading

GAO – Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace

INFORMATION RESELLERS: Consumer Privacy Framework Needs to Reflect Changes in Technology and the Marketplace, GAO-14-251T, Dec 18, 2013 “No overarching federal privacy law governs the collection and sale of personal information among private-sector companies, including information resellers. Instead, laws tailored to specific purposes, situations, or entities govern the use, sharing, and protection of personal information. For example,… Continue Reading

Major Study Sheds Light On Online Privacy, Security Values, Behavior

“A new poll released today by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) found that Internet users are highly concerned about the theft of personal and financial information and believe strongly that the federal government should do more to protect them. This CCIA telephone survey of 1,000 voters was conducted by Benenson Strategy Group (D) and American… Continue Reading

Forgot Your Password? books / prints 2013

Artist – Aram Bartholl: “In summer 2012 the social network LinkedIn.com got hacked and lost its whole user database. A few months later parts of the decrypted password list surfaced on the Internet. These eight volumes contain 4.7 million LinkedIn clear text user passwords printed in alphabetical order. Visitors are invited to look up their own password. 8… Continue Reading

Victims Of Identity Theft, 2012

“An estimated 16.6 million people, representing 7 percent of all persons age 16 or older in the United States, experienced at least one incident of identity theft in 2012, the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today – in Victims of Identity Theft, 2012 (NCJ 243779), written by BJS statisticians Erika Harrell and Lynn Langton.… Continue Reading

2013 IT Trust Curve study

“The 2013 IT Trust Curve study surveyed 3,200 respondents to assess their organizations’ IT maturity levels and ability to withstand and quickly recover from disruptive incidents such as unplanned downtime, security breaches, and data loss…Today’s business environment is both ripe with opportunity and fraught with risk. This dichotomy is revealing itself in the world of… Continue Reading

TIGTA – IRS Full Compliance With Trusted Internet Connection Requirements Is Progressing

Full Compliance With Trusted Internet Connection Requirements Is Progressing; However, Improvements Would Strengthen Security. September 17, 2013. Reference Number: 2013-20-107. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration “The Trusted Internet Connection (TIC) initiative is one of the Administration’s three priorities to information improve cybersecurity and the security of Federal information systems. The TIC initiative aims to improve agencies’ security posture… Continue Reading

IRS Case Processing Delays and Tax Account Errors Increased Hardship for Victims of ID Theft

Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration: Case Processing Delays and Tax Account Errors Increased Hardship for Victims of Identity Theft – September 26, 2013, Reference Number: 2013-40-129. “It took the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) an average of 312 days to resolve tax-related identity theft cases, according to a new report released by the Treasury Inspector… Continue Reading

NIST Releases Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework

Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity – Executive Order 13636 – Preliminary Cybersecurity Framework – November 1, 2013 [snipped] “The Framework Core is a set of cybersecurity activities and references that are common across critical infrastructure sectors organized around particular outcomes. The Core presents standards and best practices in a manner that allows for communication of cybersecurity risk across the organization… Continue Reading

CRS – Cybersecurity: Authoritative Reports and Resources

Cybersecurity:  Authoritative Reports and Resources – Rita Tehan, Information Research Specialist. October 25, 2013 “Cybersecurity is a sprawling topic that includes national, international, government, and private  industry dimensions. In the 113th Congress, 5 bills have been introduced in the Senate and 7 in the House. More than 40 bills and resolutions with provisions related to cybersecurity were introduced in… Continue Reading