Monday Morning News Kick Off: It’s Cyber Monday (Be Careful); DHS Power Over Private Networks and Olympics 2010 and Cyber Security
Welcome to the official post-Thanksgiving Monday Morning News Kick Off from the ITAC blog. Now that we have all come back from a restful holiday break, it’s time to crank up the identity theft, data breach and cyber security news cycle. And, as always, there is no shortage of news. Oh, and for all of you Cyber Monday shoppers out there, word of caution: be careful when shopping online today.
Protect Yourself From Identity Theft on Cyber Monday Now that the holiday shopping season is in full swing the malls, internet, and other shopping centers are packed with shoppers. While the holiday shopping season may be busy for you, it can be even busier for identity thieves. Whether you are shopping at brick-and-mortar stores or doing your holiday shopping online, it is important that shoppers take measures to ensure their identity is protected. <
UCM Students Indicted After Trying to Sell 90,000 Classmates Personal Information
Two former University of Central Missouri students have been charged with stealing the identities of thousands of their classmates and faculty.
According to court documents, Joseph Camp, 26, and Daniel Fowler, 21, worked together in a computer hacking scheme while they were students during the fall semester of 2009. The two made a computer virus to infect University of Central Missouri computers, including the university president’s computer.
Once the virus was installed, the two were able to record a user’s keystrokes and download the user’s files. They obtained the username and password of a residence hall director, which they allegedly used to switch money from university accounts to their own.
They also obtained the username and password for a university administrator, allowing them to turn on the computer’s webcam to watch the administrator work and to download his e-mails, the indictment said. They als
Botnets Lead to Identity Theft
When a virus recruits an infected PC into a botnet, a criminal hacker is able to remotely access all the data on that computer.
Robot networks, or botnets, have a varied history. A bot, which doesn’t necessarily have to be malicious or harmful, is essentially a program designed to connect to a server and execute a command or series of commands.
As reported by a McAfee study, networks of bots, otherwise known as drones or zombies, are often used to commit cybercrime. This can include “stealing trade secrets, inserting malware into source code files, disrupting access or service, compromising data integrity, and stealing employee identity information. The results to a business can be disastrous and lead to the loss of revenue, regulatory compliance, customer confidence, reputation, and even of the business itself. For government organizations, the concerns are even more far reaching.”
In the second quarter of 2010, more than two million PCs were recruited into botnets in the United States alone. That’s Full Post…
Come On “Crime Stoppers:” Help Law Enforcement Capture ID Theft Criminal Who Defrauded 500 People
We often lean on law enforcement to do the dirty work wen it comes to fighting identity theft. And, rightly so…they are the professionals and are doing a fine job in fighting the battle everyday. But, wouldn’t it be cool to be the person who calls in a tip that leads to the capture and arrest of a criminal who runs an identity theft ring with 500 victims?
That is right. Crime stoppers wants your help. Right now, in NYC, law enforcement is looking for Raven Moses, (pictured) for identity theft and bank fraud scheme involving thousands of counterfeit checks with numerous commercial banks in Manhattan, police said. Moses, along with other individuals, obtained personal and bank account information and used it to write thousands of counterfeit checks.
According to the police, the defendants stole more than “$1.4 million from one bank’s accounts and substantial additional sums from other banks.”
Here’s your chance to be a hero. Anyone with
Data Breaches Cost Hospitals $6 Billion Annually
According to a new study hospitals are struggling to protect patient information and data breaches cost the health care industry $6 billion annually.
The survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute included 65 health care organizations. Of the 65 surveyed, an alarming 60 percent of respondents said they have suffered more than two breaches in the past two years.
The top three causes of breaches were unintentional employee action, lost or stolen computing devices and third-party accidents. The average number of lost or stolen records per breach was 1,769.
The survey found that breaches have cost the U.S. health care system $12 billion over the past two years. T