Cybercrime: Public and Private Entities Face Challenges in Addressing Cyber Threats, GAO-07-705, June 22, 2007: “Cybercrime has significant economic impacts and threatens U.S. national security interests. Various studies and experts estimate the direct economic impact from cybercrime to be in the billions of dollars annually. The annual loss due to computer crime was estimated to… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: ID Theft
Department of Justice Proposes Update to Identity Theft Laws
Press release, July 19, 2007: “The Department of Justice today submitted to Congress new proposed legislation that seeks to update and improve current laws aimed at protecting Americans from the increasingly sophisticated crime of identity theft. The proposed bill, titled the Identity Theft Enforcement and Restitution Act of 2007, was a significant recommendation included in… Continue Reading
Top 10 Risks Impeding the Adequate Protection of Government Information
Top 10 Risks Impeding the Adequate Protection of Government Information, Sponsored by the Office of Management and Budget and the Homeland Security Department as Directed by the Identity Theft Task Force, July 2007. Continue Reading
Interview With FTC Chairwoman Includes Issues of Privacy and Fraud
sfgate.com – ON THE RECORD: DEBORAH MAJORAS CHAIRWOMAN, FTC: “She shares her thoughts on what her agency can — and cannot — do on everything from mergers to fraud to privacy to gas prices to infomercials,” Sunday, July 15, 2007 Continue Reading
Google Purchases Online Security Firm Postini
Press release: “Google Inc. announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Postini, a global leader in on-demand communications security and compliance solutions serving more than 35,000 businesses and 10 million users worldwide. Postini’s services — which include message security, archiving, encryption, and policy enforcement — can be used to protect a… Continue Reading
New GAO Report on Data Breaches and ID Theft
Personal Information: Data Breaches Are Frequent, but Evidence of Resulting Identity Theft Is Limited; However, the Full Extent Is Unknown. GAO-07-737, June 4, 2007. “While comprehensive data do not exist, available evidence suggests that breaches of sensitive personal information have occurred frequently and under widely varying circumstances. For example, more than 570 data breaches were… Continue Reading
Report – Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace
Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace, Seymour E. Goodman and Herbert S. Lin, Editors, Committee on Improving Cybersecurity Research in the United States, National Research Council, 272 pages, pre-publication copy, 2007. “Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace examines the vulnerabilities of the Internet and offers a strategy for future research aimed at countering… Continue Reading
Largest Single Personal Data Breach to Date Involves Info on 2.3 Million Customers
Press release: “Fidelity National Information Services, Inc. announced today that its subsidiary, Certegy Check Services, Inc., a service provider to U.S. retail merchants, based in St. Petersburg, Fla., was victimized by a former employee who misappropriated and sold consumer information to a data broker who, in turn, sold a subset of that data to a… Continue Reading
VA OIG Report Critical of Personal Data Breach Involving 1.5 Million Veterans
Administrative Investigation Loss of VA Information VA Medical Center Birmingham, AL [Rpt. #07-01083-157 6/29/2007] AP: “An Alabama VA hospital that lost sensitive data on more than 1.5 million people in January repeatedly failed to follow privacy regulations leading up to the incident…” Continue Reading
Special Report Examines Role of Info Industry Big Three in Web Security
NEWS.COM Special Report: Wardens of the WebTalkBack: Global security challenge falls to an elite corps, June 25, 2007 “The job of policing the Web has been left to the corporate world by default. The burden weighs heavily on a trio of companies in particular: Google, Yahoo and Microsoft–the three firms with the most traffic on… Continue Reading
IRS OIG Audit: Progress Has Been Slow in Meeting Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 Requirements
Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. Progress Has Been Slow in Meeting Homeland Security Presidential Directive12 Requirements, June 20, 2007. Reference Number: 2007-20-110 “The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has been experiencing delays in issuing new identification cards to employees and contractors that enhance security, reduce identity fraud, and protect the personal privacy of employees and… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports and House Hearing on Misuse of Social Security Numbers
Social Security Numbers: Federal Actions Could Further Decrease Availability in Public Records, though Other Vulnerabilities Remain, GAO-07-752, June 15, 2007: “Various public records in the United States, including some generated by the federal government, contain Social Security numbers (SSN) and other personal identifying information that could be used to commit fraud and identity theft. Public… Continue Reading
