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Identity Theft NewsNovember 20, 2009 House committee passes cyber R&D, standards billTwo draft bills intended to improve the security of cyberspace were combined into one piece of legislation that was passed Wednesday by the House Committee on Science and Technology. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Microsoft denies it built 'backdoor' in Windows 7Don't worry, company tells users; NSA involved only in security compliance standardsComputerworld - Microsoft today denied that it has built a backdoor into Windows 7, a concern that surfaced yesterday after a senior National Security Agency (NSA) official testified before Congress that the agency had worked on the operating system. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Three indicted for Comcast hack last yearThree hackers have been indicted for redirecting the Comcast.net Web site to a page of their own making in 2008. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Report suggests discrepancy between reported and actual data loss incidentsA study released by the Ponemon Institute suggests that the number of reported data loss incidents in the UK is significantly higher than 415 reported to the Information Commissioners' Office. ...read full article November 20, 2009 New SSL attack can steal sensitive info from secure Web sitesSecurity researcher has developed generic attack code that could give hackers a very powerful phishing tool, but is keeping it privateA Seattle computer security consultant says he's developed a new way to exploit a recently disclosed bug in the SSL protocol, used to secure communications on the Internet. The attack, while difficult to execute, could give attackers a very powerful phishing attack. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Webroot reports on fake Verified by Visa phishing scamIT security vendor Webroot says that a phishing scam purporting to come from Visa, the international card issuer, is scamming internet users as they start their online shopping for Christmas. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Cyberattacks on U.S. military jump sharply in 2009Cyberattacks on the U.S. Department of Defense -- many of them coming from China -- have jumped sharply in 2009, a U.S. congressional committee reported Thursday. ...read full article November 20, 2009 MS discovers flaw in Google plug-in for IEMicrosoft has helped discover a flaw in the Google Chome Frame plug-in for Internet Explorer users. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Twilight ‘New Moon’ fans targeted for scareware and virusesTwilight fans beware. A viral marketing campaign designed to exploit your anticipation over the New Moon movie coming out tomorrow may look like normal free media you’ve come to expect on the Internet. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Database anonymity at risk, warns researcherPeople might be more identifiable than previously thought from supposedly anonymised information contained in large databases, according to a technology law expert. New research recommends that privacy practices and even privacy laws need to change. ...read full article November 20, 2009 IE8 bug makes 'safe' sites unsafeThe latest version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser contains a bug that can enable serious security attacks against websites that are otherwise safe. ...read full article November 20, 2009 IRS Pilot Program Will Allow Truncated Social Security Numbers on Information ReturnsThe IRS on Thursday announced a pilot program aimed at deterring identity theft (Notice 2009-93). Under the program, filers of certain paper information returns will be allowed to truncate the payee’s Social Security number on the payee statement. The change affects statements for 2009 and 2010. ...read full article November 20, 2009 New IBM Database Flaw Could Affect Several Other Vendors' ProductsDenial-of-service (DoS) attack vulnerability in IBM's SolidDB affects HP OpenViewIt turns out a newly discovered vulnerability found and reported in HP OpenView was really a bug in an IBM relational database product deployed in OpenView -- and the vulnerability could affect many other applications that also use the so-called IBM SolidDB technology in their products. ...read full article November 20, 2009 UMC has patient privacy leakWithout authorization from families, accident victims’ info sent to attorneys’ offices...read full article November 20, 2009 Pre-Paid Legal Services says FTC may suePre-Paid Legal Services Inc., a network of independent law firms, said Thursday that the Federal Trade Commission may sue the company over allegedly misleading representations made by its identity theft prevention program. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Inmate Charged with Identity TheftThe investigation revealed that an inmate obtained personal information from other inmates to fraudulently complete more than 50 Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax refund forms totaling more than $88,000.The Florida Department of Law Enforcement’s (FDLE) Tallahassee Regional Operations Center, Florida Department of Corrections’ (FDOC) Inspector General’s Office and United States Postal Inspection Service yesterday charged Michael William Joseph, 50, with fraudulent use of personal identification and organized fraud. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Identity crisis: The threat of bulk theftsSmall thefts are reported most often, but identities online are still at risk...read full article November 20, 2009 Six arrested in crackdown on South Florida identity theft ringsA bank teller and five other people were arrested this week in a tri-county crackdown on identity theft rings in South Florida, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Husband arrested, wife flees in suspected identity theft caseA parolee was charged Thursday with stealing personal information from the mail of South Bay residents to commit identity theft, police said. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Students Signing Up For Computer HackingThe threat of cyber attacks on businesses and governments has led to a rapid increase in the number of universities offering students the chance to learn how to hack computer networks. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Local briefs: Ex-Fresno Co. worker convicted of ID theftA former Fresno County welfare worker was convicted Thursday of three counts of identity theft and four counts of receiving stolen property. ...read full article November 20, 2009 2 women face sentencing in identity theft case(AP) — JACKSON, Miss. - Two women faced federal sentencing Friday in scheme in which one of them stole the identity of someone she met at a women's shelter and used it to rip off people, businesses and charities. ...read full article November 20, 2009 TEN MORE OPERATION FELONY LANE DEFENDANTS CHARGED IN TRI-COUNTY BANK FRAUD AND IDENTITY THEFT RINGThe defendants are charged in a million dollar bank fraud and identity theft scheme. ...read full article November 20, 2009 FORMER VP OF AREA CREDIT UNION CONVICTED OF BANK FRAUD AND AGGRAVATED IDENTITY THEFTA former Senior Vice President of Area Operations for First Service Credit Union in Houston has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $30,000 from his former employer, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Lost laptops shock watchdogPrivacy chief 'stunned' by casual way missing personal data treated...read full article November 20, 2009 Banks on watch after suspected card breachIDG News Service - An apparent data breach in Spain has caused Visa and MasterCard to warn banks of possible fraudulent credit card transactions. ...read full article November 20, 2009 Predictive Policing: A National DiscussionThis week in Los Angeles, California, the Justice Department’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) hosted the Nation’s first symposium on Predictive Policing. Predictive policing is a relatively new law enforcement concept that integrates approaches such as cutting-edge crime analysis, crime fighting technology, intelligence-lead policing and more to inform forward thinking crime prevention strategies and tactics. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Lawmakers Slam Deceptive Web MarketersPost-transaction marketing abuses bring calls for stronger oversight.Three Internet companies -- Affinion, Vertrue, and Webloyalty -- and their hundreds of partners were pilloried by Senate lawmakers and academics on Tuesday for deceptive marketing tactics. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Gov't executives cite unstructured data as top concernMore than cloud computing, mobile devices and Web 2.0 applications, unstructured data is the cyberthreat federal government IT executives are most worried about, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Ponemon Institute and IT management software and solutions vendor CA. ...read full article November 19, 2009 1.5 Million Medical Files At Risk In Health Net Data BreachA hard drive with seven years of personal and medical information on about 1.5 million Health Net customers, including 446,000 in Connecticut, was lost six months ago and was first reported Wednesday, state and company officials said. ...read full article November 19, 2009 80,000 Mailers Sent Out With Recipients' Social Security Numbers In Plain ViewCheck your mailbox. Thousands of Pennsylvanians could become victims of identity theft just because a piece of mail has been sent to their homes. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Spanish payment breach prompts huge German card recallHolidaymakers at risk of fraud...read full article November 19, 2009 ISA report reveals email security lapseThe Independent Safeguarding Authority's first annual report reveals that it sent an email with confidential data to the wrong address. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Palin claims webmail hack disrupted GOP campaignSarah Palin has described the hack of her webmail account as the "most disruptive" event in her campaign to become US vice president last year. ...read full article November 19, 2009 NSA role in Windows 7 development raises privacy concernsPrivacy expert says the NSA could build backdoors that enable tracking users and intercepting communications, but security researchers dismiss the ideaThe National Security Agency (NSA) worked with Microsoft on the development of Windows 7, an agency official acknowledged this week during testimony before Congress. ...read full article November 19, 2009 McAfee, Inc. Warns Consumers about “The Twelve Scams of Christmas,” or Popular Online Attacks This Holiday SeasonCybercriminals Take Advantage of the Holiday Season, Aiming to Steal Consumers’ Money, Identities and Financial Information...read full article November 19, 2009 Many U.S. flights delayed; FAA probing glitchDelays reported in Atlanta, Boston and New York-area airports...read full article November 19, 2009 NZ: Photos released after death may not be protected by privacy lawsUnder U.S. privacy laws, HIPAA protections extend past death. The same does not appear to be true in New Zealand. ...read full article November 19, 2009 DNA Testing Firm Goes Bankrupt; Who Gets the Data?An Icelandic firm that offers private DNA testing to customers has filed for bankruptcy in the U.S., raising privacy concerns about the fate of customer DNA samples and records, according to the Times of London. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Dura Identity Theft InvestigationMANCELONA, MI -- Around 300 employees at this Dura plant in Mancelona were handed a pink slip more than a year ago. This time it's a letter in their mailbox from the same company that is causing some concern. ...read full article November 19, 2009 NJ men accused of collecting $11.5 million in tax scheme involving identity theftFranklin, Old Bridge men accused of collecting millions in bogus tax refundsA Franklin man and an Old Bridge man are among four facing federal charges in an alleged scam to collect nearly $11.5 million in bogus tax refunds using stolen identities, authorities said Wednesday. ...read full article November 19, 2009 'Doppelganger' held for fraudA Zimbabwean national was arrested after the man whose identity he allegedly stole tracked him down, Gauteng police said on Thursday. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Security tech co McAfee warns Israel at cyber riskIsrael is among the world's five most vulnerable countries to a cyber attack on critical systems....read full article November 19, 2009 Internet Check Biz Faces Contempt OrderLOS ANGELES (CN) - A federal judge granted the FTC's request to cite an Internet-based check service for contempt of court. Neovi and its operators violated a 2009 order telling them to stop running their business that lets people create and e-mail checks without verification of users' identities or their authority to draw funds on the accounts they use, the FTC said. It seeks daily fines and imprisonment if it doesn't stop. ...read full article November 19, 2009 Class Claims Facebook & Zynga Duped ThemSACRAMENTO (CN) - Facebook and game developer Zynga help to scam customers with misleading ads that dupe them into revealing their telephone and credit card numbers and then bill them for bogus charges, a class action claims in Federal Court. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Two held in global PC fraud probeTwo suspected computer hackers have been arrested in Manchester in a major inquiry into a global internet scam designed to steal personal details. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Classes Seek Millions for DMV Data GrabsKANSAS CITY, Mo. (CN) - Southwestern Bell is the latest in a series of class-action defendants accused of using misrepresentations to get confidential data from a Department of Motor Vehicles database "for commercial purposes." ...read full article November 18, 2009 Credit card security breach fearReports are being investigated of a major credit card scam in Spain. ...read full article November 18, 2009 How to hack China for just $1,800IDG News Service - Fraudsters may have a hot deal waiting for them in the form of an obscure Chinese domain name that's for sale on the Internet. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Justice, NSC lead review of cyber lawsThe Justice Department and the National Security Council are leading a review of all laws that apply or could apply to cyberspace. ...read full article November 18, 2009 No jail for ex-cop over sex snoopingA FORMER West Australian detective has escaped a jail term for using the police computer system to access the details of more than a dozen women he fancied. ...read full article November 18, 2009 RIM security chief sees smartphone attacks on horizonTORONTO/BOSTON (Reuters) - Hackers could one day turn ordinary smartphones into "rogue" devices to attack major wireless networks, Research In Motion's security chief warned. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Survey finds Mac, PC users are equal cybercrime victimsBecause of phishing, operating a Mac yields no more protection from cybercrime than running a Windows machine, according to a survey conducted by security firm ESET. ...read full article November 18, 2009 China Defense Ministry Site Fends off HackersThe Web site of China's defense ministry was attacked 2.3 million times in its first month online, Chinese state media said.The report is a reminder that Chinese government and military bodies, often accused of cyberespionage against the U.S. and other countries, are also frequently attacked online. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Woman sentenced for identity theftCHARLESTON, W.VA. -- Ramona Mack, 40, of Winfield was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Robert Chambers to 40 months in prison for aggravated identity theft and theft of government benefits. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Credit card pickpocketers arrestedFairfax County police said they have arrested three members of a credit card pickpocketing ring. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Smartphones: A Bigger Target for Security ThreatsAs the iPhone, BlackBerry, and other devices have become more popular, harmful software such as viruses and spyware is emerging to exploit their vulnerability ...read full article November 18, 2009 FBI Suspects Terrorists Are Exploring Cyber AttacksThe Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking at people with suspected links to al Qaeda who have shown an interest in mounting an attack on computer systems that control critical U.S. infrastructure, a senior official told Congress Tuesday. ...read full article November 18, 2009 UK police reveal arrests over Zeus banking malwareIDG News Service - British police said Wednesday they've made the first arrests in Europe of two people for using Zeus, a sophisticated malicious software program that can scoop up any sensitive information on a PC. ...read full article November 18, 2009 ALERT -- Social security numbers found in area library booksTOLEDO, Ohio (WTOL) - Folks have been warned about not giving out personal information, but never knew an old library book could hold clues to their identities. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Dover's Wentworth-Douglass Hospital now ID'ing patientsDOVER — Wentworth-Douglass Hospital and all primary and specialty care practices affiliated with the hospital have implemented a new policy where patients must provide photo identification during their next visit, if they haven't done so already. ...read full article November 18, 2009 Second-hand ATM trade opens up fraud riskCraigslist cash machine contains 1,000 card numbers...read full article November 18, 2009 UK cybercops cuff ZeuS Trojan suspect pairAlleged Bonnie and Clyde of malware...read full article November 18, 2009 Bill would restrict P2P use on government networksHouse bill is in response to embarrassing data leaksComputerworld - House lawmakers introduced a bill that would restrict the use of peer-to-peer technology on government networks in response to several embarrassing data leaks. ...read full article November 18, 2009 The uninsured turn to fraudUninsured use identity theft to win access to careIdentity theft in health care is rising dramatically as a way for uninsured patients to receive treatment, according to the chief investigator for the state’s largest medical insurer. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Hackers Breach State DatabaseAffected Servers Hold Worker's Compensation InformationLINCOLN, Neb. -- A hacker has broken into the Nebraska Worker's Compensation database, prompting an FBI investigation and an effort to contact those who may be affected. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Trojans likely to follow Win 7 activation hackTrojan attacks are likely in the wake of the Windows 7 product activation system cracks developed last week, less than a month after the release of Microsoft's latest operating system. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Are nations paying criminals for botnet attacks?Network World - Nations that want to disrupt their enemies' banking, media and government resources don't need their own technical skills; they can simply order botnet attack services from cybercriminals. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Chicago's Camera Network Is EverywhereExtensive Surveillance System Integrates Nonpolice Video, Raises Concerns About Possible Privacy AbusesA giant web of video-surveillance cameras has spread across Chicago, aiding police in the pursuit of criminals but raising fears that the City of Big Shoulders is becoming the City of Big Brother. ...read full article November 17, 2009 3 charged in identity theft schemeFederal agents have charged three women in connection with a scheme to allegedly use identity thefts to defraud local banks. ...read full article November 17, 2009 The Queen could better manage security of personal information than civil servants areHer majesty’s servants seem to be lacking any sense of responsibility these days. ...read full article November 17, 2009 FAQ: Recognizing phishing e-mailsIf you have received an e-mail from the Internal Revenue Service or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, chances are it was a phishing attempt. If you received e-mail from your bank, PayPal, or Facebook urging you to immediately verify information or risk having your account suspended, it was undoubtedly phishing. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Nations arming for cyber war, says McAfeeAn increasing number of attacks carried out over the internet have explicitly political goals, according to a report by security firm McAfee.The US, Russia, France, Israel and China are armed with cyberweapons, the report said, with the UK, Germany and North Korea preparing for a future in which conflict is partly conducted through the internet. ...read full article November 17, 2009 UK mobile phone company staff sell customer dataThe personal data of thousands of mobile phone users has been sold by staff at one of the UK's major mobile phone firms.The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said investigators have been working with the mobile telephone company. It had suggested to the ICO that employees allegedly sold details relating to customers' mobile phone contracts, including when their contracts expire. The ICO investigation revealed that the information has been sold on to several brokers for large sums. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Verisign hopes to end phishing attacksVerisign has begun working with the internet community to deploy DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), which could put a stop to phishing scams.The internet security company is working to roll out the DNSSEC security standard across all .com and .net top-level domain names (TLDs) to protect users against man-in-the-middle-style attacks. ...read full article November 17, 2009 ID theft laws stuck in queueNEW laws aimed at preventing identity theft and giving victims a means of untangling the mess are languishing in federal parliament, 10 months after they were introduced to the Senate by then human services minister Joe Ludwig.The Identity Crimes Bill adds three identity offences to fill gaps in existing laws: trafficking in identity data (up to five years' imprisonment); possession with intent to commit a crime and possession of equipment for the purpose of identity theft (both a maximum three years). ...read full article November 17, 2009 Anti-skimming legislation 'toughest in Australia'The Western Australian Attorney General, Christian Porter has unveiled legislation which he says will produce the toughest anti-identity theft and card-skimming laws in the country.Under the proposed laws, anyone caught with another person's identity information or in possession of equipment used to make, supply or transmit the material with intent to commit a crime, will face a maximum five years imprisonment. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Laptop with voter details goes missingA computer with personal data of more than 14,000 voters has gone missing from the offices of a local authority.The laptop disappeared from offices in St Albans in what is thought to be an opportunistic theft. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Sprint customer seeing red over unauthorized paymentsSo you keep a credit card or debit card on file with a business so that you can call up to conveniently make a payment by phone? One individual found out that the convenience enabled a stranger to authorize $1000 in deductions from his bank account to pay his Sprint account. ...read full article November 17, 2009 New HIMSS Analytics Survey Reveals Healthcare 'Business Associates' Are Unprepared for Data Breach68 Percent of Provider Respondents Indicated that the HITECH Act's Expanded Breach Notification Requirements will Result in More Discovery and Reporting of Incidents ...read full article November 17, 2009 Most security products flunk quality testsNearly 80 percent of security products that are sent for certification fail to perform as intended during the initial round of tests, and generally require additional two or more cycles of testing before they are certified, said ICSA Labs. ...read full article November 17, 2009 US govt to disclose findings in Web 'mystery charge' probeThe so-called mystery charges that have appeared on some of their customers' credit card statements will come under scrutiny at a hearing held by the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Federal Regulators Issue Final Model Privacy Notice FormEight federal regulatory agencies today released a final model privacy notice form that will make it easier for consumers to understand how financial institutions collect and share information about consumers. Under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLB Act), institutions must notify consumers of their information-sharing practices and inform consumers of their right to opt out of certain sharing practices. The model form issued today can be used by financial institutions to comply with these requirements. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Vulnerability in Wikipedia Toolbar for FirefoxSecurity service provider Secunia has discovered a critical vulnerability in the Wikipedia Toolbar extension for Firefox that can be exploited by an attacker to compromise a victim's system. According to the report the cause of the problem is due to the application using invalidated input in a call to eval() which can be exploited to execute arbitrary JavaScript code. ...read full article November 17, 2009 FBI Says Hackers Targeting Law Firms, PR CompaniesFBI alert says hackers increasingly targeting lawyers offices, public relations firmsHackers are increasingly targeting law firms and public relations companies with a sophisticated e-mail scheme that breaks into their computer networks to steal sensitive data, often linked to large corporate clients doing business overseas. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Ex-MI5 agent in memoirs battle sues newspaper for naming himLawyers for undercover agent in war on terrorism threaten Guardian with injunction though his name circulates onlineA former MI5 secret agent is suing the London Evening Standard for revealing his name, his lawyers say, in an attempt to extend Britain's privacy laws to cover the identity of intelligence officers. ...read full article November 17, 2009 T-Mobile investigated for leaking customer data***UPDATE****Company reveals it is part of ICO investigationT-Mobile has sensationally revealed it is part of an investigation by the Information Commissioner's Office into a data breach, after it was found that certain staff within the company had allegedly sold on thousands of people's details to competitors. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Watchdog raises alarm over security measuresOttawa is collecting too much information through anti-money laundering agency and failing to regulate no-fly list, Privacy Commissioner says in annual reportOTTAWA – Were you the person who recently cashed a government-issued cheque for under $300 at your local trust company? You probably never expected to be flagged as suspicious, but you were, says Canada's privacy commissioner in a new audit of Canada's financial watchdog agency. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Attorney General Eric Holder Speaks at the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force Press ConferenceGood afternoon. I am joined here by some of my partners in the new effort we are launching today, Secretary of the Treasury Tim Geithner, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shawn Donovan, and Robert Khuzami, the Director of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission, who is here representing SEC Chairwoman Mary Schapiro. ...read full article November 17, 2009 President Obama Establishes Interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task ForceWASHINGTON – Attorney General Eric Holder, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairwoman Mary Schapiro today announced that President Barack Obama has established by Executive Order an interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to strengthen efforts to combat financial crime. The Department of Justice will lead the task force and the Department of Treasury, HUD and the SEC will serve on the steering committee. The task force’s leadership, along with representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities and inspectors general, will work with state and local partners to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, address discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Obama administration unsure about new cybersecurity lawsIDG News Service - Current laws addressing cyber crime aren't adequate to address growing attacks on the government and businesses, a representative of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration said Tuesday. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Merchants caught in middle of Heartland, VeriFone disputeBattle over encryption technology could leave thousands with questionable supportComputerworld - Tens of thousands of customers of Heartland Payment Systems are finding themselves caught in the middle of an escalating war between the payment processing vendor and point-of-sale terminal vendor VeriFone Inc. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Healthcare Affiliates Unprepared For Data BreachesPatient privacy is at risk from the companies that healthcare providers do business with, study says.Companies that do business with healthcare providers, including accounting firms and offshore transcription vendors, are unprepared to meet data breach obligations included in new federal regulation, according to a survey released Tuesday. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Thousands of web sites compromised, redirect to scarewareSecurity researchers have detected a massive blackhat SEO (search engine optimization) campaign consisting of over 200,000 compromised web sites, all redirecting to fake security software (Inst_58s6.exe), commonly referred to as scareware. ...read full article November 17, 2009 E.On reveals customer bank dataThe personal details of 817 E.On customers have been disclosed in error.E.On said it was trying to find out how it happened and was in the process of contacting all of those affected. It has apologised for the mistake. ...read full article November 17, 2009 Shadowserver to Take Over as Mega-D Botnet HerderAn effort is underway to clean up tens of thousands of computers infected with malicious software known for churning out thousands of spam messages per hour. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Real ID program in deep troubleComputerworld - A decision by lawmakers to slash funding for the unpopular Real ID national driver's license program has put an already struggling initiative on life support. The U.S. Senate recently approved a $43 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for the federal government's 2010 fiscal year, which began Oct. 1. The appropriation called for substantial increases in DHS spending in several key technology areas but slashed Real ID funding by 40%, from $100 million to $60 million. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Police probe breach of NHS smartcard security as e-records launched in LondonAn NHS trust at the forefront of work on the £12.7bn NHS IT scheme has called in police after a breach of smartcard security compromised the confidentiality of hundreds of electronic records.Patients in Hull have expressed their dismay that an unauthorised NHS employee has accessed their confidential records; and the local primary care trust, NHS Hull, says it is "shocked" at the breach of security by a member of staff who has since left. ...read full article November 16, 2009 GMH Issues Notice of Breach of Unsecured Health InformationGuam- Pursuant to the federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, Guam Memorial Hospital Authority has issued a notice of breach of unsecured health information after a laptop computer used by the GMHA Employee Health Office was stolen from the Guam Memorial Hospital. A file on the computer contained limited health information on approximately 2,000 employees, volunteers, contractors and physicians. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Password theft via vulnerability in SSL/TLS protocole vulnerability in the design of the SSL/TLS protocol revealed earlier this month can apparently be used to carry out attacks in practice. On his blog, student Anil Kurmus reports that he was able to steal a Twitter password by using a man-in-the-middle attack. Until now it had been assumed that the problem was largely theoretical and would be made manifest only in very limited scenarios. The design weakness can be exploited by attackers to inject content into secure connections. ...read full article November 16, 2009 MasterCard to authenticate online transactions by phoneIDG News Service - In the face of mounting threats from hackers, MasterCard said today it will use mobile phones to improve security for online transactions. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Gang sentenced for UK bank trojanA British court has sentenced four men to prison after they admitted they used sophisticated trojan software to steal almost £600,000 from bank accounts and send it to Eastern Europe ...read full article November 16, 2009 Spammers aim to profit from swine flu pandemicRussian cybercrooks have laid the groundwork needed to build a business cashing in on swine flu panic-buying. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Agents sentenced for filing bogus life policies to get commissionsTwo California life insurance agents received probation and must pay thousands of dollars in restitution after filing faulty applications in order to receive commissions. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Identity fraud increases by third as recession tightens cash flowCASES of identity fraud across the UK have risen by a third in the first nine months of the year as the recession bites, says fraud prevention agency CIFAS. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Online gangs cash in on swine fluLONDON (Reuters) - Criminal gangs are making millions of dollars out of the H1N1 flu pandemic by selling fake flu drugs over the internet, a web security firm said on Monday. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Raleigh woman sentenced in ID theft scamA Raleigh woman has been sentenced to one year and one day imprisonment in an identity theft case in federal court, according to a statement issued by United States Attorney George E.B. Holding. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Customers' Info Stolen From Blue Cross Office68 Computer Hard Drives Contained Social Security NumbersCHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- One of Tennessee's largest holders of personal information confirms that an October theft from a Chattanooga office affects about 2 million of its clients. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Report: Countries prepping for cyberwarMajor countries and nation-states are engaged in a "Cyber Cold War," amassing cyberweapons, conducting espionage, and testing networks in preparation for using the Internet to conduct war, according to a new report to be released on Tuesday by McAfee. ...read full article November 16, 2009 Union County man is indicted for allegedly stealing Internet domain namesA Union County man who is accused of pilfering an Internet domain name from a Miami-based company and then selling it to a professional basketball player for more than $100,000 was indicted today on theft charges, authorities said. ...read full article November 16, 2009 The Botnet HuntersThey're the Internet equivalent of storm chasers, spending endless hours scanning and sleuthing, looking for the telltale signs of botnets. Here's an inside look at the battle against cybercrime's weapons of mass infection.A self-proclaimed geek from the age of 14, Andre DiMino had always been interested in computers and networking. But it wasn't until he entered his professional life many years later that he became interested in the security side of that world. ...read full article November 16, 2009 How Secure Is Cloud Computing?Cryptography solutions are far-off, but much can be done in the near term, says Whitfield Diffie.Cloud computing services, such as Amazon's EC2 and Google Apps, are booming. But are they secure enough? Friday's ACM Cloud Computing Security Workshop in Chicago was the first such event devoted specifically to cloud security. ...read full article November 16, 2009 HIGH-TECH HEIST2,100 ATMs Worldwide Hit at OnceIt was a highly sophisticated and cleverly orchestrated crime plot. And one unlike any we’ve ever seen before. ...read full article November 15, 2009 Taxpayers foot bill for employees being sued by ‘Joe the Plumber’COLUMBUS — Ohio taxpayers are right in the middle of the civil rights lawsuit that Samuel Joseph — “Joe the Plumber” — Wurzelbacher has filed against three former state employees, charging that they illegally accessed his confidential information through state databases. ...read full article November 14, 2009 Microsoft confirms first Windows 7 zero-day bugCompany urges users to block ports until a patch is ready, but the workaround cripples browsersMicrosoft late on Friday confirmed that an unpatched vulnerability exists in Windows 7, but downplayed the problem, saying most users would be protected from attack by blocking two ports at the firewall. ...read full article November 14, 2009 Biometrics sparks privacy fears in IrelandCollecting biometric information could put civil liberties and privacy at risk, despite considerable benefits, says the Irish Council for Bioethics (ICB). ...read full article November 14, 2009 The Cyberwar PlanIt's not just a defensive game; cyber-security includes attack plans too, and the U.S. has already used some of them successfully.In May 2007, President Bush authorized the National Security Agency, based at Fort Meade, Md., to launch a sophisticated attack on an enemy thousands of miles away without firing a bullet or dropping a bomb. ...read full article November 14, 2009 Job search scams: Protect yourself against identity theftIdentity theft rings have set their sights on the people who are unemployed and looking for work. Here's how to ensure you don't end up a victim.As unemployment has increased, so too has the number of job search scams identity theft rings are perpetrating against desperate job seekers. ...read full article November 14, 2009 N.Y. man charged with identity theftWALLINGFORD — A sharp-eyed bank teller foiled a man’s attempt Thursday to steal $5,000 from a Bank of America account using fake identification. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Sophisticated parcel mule scam unpickedMiddlemen stung by work-from-home scam...read full article November 13, 2009 Adobe Flash attack vector exploits insecure web designUser-supplied malware upload peril...read full article November 13, 2009 Press Copy to have your Identity StolenA Call for Action investigation a year in the making reveals one possible way thieves could get a hold of your personal information. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Microsoft defends Hotmail's cookie requirementLog out block 'good for security'Microsoft has said its new policy of requiring users to accept third party cookies to log out of Hotmail improves security. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Nandan Nilekani's Confidential UID Document Leaked OptionsWikileaks is a website that publishes anonymous submissions and leaks of sensitive governmental, corporate, or religious documents, while attempting to preserve the anonymity and untraceability of its contributors. Wikileaks today published the Confidential plan on UID Wikileaks Tweet Says : Confidential plans for 1.2 billion ID cards: Creating a unique ID for every resident in India ...read full article November 13, 2009 The Low-Tech Reality of Identity TheftStop worrying so much about that vaguely Eastern European computer hacker and start worrying about that clerk at the DMV....read full article November 13, 2009 Florida Man Gets Prison for Fraud, Identity Theft in ArizonaA Florida man who worked as car salesman in Southern Arizona has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for bank fraud and identity theft. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Online fraudsters use spam campaign to target payment transfer systemMessages warn of an ACH transfer problem and try to get users to install the Zeus malwareA new spam campaign is targeting a financial transfer system that handles trillions of dollars in transactions annually and has proved to be a fertile target of late for online fraudsters. The spam messages pretend to come from the National Automated Clearing House Association (NACHA), a U.S. nonprofit association that oversees the Automated Clearing House system (ACH). ...read full article November 13, 2009 Keeping Pacemakers Safe from HackersCommunicating with ultrasound could help make implantable medical devices safe from attack.Manufacturers have started adding wireless capabilities to many implantable medical devices, including pacemakers and cardioverter defibrillators. This allows doctors to access vital information and send commands to these devices quickly, but security researchers have raised concerns that it could also make them vulnerable to attack. ...read full article November 13, 2009 ID Theft Ringleader Gets 11 YearsALEXANDRIA, Va. - The man federal prosecutors called the ringleader of a nationwide identity theft ring has been sentenced to more than 11 years in prison. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Estonians charged in 'highly sophisticated' hacking caseTALLINN - Five Estonians have been charged in a high-profile computer hacking case that allegedly saw the defendents steal more than 9 million US dollars in just one day. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Hackers hit Vancouver SchoolsThousands of Vancouver School District employees could be at risk of identity theft after hackers broke into the district's finance system software last week. ...read full article November 13, 2009 15 charged in costumed ID theft ringNEW YORK -- Prosecutors say a crime ring combined old-fashioned pickpocketing, modern-day identity theft and an array of costumes to steal more than $600,000 from victims' bank accounts. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Tech Giants Aim To Master DisasterMicrosoft, Google, Yahoo form alliance to develop software solutions for improving emergency response efforts.Three of the world's top tech firms, along with the U.S. space agency, have teamed up to develop software they hope will help organizations better prepare for, and respond to, disasters such as natural catastrophes and terrorist strikes. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Consumer modems are worsening DNS problem linked to DDoS attacksAs more consumers demand broadband, ISPs are rolling out modems configured to accept DNS queries from all sources, including hackersInternet security experts say that misconfigured DSL and cable modems are worsening a well-known problem with the Internet's DNS, making it easier for hackers to launch DDoS attacks against their victims. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Fake Verizon 'balance-checker' is a TrojanIDG News Service - Cyber-criminals have started preying on Verizon Wireless customers, sending out spam e-mail messages that say their accounts are over the limit and offering them a "balance checker" program to review their payments. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Teen Decoy a 'Victim' in Sex Offender's SentencingCN) - A 14-year-old decoy from an Internet sting operation can be considered a "victim" in sentencing a sex offender as a sexually violent predator, the Colorado Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Weaknesses in CALEA WiretapsThis week in Chicago, Micah Sherr, Gaurav Shah, Eric Cronin, Sandy Clark, and I have a paper at the ACM Computer and Communications Security Conference (CCS) that's getting a bit more attention than I expected. The paper, Can They Hear Me Now? A Security Analysis of Law Enforcement Wiretaps [pdf] examines the standard "lawful access" protocols used to deliver intercepted telephone (and some Internet) traffic to US law enforcement agencies. Picking up where our 2004 analysis of wireline loop extender wiretaps [pdf] left off, this paper looks at the security and reliability of the latest communications surveillance standards, which were mandated by the 1994 Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). The standards, it turns out, can leave wiretaps vulnerable to manipulation and denial of service by surveillance targets who employ relatively simple technical countermeasures. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Amazon called out over cloud security, secrecyAmazon EC2 lacks many enterprise features, Burton Group saysAmazon's cloud computing service should not be used for applications that require advanced security and availability, the Burton Group analyst firm says in a report accusing Amazon of secrecy regarding its cloud data centers. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Boxes of medical files found abandonedSOUTH BEND — An agent with the Indiana attorney general’s office removed 21 boxes of medical records from a downtown office building Friday that contain the personal information of hundreds of local people. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Man-in-the-middle attacks demoed on 4 smartphonesSecurity researchers from SMobile Systems have released a paper detailing successful man-in-the-middle attacks against several smartphones. ...read full article November 13, 2009 San Jose man pleads guilty in attempt to buy $760,000 home by fraudIn the following press release the Santa Clara County (CA) District Attorney annouced that at arraignment this week, 42-year old Lawrence Maschino pleaded guilty to charges including writing checks with insufficient funds, using a victim’s personal information without authorization, and grand theft of personal property over $400. In addition, Mr. Maschino has three prior felony convictions for similar offenses. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Three plead guilty in Builder Bail-Out / Kickback /ID Theft schemen the following press release the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California announced that the former director of sales for a Colorado real estate company that built luxury homes throughout the state agreed in court papers filed today to plead guilty to a federal conspiracy charge, admitting that he and other company officials participated in a $16 million “builder bailout” scheme in which buyers of $1 million-plus homes were paid kickbacks if they purchased homes from the company. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Former Missouri resident pleads guilty to obtaining mortgage using mothers IDIn the following press release Michael W. Reap, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri announced that Susan Feaman, formerly of Perryville, Missouri, has pleaded guilty to charges of interstate transportation of stolen property and identity theft. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Personal data of Cal Poly Pomona applicants inadvertently put onlineThe Social Security numbers, home addresses and phone contacts for at least 300 students who applied for admission to Cal Poly Pomona six years ago were unintentionally disclosed online, the university said today. ...read full article November 13, 2009 Data breach could affect 60,000 GIs, civiliansThe Corps of Engineers is investigating the recent loss of an external hard drive that could pose identify theft problems for as many as 60,000 soldiers and Army civilians. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Work-At-Home Company Called a ScamCHICAGO (CN) - Pacific WebWorks runs a "work-at-home" Internet scam that falsely promises people can earn "thousands of dollars" by buying a "Google Business Kit," then charges outrageous, hidden monthly fees, according to a class action in Cook County Court. It's not the first recent case in which a company is accused of using (nonparty) Google's name to sucker people for money. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Health Insurer Violated Privacy, Class ClaimsMILWAUKEE (CN) - Aurora Health Care revealed patients' health care records in its bankruptcy filing, a class action claims in Milwaukee Federal Court. The class claims Aurora violated federal court orders by including in its bankruptcy filing Proofs of Claim that disclose policyholders medical treatments and records. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Resort worker sentenced for ID theftA man who worked at a Florida resort received a time-served jail sentence for stealing the identities of more than 100 vacationers, including some from Collegeville and West Norriton, and using the credit card information to pay for his own trips. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Barcelona hospital has opened a disciplinary case against the doctor patient details on the streetThe inquiry said the information found did not exceed 40 pages, containing a list of monitored cardiac transplant patients - dated March 2007 - and some discharge reports ...read full article November 12, 2009 Caltex clerk stole customers' credit cards: policeA Norseman petrol station clerk splurged on mobile phones after stealing credit card details from customers, police claim. ...read full article November 12, 2009 UK's cyber warriors go into battle in MarchThe UK's new cyberwarfare unit will be ready for action on 10 March, according to the government. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Indian police arrest company boss accused of selling medical records of British patientsThe head of an Indian outsourcing company has been arrested for selling confidential medical records of patients treated at one of Britain's top private hospitals. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Gumblar: New Generation of Self-Building BotnetsWe've been looking at the infrastructure of the Gumblar malware and found some curious facts on how Gumblar operates which we would like to share to make hosting owners aware of the Gumblar threat. ...read full article November 12, 2009 T.O. man sentenced for identity theftVisanio Eugene Vann, 47, of Thousand Oaks was sentenced last week in Los Angeles to 95 months in federal prison for orchestrating an identity theft scheme in which he used personal identifying information taken from dozens of mortgage and credit files to fraudulently obtain credit cards that were used to purchase more than $1 million in goods and services. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Deputy arrested, charged with identity theft, forgeryA Knox County Sheriff's Office deputy was arrested at work Wednesday on charges that she stole a woman's identity and used it to buy thousands of dollars worth of furniture from at least one store, authorities said. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Man sentenced for identity theftJustin Bailey, 21, of Poca was sentenced Monday by United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Court Ruling Jeopardizes Credit Card Privacy LawThe California Legislature long ago recognized the dangers associated with collecting and maintaining consumers’ personal identification information, finding that the practice put the physical safety of consumers at risk and jeopardized consumers’ financial security due to identify theft and credit card fraud. In response, the Legislature enacted an amendment to the Song Beverly Credit Card Act in 1990 to protect privacy rights guaranteed to consumers by Article 1, Section 1 of the California Constitution. A recent State Court of Appeal ruling now threatens to open a loophole in this law, enabling retailers to collect detailed personal information on customers who pay with credit cards. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Hotmail imposes tracking cookies for logoutAnd where do you think you're going?Hotmail users are now unable to log out of their account if the browser they are using does not accept third party cookies. ...read full article November 12, 2009 Rhode Island Governor Vetoes Restrictions on RFIDSenate Bill 211 would have prohibited the technology's use to track the locations of students in the state's schools, while also limiting the way in which information from vehicle RFID programs, such as toll collection, is used.Nov. 12, 2009—Rhode Island's governor, Donald Carcieri (R), has vetoed the latest effort by the state's legislature to pass a bill limiting how RFID technology would be employed to track students at schools and school functions, as well as vehicles as they are tracked by E-ZPass or other toll-collection systems. With his veto of Senate Bill 211 (S. 211) on Monday, Carcieri stated that local school and community officials should be allowed to decide if they need to use RFID to track students. He cited the potential for weather-related natural disasters, terrorist attacks or crimes that might prompt a school district to want to do so. ...read full article November 12, 2009 MS Bracing For Malware Attacks From Embedded FontsHeads up to all Microsoft Windows users: If you’re running Windows 2000, Windows XP or Windows Server 2003, stop what you’re doing and immediately download and apply the MS09-065 update released earlier this week. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Possible identity theft reported at MercyPatient records may have been left accessibleBaltimore police are investigating a security breach at Mercy Medical Center that left an undisclosed number of patient records open to possible identity theft, according to the Maryland attorney general's office. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Anatomy of the RBS WorldPay HackThe four men whom a federal grand jury indicted this week for their alleged roles in a scam that stole millions of dollars from RBS WorldPay were no fools. The small crew of hackers had a distinct division of labor, operated with skill and efficiency and left one of the world's larger banks holding the bag. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Feds Facing Daily Cyber Threats, Tight BudgetsNew study highlights shortcomings in federal cybersecurity amid White House policy overhaulNearly one-third of federal agencies confront cyber threats every day, with many of the vulnerabilities stemming from foreign attacks and lax internal policies and employee habits, according to a study released today by IT contractor CDW-G. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Facebook hit by ‘Control Your Info’ intruderSocial networking site had small number of groups affected, company saysFacebook was hit on Tuesday by a well-meaning intruder who took over some of the site's online groups as a way of sending a message: "Think about the safety in your social media life to the same extent you do in your real life." ...read full article November 11, 2009 Burglary and theft account for a third of data security breachesFines for reckless data breaches will focus minds at Board level to improve security...read full article November 11, 2009 NSW unveils new ID theft lawsTHE NSW government plans to create three new identity offences - trafficking in identity data, possession with intent to commit a crime, and possession of equipment for the purpose of identity theft - in an overhaul of the state's Crimes Act. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Woman gets probation for ID theft that netted her free power from PPLA medical assistant who stole personal information from patients and a co-worker and used it to get free power from PPL has been placed on two years' probation. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Drawing Security-Spooked Customers Into the E-Commerce FoldThere's a huge base of potential customers online every day who look but don't buy. ...read full article November 11, 2009 2009 Data Breaches: An Interactive TimelineA Look at the Top Breaches Involving U.S. Financial Institutions...read full article November 11, 2009 The PC Privacy Battle at the BorderBorder protection agents have extensive rights to search electronic devices that travelers take with them through U.S. ports of entry.However, relatively few searches are actually conducted. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Putnam man gets two years for identity theftHARLESTON, W.Va. -- A Putnam County man was sentenced Monday in federal court to two years in prison for aggravated identity theft, the U.S. Attorney's Office announced. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Hackers Indicted in Widespread ATM HeistWASHINGTON -- The U.S. Justice Department indicted eight Russian and Eastern European computer hackers, alleging they were part of a crime ring that allegedly broke into ATMs in hundreds of cities world-wide and stole $9 million in a matter of hours. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Microsoft patches critical hole in Windows kernelMicrosoft on Tuesday issued six security bulletins fixing 15 vulnerabilities, including a critical patch for holes in the Windows kernel and other Windows and Office components that could allow an attacker to take control of a computer. ...read full article November 11, 2009 How to DDOS a federal wiretapIDG News Service - Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say they've discovered a way to circumvent the networking technology used by law enforcement to tap phone lines in the U.S. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Hackers pillage jailbroken iPhonesPortable attack runs on Windows PCs and Macs, then sniffs out nearby iPhones to plundermputerworld - Hackers are plundering personal data from jailbroken iPhones using the tactic demonstrated last week by an Australian programmer's self-described "prank," researchers said today. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Survey: Healthcare Companies Not Ready For New Privacy And Security RegulationsCrowe Horwath LLP and Ponemon Institute release findings on HITECH compliance readinessOAK BROOK, Ill. (Nov. 11, 2009)—A recent survey of healthcare organizations found that 94 percent believe they are not ready to comply with the privacy and security provision of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act. The new provisions take effect in February. The survey of 77 U.S. healthcare organizations was conducted by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by Crowe Horwath LLP, one of the largest public accounting and consulting firms in the U.S. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Bing hit by costly security loopholeIt has spent hundreds of millions of dollars trying to take on Google, but Microsoft's Bing search engine was facing embarrassment today, after it emerged that a security loophole could allow users to skim huge sums of money from the system without its knowledge. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Stolen Laptop Contained Social Security Numbers of Students & AlumniBloomsburg University of Pennsylvania is notifying current and former students who were enrolled in psychology professor Julie Kontos' classes from spring 2004 through the summer of 2006 about the possible loss of their social security numbers when a laptop was stolen from a campus office. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Holiday Shopping Brings Identity Theft WarningBLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) ? Like falling leaves, decorations hanging from the Mall of America signal a change of seasons. This is a time when holiday gift buyers will grab for the plastic and give it to the clerk. Holiday shopping is well underway. ...read full article November 11, 2009 Stolen USB Drive Puts Tennessee Students at RiskA purloined USB drive contains thousands of student Social Security Numbers -- exposing 16,000 to potential identity theft.Roane State Community College in Harriman, Tenn. is the latest institution of higher learning to accidentally divulge sensitive personal information thanks to a stolen USB drive that exposed almost 16,000 student and employee Social Security numbers last month. ...read full article November 11, 2009 The AICPA Files Lawsuit Challenging Application of Federal Trade Commission's "Red Flags Rule" to CPAsHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia seeking an injunction barring the Federal Trade Commission from applying its so called Red Flags Rule, which would impose onerous and unnecessary requirements on AICPA members. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Breach notification laws get green lightThe EU has announced that "nothing stands in the way" of its ePrivacy Directive, paving the way for stronger rules surrounding data breaches and other privacy issues. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Queensland Police email private details of traffic offendersAN internal police intelligence document that detailed the private information of up to 12 traffic offenders already dealt with was leaked to as many as 50 people outside the Queensland Police Service. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Winnipeg bank customers defraudedHundreds of Winnipeggers woke up on the weekend to discover that while they were sleeping, criminals were awake and stealing money from their bank accounts. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Vancouver schools' employee data breachedPayroll system compromise imperils workers’ information...read full article November 10, 2009 Rickroll virus attacks iPhonesAn Australian has released a virus for the Apple iPhone, 'ikee', which replaces the infected device's background picture with an image of singer Rick Astley. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Google fixes risky Chrome bugsGoogle has updated its Chrome browser to fix a critical bug that could allow an attacker to execute malicious code on a user's system. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Pirates get a taste of Microsoft COFEEMicrosoft's Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) software, which helps law enforcement officials grab data from password protected or encrypted sources, has leaked.Microsoft's Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE) has made it into the hands of pirates, and their virtual ships are distributing it quickly for everyone to get a taste. The COFEE application uses common digital forensics tools to help law enforcement officials at the scene of a crime gather volatile evidence of live computer activity that would otherwise be lost in a traditional offline forensic analysis. In other words, it lets officers grab data from password-protected or encrypted sources. That means you can now break the law twice over: download the software and then use it to steal information from other people's computers. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Apple update tackles domain spoofing, other attacksApple on Monday released a large security update for Mac OS X that fixes dozens of vulnerabilities and provides protection against potential attacks exploiting a weakness in the protocol used to verify that a domain is legitimate. ...read full article November 10, 2009 MassMutual Warns Of Data BreachDatabase may have been compromised via third party vendorA leak at a third-party service provider may have caused a compromise of employee and customer data at insurance giant MassMutual, the company says. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Alleged International Hacking Ring Caught in $9 Million FraudMajor Credit Card Processor Victimized in Elaborate Theft of Account NumbersSergei Tsurikov, 25, of Tallinn, Estonia; Viktor Pleshchuk, 28, of St. Petersburg, Russia; Oleg Covelin, 28, of Chisinau, Moldova; and a person known only as "Hacker 3;" have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Atlanta, Ga., on charges of hacking into a computer network operated by the Atlanta-based credit card processing company RBS WorldPay, which is part of the Royal Bank of Scotland. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Car Dealers May Be Held Responsible For Identity TheftThe Harris County District Attorney's Office is cracking down on identity theft used to purchase cars, but the thieves aren't the only targets. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Coke given zero penalty for SMS campaignCOCA-COLA says it never intended to spam mobile phone users and will take steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has accepted enforceable undertakings from three companies - Vodafone, New Dialogue and Big Mobile - involved in the SMS promotional campaign. ...read full article November 10, 2009 W.D. Pa.: Compulsory taking of DNA from pretrial detainee violates Fourth AmendmentCompulsory taking of DNA from a pretrial detainee under 42 U.S.C. § 14135a violates the Fourth Amendment. It cannot be supported under special needs, totality of the circumstances, or a compelling governmental interest. United States v. Mitchell, 2009 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 103575 (W.D. Pa. November 6, 2009) ...read full article November 10, 2009 ICO investigates Play.com breachThe Information Commissioner's Office has confirmed it is investigating complaints into Play.com. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Pentagon chiefs buy net-security early warning systemUS weapons megacorp Raytheon is chuffed to announce that it and allied firms have landed a $28m deal from the Pentagon to provide an early-warning system for defence against cyber attacks on military networks. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Firefox flaws make up 44% of all browser bugs?Firefox flaws accounted for nearly half (44 per cent) of all browser bugs in the first half of 2009 - according to a survey which fails to factor in the seriousness of browser flaws. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Next generation spammers rise up in Asia, India and BrazilHigh-speed broadband allows worldwide miscreantingA new generation of spammers is rising up in regions such as Asia Pacific, Japan, and South America, and beginning to outstrip their North American counterparts in junk mail output. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Google Reader Koobface spotlights security risk 2.0Threat-resistant workers bypass Web 2.0 roadblocks...read full article November 10, 2009 Security firm chokes sprawling spam botnetA botnet that was once responsible for an estimated third of the world's spam has been knocked out of commission thanks to researchers from security firm FireEye. ...read full article November 10, 2009 Cops: Social Security numbers stolen from Woodbury companyA former employee broke into a Woodbury financial services company, photocopied customers' Social Security numbers and bank reference numbers and took the photocopied data with him when he left, Nassau police said Tuesday. ...read full article November 9, 2009 Cenzic Web Application Security Trends Report Shows Increase in Hacker Attacks on Web Sites Exploiting Faults in Popular Web Browsers and SoftwareSANTA CLARA, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/09/09 -- Cenzic Inc., the leading provider of Web application security vulnerability assessment and risk management solutions, today released its report revealing the most prominent types of Web application vulnerabilities for the first half of 2009. The report, which includes a list of the 10 vendors with the most severe Web security vulnerabilities, details the steady rise of attacks by hackers targeting these exploits ultimately costing the U.S. billions of dollars in both IT damage and identity theft. Specifically, the report identified over 3,100 total vulnerabilities, which is a 10 percent increase in Web application vulnerabilities compared to the second half of 2008. ...read full article November 9, 2009 Data breaches on the increasePRIVACY: Sixty-five incidents were reported in 2008, leaving personal information exposed for all to see...read full article November 9, 2009 60 MinutesSabotaging The SystemCould hackers get into the computer systems that run crucial elements of the world's infrastructure, such as the power grids, water works or even a nation's military arsenal? Steve Kroft reports. ...read full article November 9, 2009 NY's Cuomo settles with Tagged.com over emailsNEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's attorney general said the operator of Tagged.com would pay $500,000 and overhaul its practices to resolve charges that the social networking site tricked members into providing personal details to lure new members and send out tens of millions of spam emails. ...read full article November 9, 2009 AP IMPACT: Framed for child porn by a PC virusOf all the sinister things that Internet viruses do, this might be the worst: They can make you an unsuspecting collector of child pornography. ...read full article November 9, 2009 Eighth Person Pleads Guilty to Illegally Accessing Confidential Passport Fileseighth individual pleaded guilty today to illegally accessing numerous confidential passport application files. Susan Holloman, 58, of Washington, pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge Alan Kay in the District of Columbia to a one-count criminal information charging her with unauthorized computer access. Holloman is scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 21, 2010. ...read full article November 9, 2009 Tagged.com tagged for $250k by TexasTexas Attorney General Greg Abbott today resolved an enforcement action against Tagged, Inc., a social networking site operator that has an estimated two million Texas users. Under an agreed final judgment obtained by the state, Tagged must implement new privacy features and take additional measures to inform users about how the Web site will utilize their personal information. ...read full article November 9, 2009 Online Belford Schools Called a Scam(CN) - An online high school that falsely claims to be accredited charges students $250 for fake diplomas, according to a RICO class action in Detroit Federal Court. The class claims Belford High School refuses to return tuition to students who realize they have been duped. ...read full article November 9, 2009 CT AG “appalled’’ at delay in Anthem data theftThe state attorney general is demanding Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Connecticut provide more answers and identity-theft protection for nearly 19,000 health professionals whose confidential data was on a stolen laptop computer. ...read full article November 9, 2009 Nastygram: MySpace Phish Plants Spy SoftwareA new spam campaign targeting MySpace.com users once again illustrates the blended threat from junk e-mail attacks, experts warn. This latest run tries to lure recipients into giving up their MySpace credentials, and then attempts to trick victims into installing password-stealing malicious software. ...read full article November 7, 2009 ContactPoint database of 11million children’s details to go ahead despite security fearsEvery child in England will have their personal details stored on a controversial database despite fears over security and privacy.Ministers are pressing ahead with the introduction of ContactPoint to every local authority in the country after claiming that a pilot project has proved a success. ...read full article November 6, 2009 Grand Jury Indicts 9 in Suspected Identity Theft RingA grand jury has indicted five men and four women accused of being part of an identity theft and forgery ring that operated in Jefferson County, the Denver area and Colorado Springs. ...read full article November 6, 2009 US to Get Data Breach Notification LawsCommerce agencies in the US will have to notify anyone whose personal information may have been accessed in a breach, when two bills become lawTwo bills that address the handling of data breaches have been approved by a The US Senate Committee - and the country also got a new official body for identity protection. ...read full article November 6, 2009 Apology as patients' details lostA hospital trust in Surrey has apologised and banned the use of unencrypted memory sticks after 76 patients' personal details were lost.The information was contained on three data sticks lost by Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust. ...read full article November 6, 2009 Chaminade posted Social Security numbers of thousands of students onlineChaminade University inadvertently posted confidential information, including Social Security numbers, of thousands of students, on its Web site for months, school officials said today. ...read full article November 6, 2009 PD: Man stole from health care patients to buy movie ticketsMESA, AZ -- A Banner Health employee has been accused of stealing personal information from hundreds of patients. ...read full article November 6, 2009 Class Claims Gamer Swiped Phone NumbersSAN FRANCISCO (CN) - A maker of games for the Apple iPhone and iPod Touch collected players' phone numbers without their knowledge, according to a federal class action. The class claims Storm8, creator of "iMobster" and "Vampires Live," wrote its software to collect phone numbers automatically when players download the games. ...read full article November 6, 2009 New Scams Center On H1N1, Fake IRS EmailsPITTSBURGH (CBS) ? Lately people have been worried about H1N1 flu and when scam artists see that worry, they also see an opportunity to get your cash. ...read full article November 5, 2009 Men allegedly broke into computers of former employerFederal authorities on Wednesday filed intrusion charges against two men accused of accessing the computer systems of their former employer. ...read full article November 5, 2009 European 'internet freedom' law agreedEurope is set to get a major overhaul of its telecoms regulation, after the European Parliament and Council of Telecoms Ministers reached a compromise on the rights of internet users across the continent.The Telecoms Reform Package is a raft of new laws that tackle issues ranging from data-breach notification to faster number porting. Following an agreement reached on Wednesday night, the package will now become part of national legislation in every EU country, with a deadline of May 2011. ...read full article November 4, 2009 Agencies: Glitch with foreign SS numbers is fixed(AP) — CONCORD, N.H. - Two federal agencies that put Americans at risk for identity-theft-like problems have fixed a glitch that linked U.S. Social Security numbers to those issued by three foreign countries, officials said. ...read full article November 4, 2009 Woman charged with ID Theft and mortgage fraudIn the following press release Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox today announced that his office has filed charges against a Wyoming, MI woman accused of defrauding the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) by fraudulently obtaining a mortgage, defaulting on that mortgage and leaving taxpayers to pick up the tab. ...read full article November 4, 2009 Travelers: ID fraud often starts with stolen walletWith incidents of identity fraud climbing for the second year in a row, Hartford insurer Travelers Cos. is warning consumers that low-tech theft is the most common entry to this 21st-century crime. ...read full article November 4, 2009 Police search for man accused of identity theftPALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) -- Detectives need help identifying a man they said is stealing people's identities and passing counterfeit checks across South Florida. ...read full article November 4, 2009 ISP warns citizens of jury duty scamPENDLETON, Ind. (WANE) - The Indiana State Police would like to warn citizens of a jury duty scam that has now been reported in 11 states. ...read full article November 4, 2009 DHS approves enhanced tribal ID cardsThe Homeland Security Department has entered in to agreements with four Native American tribes to produce enhanced identification cards approved for use at U.S. border crossings. ...read full article November 4, 2009 Insurer Says SS Numbers May Be On Stolen LaptopBlue Cross Blue Shield Warns 10,000 NH ProvidersCONCORD, N.H. -- Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is warning 10,000 New Hampshire physicians, dentists and other providers that their Social Security numbers may have been stolen. ...read full article November 4, 2009 Corporate Breaches Increase Chances Of Consumer ID Theft, Study SaysWhen their data is leaked by a business, individuals are four times more likely to suffer identity theft, Javelin study saysConsumers who have received data breach notifications within the past year are at a much greater risk for fraud than typical consumers, according to a new study. ...read full article November 3, 2009 iHacked: jailbroken iPhones compromised, $5 ransom demandedYesterday, a “Your iPhone’s been hacked because it’s really insecure! Please visit doiop.com/iHacked and secure your phone right now!” message popped up on the screens of a large number of automatically exploited Dutch iPhone users, demanding $4.95 for instructions on how to secure their iPhones and remove the message from appearing at startup. ...read full article November 3, 2009 Conficker's first birthday looms - seven million IPs still infectedAs Conficker approaches the first anniversary of its appearance in the wild, the Shadowserver Foundation says that at least seven million IP addresses - each representing one or more computers - are now infected by the worm. ...read full article November 3, 2009 Britons targeted in new online scamSellers of high-value products on sites such as eBay and Gumtree are being duped into sending the items without receiving payment...read full article November 3, 2009 Microsoft Warns Online Gamers Of Worm AttacksOnline gamers are the target of a "pervasive" computer worm which steals personal data, Microsoft has warned ...read full article November 2, 2009 Phishing, worms spike this year, say Microsoft and McAfeeScammers are targeting social networks with phishing scams and relying more heavily on worms and Trojans to attack computers, according to security trend reports to be released Monday by Microsoft and McAfee. ...read full article November 2, 2009 Military lags in safeguarding officers’ identitiesThe military is playing catch-up on a year-old complaint that hundreds of thousands of officers’ Social Security numbers have been floating around on the Internet. ...read full article November 2, 2009 FDIC: Uptick in 'money mule' scamsThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is warning financial institutions about an uptick in scams involving unauthorized funds transfers from hacked online bank accounts to so-called "money mules," people hired through work-at-home scams to help cyber criminals overseas launder money. ...read full article November 2, 2009 Former YouSendIt chief accused of DoS attackA former chief executive of file-transfer service YouSendIt has been accused of launching denial-of-service attacks against the company. ...read full article November 2, 2009 Wi-Fi firms put onus on users for hotspot securityWi-Fi hotspot operators have said security is the responsibility of their customers, after the BBC demonstrated a hack of users' email at public open-access hotspots. ...read full article November 2, 2009 Google Voice stats revealed through PDF errorGoogle Voice may not have made it onto the iPhone yet, but the service has still managed to attract more than 1.4 million users. ...read full article November 2, 2009 New Trojan encrypts files but leaves no ransom noteSymantec is warning about a new Trojan horse that encrypts files on compromised computers but offers no ransom note like other software designed to hold data hostage for a fee. ...read full article November 2, 2009 Bank IT Worker Charged In $1.1 Million FraudA computer technician has been indicted for stealing the identities of 150 Bank of New York employees, as well as for grand larceny and money laundering.Adeniyi Adeyemi, 27, of Brooklyn, New York, was charged last week in a 149-count indictment for allegedly using his position as a computer technician to steal the identities of over 150 employees of the Bank of New York Mellon and to subsequently defraud charities, non-profits, and other organizations for more than $1.1 million over an eight year period. ...read full article November 2, 2009 FTC allows eight more months for Red Flags complianceThe Federal Trade Commission again is pushing back the deadline for financial institutions and creditors to comply with the Red Flags Rules. ...read full article November 2, 2009 Lifestyle HackersJim Routh and Gary McGraw examine why twenty-somethings skateboard right past security controls, and what it means for employers (i.e. you!)The insider threat, the bane of computer security and a topic of worried conversation among CSOs, is undergoing significant change. Over the years, the majority of insider threats have carried out attacks in order to line their pockets, punish their colleagues, spy for the enemy or wreak havoc from within. Today's insider threats may have something much less insidious in mind—multitasking and social networking to get their jobs done. ...read full article October 30, 2009 Parma: FBI seeking Ukrainians who bought illegal IDsPARMA -- Hundreds of Ukrainian immigrants who fraudulently obtained Ohio drivers licenses in Parma are being encouraged to contact the FBI before agents come after them. ...read full article October 30, 2009 Reports: N. Korea behind cyberattacks on U.S.July Web assaults caused outages of government-run sites...read full article October 30, 2009 FTC Extends Enforcement Deadline for Identity Theft Red Flags RuleAt the request of Members of Congress, the Federal Trade Commission is delaying enforcement of the “Red Flags” Rule until June 1, 2010, for financial institutions and creditors subject to enforcement by the FTC. ...read full article October 29, 2009 Farmers bank account details lost by Rural Payments AgencyThousands of farmers' bank account details have been lost by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) after the Government body lost two back-up tapes of confidential data belonging to all English farmers. ...read full article October 29, 2009 Twitter users warned about new phishing attackTwitter warned on Wednesday about a new phishing attack in which direct messages to users link to a fake log-in page that steals passwords. ...read full article October 29, 2009 US-CERT warns about BlackBerry spyware appThe United States Computer Emergency Response Team (US-CERT) has flagged the release of a free BlackBerry spyware application that allows an attacker to call a user’s BlackBerry and listen to personal conversations. ...read full article October 29, 2009 Banking Trojan steals money from under your noseResearchers at security firm Finjan have discovered details of a new type of banking Trojan horse that doesn't just steal your bank log-in credentials but actually steals money from your account while you are logged in and displays a fake balance. ...read full article October 29, 2009 Facebook users targeted by Zeus banking TrojanHot on the heels of one fake Facebook email scam, a researcher warned on Wednesday of another such campaign in which users of the popular social network are being tricked into revealing their passwords and downloading a Trojan that steals financial data. ...read full article October 29, 2009 Spike seen in web-based malware infectionsThe number of websites hosting malicious software, either intentionally or unwittingly, is rising rapidly, according to statistics to be released on Tuesday from Dasient. ...read full article October 29, 2009 AG orders Hollyrock owner to stop collecting personal information from IDsUTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - The owner of Hollyrock has been ordered by the NYS Attorney General's office to pay $5,000 and immediately stop using a scanner to retrieve personal information from patron's IDs. ...read full article October 29, 2009 Three accused of selling fake drivers licenses to Ukrainian immigrants out of Parma license bureauFor four years a corrupt clerk at the Parma driver's license bureau passed out licenses to illegal Ukrainian and Uzbeki immigrants, FBI agents said Thursday. ...read full article October 28, 2009 Targeted attacks possible in the cloud, researchers warnStudy shows how attackers can search, locate and attack specific targets in a cloud infrastructure ...read full article October 28, 2009 More security breaches hit midsized companiesMore midsized companies are being attacked by cybercriminals at the same time they're spending less on security, says a McAfee report released Wednesday ...read full article October 28, 2009 ID-theft defendant denies guilt: Miguel Bell seeks bail; feds resistThe alleged ringleader of a massive identity-theft ring that involved 29 others and that allegedly stole $1.3 million from the bank accounts of unsuspecting customers pleaded not guilty yesterday in federal magistrate court to conspiracy and multiple counts of bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. ...read full article October 28, 2009 IDSP Issues Report Calling for National Identity Verification StandardWASHINGTON, Oct. 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel (IDSP) today released a workshop report calling for the development of an American National Standard on identity verification as a tool to help combat terrorism and identity theft. The IDSP workshop and report were driven by recognized vulnerabilities in the issuance of foundational documents used to prove identity, in particular the birth certificate. Since agencies typically rely on but do not verify birth certificates and other source credentials such as driver's licenses and Social Security cards used to establish identity, there is a loophole where identity theft and fraud can occur. ...read full article October 28, 2009 Man Accused Of Identity TheftKETTERING, Ohio -- A young man was arrested and accused of stealing credit card numbers and running up thousands of dollars in charges, police said. ...read full article October 28, 2009 Ex-state revenue employee booked with identity theftA former state Department of Revenue employee was arrested Tuesday on charges she used stolen credit card information to buy personal items at Walmart and other stores in East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes, Louisiana State Police said. ...read full article October 28, 2009 Former Fort Campbell Soldier SentencedDeldrick Toles Ordered To Pay $21,000 In RestitutionPADUCAH, Ky. -- A 28-year-old former Fort Campbell soldier has been sentenced to 3½ years in prison after pleading guilty to identity theft and bank fraud. ...read full article October 28, 2009 FDIC Warns of E-Mail FraudThe FDIC has issued a warning today concerning the recent wave of fraudulent emails that have been sent to consumers, posing as official statements from the agency in an attempt to gain account information. The scam takes advantage of the recent rise in bank failures by using a false FDIC website link and attempting to elicit information after claiming that your bank has failed. ...read full article October 28, 2009 Credit cards re-issued in Finland after data breach in SpainA credit card security breach has been uncovered in Spain that may involve up to tens of thousands of Finnish bank and credit cards. ...read full article October 28, 2009 DA: Nigeria scammer stole 150 IDsAs temps from hell go, officials say this one takes the cake -- and whatever mother's maiden names he can get his hands on ...read full article October 28, 2009 Client blows whistle on data theft in BPOA BPO data theft came to light after a client blew the whistle on an employee of FGMB-PM Services Pvt Ltd who had sold the data to a former employee and current rival of the company ...read full article October 27, 2009 Rise in Halloween spam expected this week with warnings made of links sent by 'friends'Users have been warned about Halloween-related spam as the annual horror fest approaches. ...read full article October 27, 2009 Guardian Jobs website hack may have been an SQL injection and not a 'sophisticated' attackAn SQL injection may have been the cause of the hacking of the Guardian's Jobs website last week. ...read full article October 27, 2009 Application introduced for Apple iPhone to help combat identity theftDeepnet has announced the launch of an iPhone application to combat the growing problem of ID theft and cope with the rise in smartphone use. ...read full article October 27, 2009 Email leaks 350 Baptist East employee Social Security numbers(WHAS11) - For the second time in less than a week hundreds of people in Kentuckiana are worrying about identity theft after their employer accidentally released their social security numbers. ...read full article October 26, 2009 Identity fraud threat after Guardan jobs site hackedThe Guardian has written half a million users of its jobs site suggesting they take action to protect themselves from identity fraud in the wake of a hacker attack. ...read full article October 26, 2009 Time Warner home routers still open to attack, blogger saysIf you have an SMC8014 cable modem/Wi-Fi router from Time Warner your network might still be vulnerable to attack. ...read full article October 26, 2009 Swiss ministry says it was victim of cyber attackOfficial: Attack was aimed at obtaining information on ministry’s network ...read full article October 26, 2009 Smartphone security threats likely to riseWorms, spam, viruses and hackers -- they're not just for your desktop or laptop anymore. According to internet security experts they could be well on their way into your pocket or purse. ...read full article October 26, 2009 CalOptima says data on 68,000 members may be compromisedPlans notification after loss of disks containing the infoComputerworld - Personally identifiable information on about 68,000 members of CalOptima, a Medicaid managed care plan serving Orange County, Calif., may have been compromised after several CDs containing the information went missing earlier this month. ...read full article October 26, 2009 Social Security numbers of 2,920 people at UW-Madison may have been exposedForty computers in the UW-Madison Department of Chemistry were hacked over the course of roughly 18 months, possibly exposing the names and Social Security numbers of 2,920 people on campus. ...read full article October 21, 2009 Group Indicted In $1 Million Identity Theft RingA group of Philadelphia residents have been charged in a widespread identity theft ring used to steal over $1 million. ...read full article October 21, 2009 Social networks become targets for cybercrimeWith millions of people using social networking sites, these virtual communities have become viable targets for cybercriminals. ...read full article October 21, 2009 SOCA attacks the heart of organised cyber crimeSOCA wants to hit the infrastructure of criminal enterprises and find out where they're storing data. ...read full article October 20, 2009 IDSP Releases Report Outlining Best Practices for Measuring Identity TheftA new workshop report from the Identity Theft Prevention and Identity Management Standards Panel (IDSP) addresses various facets of how research companies measure identity theft. The report finds that disparities exist in the way that key terms are defined in statute versus in practice—terms such as identity theft, identity fraud, and data breach. This potentially causes confusion in the marketplace and creates impediments to fixing the underlying problems. The publication also reviews research studies and methodologies for studying identity theft and makes best practice recommendations for how research companies should measure and report on the issues. ...read full article October 20, 2009 DeWitt civil liberties lawyer Bonnie Strunk charged with identity theftDeWitt, NY -- Bonnie Strunk, Faith Seidenberg and Dr. Robert Seidenberg have made local news for decades as crusaders for civil liberties. The local chapter of the Civil Liberties Union has named an award for Faith Seidenberg. Her husband was the first male president of a local chapter of the National Organization for Women. Strunk, a one-time candidate for district attorney, has championed gay rights. ...read full article October 20, 2009 Iconix Settles Charges of Violating Children's Privacy LawIconix Brand Group, which sells clothing for children and teens under several brands, will pay a US $250,000 civil penalty to settle U.S. Federal Trade Commission charges that it violated a law prohibiting companies from collecting and using children's personal information without parental permission. ...read full article October 20, 2009 Privacy Still Dogs Electronic Health RecordsNew study highlights security shortcomings with the ways medical facilities are digitizing patients' records.Beginning with the February economic stimulus package, the Obama administration has made it clear that the digitization of medical records is a high priority. But converting people's most sensitive personal information into the digital format inevitably brings privacy concerns in tow, and a new study has called attention to just how significant the challenge may be. ...read full article October 19, 2009 ChoicePoint to Pay Fine for Second Data BreachData broker ChoicePoint, the victim of a 2004 data breach affecting more than 160,000 U.S. residents, has agreed to strengthen its data security efforts and pay a fine for a second breach in 2008, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Monday. ...read full article October 19, 2009 Credit cards also involved in Cheers Liquor security breachA security breach in the credit-card processing system at Cheers Liquor Mart involves both credit and debit cards and likely involves customers of dozens, if not hundreds, of financial institutions nationwide, the Colorado Springs-based retailer said today. ...read full article October 16, 2009 Keizer mortgage broker chargedState says the man bought two homes using clients' informationA Salem mortgage broker has been charged with using clients' personal information to purchase two homes. Julian James Ruiz III, 38, of Keizer was arraigned Thursday on charges of mortgage fraud, aggravated theft, forgery and identity theft. ...read full article October 16, 2009 Charges filed in rash of Thurston County theftsCrimes: Woman suspected of directing others who burglarized cars, made fraudulent transactionsOLYMPIA - Prosecutors have filed 30 charges against an Olympia woman thought to be the ringleader of an identity-theft ring in which unlocked vehicles throughout Thurston County were burglarized, and thieves stole checks, credit cards, cash and other items. ...read full article October 16, 2009 Shakopee man guilty of federal identity theft, fraud chargesA 52-year-old Shakopee man pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud a loan company. ...read full article October 16, 2009 Lancaster police seek woman for credit card theftLancaster police have released surveillance photos of a woman who apparently used stolen credit cards to steal $7,500 worth of cash and prepaid credit cards three weeks ago. ...read full article October 15, 2009 Data on 103,000 Students MisplacedA flash drive containing the personal information of more than 103,000 former adult education students in Virginia was misplaced last month, state education officials reported Wednesday. ...read full article October 15, 2009 Man arrested in identity theft to buy beauty products onlineJason Le Tran, 23, is suspected of buying $11,000 worth of Sephora products with stolen credit card information.COSTA MESA – A Fountain Valley man suspected of stealing credit card information and buying Sephora beauty products online has been charged with grand theft and identity theft, police said. ...read full article October 14, 2009 Hacker pleads guilty to monster credit card theftA computer hacker who was once a federal informant and was a driving force behind one of the largest cases of identity theft in US history pleaded guilty in a deal with prosecutors that will send him to prison for up to 25 years. ...read full article October 14, 2009 Yahoo settles pay-per-click fraud suitYahoo has settled a lawsuit over pay-per-click ads sold by Yahoo that wound up in some shady corners of the Internet. ...read full article October 14, 2009 £600,000 internet fraud gang faces jailA gang of internet fraudsters was facing jail today for using a sophisticated computer virus to steal £600,000 from bank customers. ...read full article October 14, 2009 CSULA: Private Student Info LeakedLos Angeles (myFOXla.com) - The names and Social Security numbers of 82 students who took selected Cal State Los Angeles computer courses in 2002 and 2003 were inadvertently posted on a faculty member's Web site, university officials said today. ...read full article October 13, 2009 Three Nigerians among 5 held for fraud through fake lottery caseFive persons, including three Nigerian nationals, were arrested on Monday for allegedly duping people of lakhs of rupees after promising them that they have won online lotteries abroad. ...read full article October 13, 2009 International mail fraud scheme unlawfully using insurance carrier namesOhio Department of Insurance Director Mary Jo Hudson and the Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray have announced that they have recently learned of numerous incidents where insurance companies and consumers have been identified as victims of an international mail fraud scheme. ...read full article October 13, 2009 Banks report 70 percent of phishing attacks hosted offshoreFormer Soviet republics responsible for most scams. ...read full article October 13, 2009 Fugitive busted after accepting friend requestAlleged fraudster added former Justice Department official to friends list ...read full article October 13, 2009 Schwarzenegger Vetoes Update to California Privacy LawGovernor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed an update to California's landmark data-breach notification law, saying that the new bill would be too hard on businesses without adequately benefiting consumers. ...read full article October 13, 2009 Hospital Says Patient Personal Data Possibly CompromisedThe hospital is trying to notify 1700 former patients, offering them free credit monitoring to those whose personal information may have been compromised.A missing computer part, with sensitive patient credit information, is missing from Pitt County Memorial Hospital. The hospital is trying to notify 1700 former patients, offering them free credit monitoring to those whose personal information may have been compromised. ...read full article October 12, 2009 Identity fraud is the UK's fastest growing crime in 2009A study published at the beginning of National Identity Fraud Prevention Week shows the scale of ID theft in the UK. Identity fraud is increasing at a rapid rate. ...read full article October 12, 2009 Fake veteran faces 'stolen valor' chargeRichard Strandlof said he survived the 9/11 attacks on the Pentagon. He said he survived again when a roadside bomb went off in Iraq, killing four fellow Marines. He'd point to his head and tell people he had a metal plate, collateral damage from the explosion. ...read full article October 12, 2009 Driver's licenses scanned in search for fugitivesFBI's use of facial-recognition technology raising privacy concerns ...read full article October 12, 2009 Google urges to install Android upgrade to smartphones because of DoS attacksLast week Google made an update into its Android mobile phone software after the reports that Android based mobile devise were hit by the denial of service attacks that exploited vulnerabilities in the operation system. ...read full article October 10, 2009 Hacked Web mail accounts used to send spamThere has been a marked increase in the amount of spam e-mails being sent from Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail accounts, according to analysts at Websense Security Labs. ...read full article October 10, 2009 Hacked Web mail accounts used to send spamThere has been a marked increase in the amount of spam e-mails being sent from Yahoo, Gmail, and Hotmail accounts, according to analysts at Websense Security Labs. ...read full article October 9, 2009 Cyberthieves find workplace networks are easy pickingsIt took only a modicum of skill for a cybergang to steal 94 million credit and debit card payment records from the TJX retail chain — and follow that up by hauling in 130 million records from credit card processor Heartland Payment Systems. ...read full article October 9, 2009 British Hacker Fails in Bid to Avoid Extradition to U.SLONDON — A British man accused of hacking into American military computers has failed in his latest bid to avoid extradition to the U.S., his lawyer said Friday. ...read full article October 9, 2009 Woman charged with identity theftA 29-year-old Woodstock woman charged with felony identity theft remained in custody Thursday on $40,000 bond. ...read full article October 9, 2009 Adobe exploit puts backdoor on computersA new zero-day exploit targeting Adobe Reader, as well as 9.1.3 and earlier versions of Adobe Systems' Acrobat, drops a backdoor onto computers using JavaScript, Trend Micro researchers warned on Friday. ...read full article October 8, 2009 UK online banking fraud rockets as fraudsters get smarterOnline banking fraud in the United Kingdom jumped by 55 percent during the first six months of this year as criminals become even more sophisticated in their use of technology. Read more…. ...read full article October 8, 2009 Malaysia to enforce data protection lawKUALA LUMPUR--Some eight years after it was first mooted, Malaysia's Personal Data Protection Bill will finally be tabled in parliament later this month and is expected to be in force early-2010. Read more…. ...read full article October 8, 2009 F.B.I. Indicts Dozens in Online Bank FraudIn what it is calling Operation Phish Phry, the F.B.I. began arresting 53 people on Wednesday on charges of conducting a vast financial fraud based on phishing — the act of tricking Internet users into revealing their passwords and other information. Read more…. ...read full article October 7, 2009 Blue Cross Blue Shield Association affirms laptop breachThe Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA) is reviewing its security practices after thieves stole an employee's computer that contained an unencrypted file with the personal information of nearly every doctor who accepts the popular health insurance plan. Read more… ...read full article October 7, 2009 Google Robbed By BotnetA botnet designed to facilitate click fraud is defrauding advertisers and denying potential revenue to Google and other search engines. The "Bahama botnet," a collection of thousands of compromised computers that has been defrauding online advertisers lately, has also been stealing revenue from Google (NSDQ: GOOG). Read more….. ...read full article October 6, 2009 Microsoft Blocks Hacked Hotmail AccountsPhishing scam may also have breached e-mail services offered by Google and Yahoo.Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) has taken the extraordinary step of blocking all access to thousands of Hotmail e-mail accounts that were compromised as a result of massive Internet phishing scam. ...read full article October 6, 2009 A Look at Stolen Hotmail Data Finds Simple Passwords1234567 may not be a very secure password, but it's popular on Hotmail. That's according to Bogdan Calin, a security researcher who got hold of 10,000 stolen Windows Live Hotmail usernames and passwords that were posted to the Web site PasteBin late last week. ...read full article October 6, 2009 House weighs bill protecting accidental P2P data leaksThe U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee has passed a bill intended to prevent inadvertent disclosure of information on peer-to-peer (P2P) file-sharing programs. ...read full article October 5, 2009 Identity theft, lack of regulation spur home health group to require employee background checksAmid growing concerns over safety, the Michigan Home Health Agency is developing plans to require staff qualifications, training and criminal background checks for all home-health providers in Michigan, according to local news items. ...read full article October 5, 2009 Protecting your rebuilt nest eggID theft basics for boomers(ARA) - When the shock of shattered nest eggs eased, many Americans got down to the serious work of rebuilding their financial futures. Already, tentative predictions of improvement are replacing dire warnings of doom in headlines across the country. ...read full article October 5, 2009 Hackers Plan to Clobber the Cloud, Spy on BlackberriesA new era of computing is on the rise and viruses, spies and malware developers are tagging along for the ride. The new playground for hackers is "the cloud," the term for computer applications and services hosted on the Internet. Some of the devices making the cloud more popular these days are BlackBerries and other smartphones. ...read full article October 5, 2009 Microsoft acknowledges Windows Live ID breachThe credentials of thousands of Microsoft Windows Live ID accounts were posted online late last week, company officials said Monday. ...read full article October 5, 2009 Army Special Forces document leaked on P2P networkA recent breach involved a U.S. Army Special Forces document containing the names, Social Security numbers, home phone numbers and home addresses of 463 soldiers from the Third Special Forces group, based out of Fort Bragg, N.C. The document also contained names and ages of soldiers' spouses and children. ...read full article October 4, 2009 E-mail error sends out students' Social Security numbersSuffolk Community College has agreed to pay a company for the next year to monitor the credit of 300 students whose last names and Social Security numbers were mistakenly listed in an attachment to an e-mail sent to those students last month. ...read full article October 3, 2009 Blue Cross physicians warned of data breachStolen laptop had doctors’ tax IDsThe largest health insurer in Massachusetts is warning roughly 39,000 physicians and other health care providers in the state that personal information, including Social Security numbers, may have been compromised after a laptop containing the data was stolen in August from an employee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s national headquarters in Chicago. ...read full article October 2, 2009 Beware Hijacked Social Networking Accounts, FBI WarnsSocial networking sites are becoming a more popular attack vector for cybercriminals because people trust those they believe to be friends.Think twice before wiring money to help a Facebook friend who claims to be in trouble in a foreign country. Marking the commencement of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on Thursday warned that there's been an increase in hijacked social networking accounts and that cybercriminals are using these accounts to defraud victims' friends. ...read full article October 1, 2009 Payroll services firm PayChoice breachedHackers recently launched a sophisticated scam in which they breached a payroll services vendor and used the information obtained to craft targeted messages aimed at getting customers to download an information stealing trojan. ...read full article October 1, 2009 Facebook Hit with New Spyware ScamHackers bypassed the social networking site's captchas to create new accounts at will.Facebook on Thursday was hit with yet another spyware attack. This time hackers managed to crack the security captchas -- the words or letter combinations that users are asked to retype when registering -- to create new Facebook accounts designed to steal users' account and personal information. ...read full article October 1, 2009 DHS to hire up to 1,000 cybersecurity expertsThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to hire up to 1,000 people to fill cybersecurity jobs across the agency, Secretary Janet Napolitano announced Thursday. ...read full article October 1, 2009 Dumpsters: Easy Cash for Identity ThievesPaper breaches year-to-date 2009 jumped to more than 25% of the total reported breaches tracked by the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). This compares to 17.7% reported for the year 2008. As of September 30th, 99 paper breaches have been documented on the ITRC breach list compared to the total of 116 for the entire 2008 year. The business community accounted for 35 of the 99 total public paper breaches reported. Banking/Financial and Educational entities had the fewest paper breaches to date. ...read full article October 1, 2009 Express Scripts data breach may have hit 700,000 victimsLast year's data breach of St. Louis-based Express Scripts may be more serious than initially believed. ...read full article October 1, 2009 Suspected Identity Theft Ring Leader ArrestedSEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. -- A Seminole County man was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly stealing mail and using that information to make fake I.D.s and checks. The suspect faced a judge Thursday who set a $20,000 bond. ...read full article October 1, 2009 Three Charged in Access Device Fraud and Identity Theft ConspiracyUnited States Attorney Michael L. Levy today announced the filing of an Indictment1 against Michael D. Lewis, Cantrell Fletcher, a/k/a “Man Man,” and Keith Pearsall, a/k/a “Goat,” charging that from December 2007 through May 2009, they participated in a conspiracy to steal credit and debit card numbers and use them to buy things of value. ...read full article September 30, 2009 Facebook Warns Members about Rise in '419' ScamMore and more fraudsters are harvesting the log-in data of Facebook members in order to impersonate them and ask their friends for money, according to the social-networking company. ...read full article September 30, 2009 Banking Trojan steals money from under your noseResearchers at security firm Finjan have discovered details of a new type of banking Trojan horse that doesn't just steal your bank log in credentials but actually steals money from your account while you are logged in and displays a fake balance. ...read full article September 30, 2009 Identify theft on the rise in VirginiaShred all your documents displaying bank account and Social Security numbers. Be careful about sharing personal information on the Internet, and don’t respond to e-mails requesting it. ...read full article September 30, 2009 Touchless 3-D FingerprintingA new non-contact, 3-D fingerprinting system could make spotting the bad guys faster and easier, whether it's at the border or the police precinct. By projecting patterns of light onto a finger and analyzing the image, researchers from the University of Kentucky are able to create a more accurate print than those made with ink or sensor plates. The researchers say the system is more efficient than traditional fingerprinting and significantly reduces the number of incorrect matches. ...read full article September 30, 2009 National Guard members warned of identity theft scamSPRINGFIELD - The Illinois Army National Guard has had its identity impersonated in an effort to steal the identities of others. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Will your privacy be compromised online?(CNN) -- The 2010 Census is nearly under way, but don't expect an e-mail from the U.S. Census Bureau asking you personal questions in its head count of America. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Second city man arrested in ID fraudFeds: 2 used DUI reports to get vital infoA second Lancaster County man has been charged by the U.S. Department of Justice in an identity-theft scheme that targeted DUI offenders in Lancaster and York counties. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Recycling project a security breach at MUNA project intended to reuse paper from campus offices at Memorial University of Newfoundland has accidentally breached some students' privacy. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Mastic Beach woman charged with identity theftA Mastic Beach former mortgage broker who owned an employment agency has been charged with identity theft after she used client information to run several scams, police said. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Cop accused of tip line cash theft to stand trialA Detroit Police Officer accused of stealing more than $26,000 in reward money from a police tip line stood silently in 16th District Court in Livonia this morning as a judge ordered his case to circuit court. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Microsoft Bing Ads Warn About ScamsAs part of its ongoing security push, Microsoft is teaming up with the government and Western Union to run search ads to educate users about potential online fraud.In keeping with expanding efforts to educate consumers about security risks, Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), in conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission, the United States Postal Inspection Service and Western Union, has launched a series of online public service announcements (PSAs) on its Bing search engine to warn searchers about online scams. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Two Romanian Citizens Extradited to the United States to Face Charges Related to Alleged Phishing SchemeNora R. Dannehy, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Kimberly K. Mertz, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that two Romanian citizens have been extradited to the United States to face charges stemming from an alleged Internet “phishing” scheme that victimized individuals, financial institutions and companies. PETRU BOGDAN BELBITA, 25, of Craiova, Romania, and CORNEL IONUT TONITA, 28, of Galati, Romania, each have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with access devices, one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Florida Man Sentenced for Identity TheftINDIANAPOLIS—Richard L. Marzullo, 56, Orlando, Florida, was sentenced to 70 months' imprisonment today by U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young following his guilty plea to aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, interstate transport of stolen property and conspiracy, announced Timothy M. Morrison, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana. This case was the result of a investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ...read full article September 29, 2009 New Identity Theft Laws to Take EffectHARTFORD, Conn. -- New laws to protect those who are victims of identity theft will take effect in Connecticut on Oct. 1. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Fake IRS email spam continues to strike usersA fake email notice that purports to come from the Internal Revenue Service is continuing to make the rounds, widely ramping up attacks against businesses and individuals, according US-CERT. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Majority think outsourcing threatens network securityA majority of IT security professionals believe that outsourcing technology jobs to offshore locations has a negative impact on network security, according to a survey released Tuesday. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Mayor Bloomberg to Protect New Yorkers from Identity TheftMayor Bloomberg today announced a comprehensive plan to help prevent fraud and identity theft, in addition to providing greater assistance to the victims of these crimes. The plan will increase the public’s awareness of potentially compromising situations and create a set of “Best Practices” for businesses that handle personal information. ...read full article September 29, 2009 Malware worldwide grows 15 percent in SeptemberA rise in malware has caused the number of infected PCs worldwide to increase 15 percent just from August to September, says a report released Tuesday from antivirus vendor Panda Security. ...read full article September 28, 2009 Do Phishers Have More Poles in the Water?Are phishing attacks going up or down? The answer depends on who you ask. Undoubtedly, phishing is still a big problem on the Internet, but regular statistical reports from various vendors leave a mixed picture. Vendors tend to collect data in different ways as well as from different sources, and it's difficult to find two reports that enable a true one-to-one comparison. ...read full article September 28, 2009 Doctors mistakenly fax patients' data to Indiana CompanyDoctors continue to send information to wrong numberDoctors' offices in Tennessee have been accidentally sending patient information, including Social Security numbers and medical histories, to an Indiana businessman's fax machine for the past three years. ...read full article September 28, 2009 Only 1 In 4 Terror Suspects ProsecutedWASHINGTON -- The government is prosecuting only about one out of four of those charged in connection with terrorism, according to a study that suggests federal agencies don't agree on who is a terrorist. ...read full article September 28, 2009 Woman accepts plea deal in La Honda ID theft caseREDWOOD CITY —— A La Honda woman who was part of an identity theft ring that used stolen credit cards to buy merchandise was sentenced to two years probation and four days in jail for her role in the scam, a prosecutor said Monday. ...read full article September 27, 2009 Colo. Springs hospital looks for missing dataCOLORADO SPRINGS - A Colorado Springs hospital and police are investigating the apparent theft of Social Security numbers and other personal information of 175 patients. ...read full article September 26, 2009 Hackers Paid to Hijack MacsA network of Russian malware writers and spammers paid hackers 43 cents for each Mac machine they infected with bogus video software, a sign that Macs have become attack targets, a security researcher said yesterday. ...read full article September 26, 2009 UNC data breach exposes 163,000 SSNsThe University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill today began notifying about 163,000 women about the potential compromise of their Social Security numbers and other personal information after a hacker breached a system containing the data. ...read full article September 25, 2009 Cahokia man gets 8 years for filing 116 false tax returnsEAST ST. LOUIS -- A Cahokia man will spend the next eight years in prison after pleading guilty Sept. 18 to federal fraud charges in connection with filing false electronic income tax returns and collecting more than $1 million in refunds. ...read full article September 25, 2009 Instead of being destroyed, box of employees' personal documents found on curb in front of schoolA box of documents full of employees' personal information was left out in front of a Williamsburg school before the Labor Day weekend. ...read full article September 25, 2009 2007 identity theft aftermath continues to be felt in DelawareSuspecting fraud, WSFS issues new bank cardsMonths after a hacker pulled off the largest identity theft in U.S. history, the aftermath is still being felt in Delaware, where the case has prompted one local bank to deactivate and reissue debit cards for some of its customers. ...read full article September 25, 2009 Mail carrier pleads guilty to federal theft chargesCarey woman says she had drug habitMarsha Billock-Strahm told a federal judge Thursday she wasn't being nosy when she stole select pieces of mail she was supposed to have delivered in rural Wyandot County between 2005 and 2009. ...read full article September 25, 2009 Illegal faces federal ID theft chargesJuan Castro was originally picked up by Eastern Adams Regional Police on driving offenses.An illegal alien from Mexico picked up in June by Eastern Adams Regional Police now faces federal identity-theft charges, according to a press release issued Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. ...read full article September 25, 2009 IRS Scam Now World's Biggest E-mail Virus ProblemCriminals are waging a nasty online campaign right now, hoping that their victims' fears of the tax collector will lead them to inadvertently install malicious software. ...read full article September 25, 2009 House subcommittee passes cybersecurity R&D billThe U.S. House Research and Science Education Subcommittee this week unanimously approved legislation to strengthen the Cybersecurity Research and Development Act. ...read full article September 24, 2009 Department Of Defense Putting Data At RiskData deletion policies aren't being properly followed across the board, risking exposure of personal or sensitive data, report says.The Department of Defense risks exposing personally identifiable information and other sensitive data because it isn't consistently following proper procedures in preparing computer equipment for disposal or reuse, the military's inspector general has found. ...read full article September 24, 2009 Med students crossing the line on the internetThirty-eight percent of deans surveyed said their schools had policies barring unprofessional conduct onlineFrom Facebook to YouTube to personal blogs, future doctors are crossing the line -- and getting in trouble. ...read full article September 24, 2009 Identification theft a disease in health careProviders now required to check patient IDIt's not unusual to be asked to show photo ID when buying cigarettes or alcohol, or going into a night club. But now there is a new reason that people are being asked to pull out their picture identification. ...read full article September 24, 2009 ABA Wants Quick Ruling Against FTC in Suit over Identity Theft RulesThe American Bar Association is hoping for a speedy -- and successful -- end to its lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission, which is getting ready to impose identity theft rules on law firms and other businesses that extend credit. ...read full article September 24, 2009 Construction Firm Sues After $588,000 Online TheftA construction company in Maine is suing its bank after about $588,000 disappeared from its accounts, alleging the bank failed to spot suspicious account activity before it was too late. ...read full article September 24, 2009 Protect Your Identity Week 2009The ITRC is proud to support the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) and Council of Better Business Bureaus joint National Protect Your Identity Week (PYIW) October 17-24, 2009. ...read full article September 24, 2009 Protect Your Privacy on Facebook and TwitterWeb surfing is no longer a solo affair. Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks have quickly become an integral part of the online culture, and with them comes a whole new array of potential security threats. In this article, I'll identify some of the key dangers of social networking and offer a few easy steps that you can take to stay safe online. ...read full article September 23, 2009 Man given time served for massive ID theftWILMINGTON -- One of two men involved in a massive theft of ATM card information -- along with money from those compromised accounts -- was sentenced to time served, or just over two years in prison, on Tuesday in federal court. ...read full article September 23, 2009 Man killed in crash shortly before sentencingCOVINGTON, Ky. -- A northern Kentucky man has been killed in an Ohio traffic crash shortly before he was to be sentenced on a theft charge. ...read full article September 23, 2009 ID Analytics Expands Availability of On-Demand Identity Intelligence Solutions for the Government MarketSAN DIEGO, CA, September 23, 2009 – ID Analytics, Inc., the leader in on-demand identity intelligence, announced today its risk management solutions are now available on its’ U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule. Under this modification, government agencies have streamlined access to ID Analytics’ identity scoring technology currently used in the daily operations of Fortune 100 financial services, healthcare, telecommunication companies, and retailers to increase program integrity while maintaining a positive customer experience. ...read full article September 23, 2009 Google Urges Cooperation against Bad Ads, MalwareA malicious ad surfaced in Google search results just as Google called for a more concerted industry effort against such scams.As if to underscore its call for greater industry cooperation to fight malicious online ads and content, Google allowed a scam ad to appear briefly atop search results on Tuesday for the term "Firefox." ...read full article September 23, 2009 New Twitter worm strikesA new worm attack seems to be breaking out on Twitter, this time through direct messages sent to users, according to reports. ...read full article September 23, 2009 EKU posted about 5,000 Social Security numbers online for a yearThe names and Social Security numbers of about 5,000 Eastern Kentucky University faculty, staff and student workers were posted inadvertently on the Internet last September, where they have been displayed for a year, according to EKU President Doug Whitlock. ...read full article September 23, 2009 Survey: Most organizations struggling to secure dataHampered with issues such as lack of CEO support and budgetary resources, organizations are struggling to secure sensitive data and the majority have experienced a breach, according to a survey released Wednesday by the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by data security company Imperva. ...read full article September 23, 2009 Criminal Hackers, Carders, Dumps, and Identity TheftAlbert Gonzalez and his gang of criminal hackers were responsible for data breaches in retailers and payment processors, with some estimates saying they breached over 230 million records combined. Gonzalez, considered a proficient criminal hacker, provided "dumps," a term which refers to stolen credit card data, to "carders." "Carders" are the people who buy, sell, and trade stolen credit card data online. This video provides an example of an online forum where stolen data is bought and sold. Gonzalez pleaded guilty to his crimes and will be serving the next fifteen years in jail. He and his gang used a combination of schemes that have caused a significant increase in counterfeit fraud. ...read full article September 23, 2009 Woman suspected in counterfeiting schemeAn Otis woman arrested last week has been charged in Reno County District Court with 22 counts in an alleged scheme to make counterfeit money, phony checks and fake driver's licenses. ...read full article September 22, 2009 Privacy groups blast new health care notification ruleThe new health care data breach notification law, which is set to go into effect Wednesday, has drawn harsh criticism from privacy advocates. ...read full article September 22, 2009 Thousands of patients warned about theft of personal informationBAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Thousands of patients at a Kern County health clinic have been warned their personal information could have been stolen. ...read full article September 22, 2009 Breach of Personal Information at CMHACINCINNATI -- Hundreds of Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing residents have had their personal information compromised, including social security numbers, exposing them to potential identity theft. ...read full article September 22, 2009 Madoff investors' security may have been breachedMore than 2,200 Bernard Madoff investors are learning that some of their personal and financial information has potentially been breached after the July theft of a laptop in Dallas, Newsday has learned. ...read full article September 21, 2009 Study: 600K campus records hacked this yearReport calls American universities 'a hacker's dream,' says overhaul of campus IT security is neededComputer 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. ...read full article September 21, 2009 Man guilty in ID theft that ensnared Ben BernankeALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - Federal prosecutors say an Illinois man has pleaded guilty in an identity theft ring that ensnared Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as a victim. ...read full article September 21, 2009 U.S. charges Obama fund-raiser in $290 million fraudNEW YORK (Reuters) - Hassan Nemazee, a fund-raiser for Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and other Democrats, has been indicted for defrauding Bank of America, HSBC and Citigroup Inc out of more than $290 million in loan proceeds, U.S. prosecutors said on Monday. ...read full article September 21, 2009 Rampant brute-force attack against Yahoo MailA widespread brute-force attack against Yahoo email users aims to obtain login credentials and then use the hijacked accounts for spamming, a researcher at Breach Security disclosed last week. ...read full article September 20, 2009 Many scams against college students are hatched online, experts sayFORT WORTH, Texas — Phil Banker said he "freaked out" when he saw his bank account balance after buying a $100 cell phone with his debit card. The receipt showed that $1,919 was missing from his checking account. ...read full article September 18, 2009 Microsoft Files Five Lawsuits To Halt Malicious AdvertisingIn an effort to protect Windows users, Microsoft is suing unidentified scammers for distributing malware through online ads.Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) on Tuesday filed five civil lawsuits in Seattle's King County Superior Court to combat malicious online advertising, or malvertising. ...read full article September 18, 2009 Scam targets veterans' credit card info, VA warns(CNN) -- Watch out for the latest scam targeting veterans and their credit card numbers, the Department of Veterans Affairs warns. ...read full article September 18, 2009 PBS' Curious George site hacked to serve malwareThe website for the popular children's television show "Curious George" was compromised this week to serve malware to visitors, according to researchers at web security vendor Purewire. ...read full article September 17, 2009 On the Lookout for Stimulus FraudIt would not ordinarily go down in the annals of crime. But when Robert Fitzsimmons was arrested this summer and accused of cashing a check made out to his long-dead father at a Pay-O-Matic check cashing store in Manhattan, he became one of the first people in the country accused of stealing some of the $787 billion in federal stimulus money. ...read full article September 17, 2009 Misdirected Spyware Infects Ohio HospitalIt was a bad idea from the start, but even as bad ideas go, this one went horribly wrong. A 38-year-old Avon Lake, Ohio, man is set to plead guilty to federal charges after spyware he allegedly meant to install on the computer of a woman he'd had a relationship with ended up infecting computers at Akron Children's Hospital. ...read full article September 16, 2009 Ex-CTA employee gets 4 years for identity theftAn ex-CTA employee was sentenced to 4 years in prison today for stealing the personal information of customers to buy merchandise from local department stores, according to the Cook County state's attorney's office. ...read full article September 16, 2009 Consumers Accept Device Fingerprinting, Study FindsTo fight online fraud, consumers are warming to the idea of technology that identifies the device they're using.Computer users are willing to accept device profiling if it leads to improved security and less sharing of personal information, according to a study conducted by the Ponemon Institute, an independent privacy research organization. ...read full article September 15, 2009 4 Charged With Identity Theft RingAlleged Ringleader, Robert Lyles, Arrested At BusinessHOUSTON -- Four people have been arrested and charged with running a counterfeit check and fake identity ring that used hundreds of stolen IDs and had nearly 200 customers of the service. ...read full article September 15, 2009 Identity Theft Suspect SoughtPolice Looking For Jeanice Gallegos JuarezSAN ANTONIO -- A $1,000 reward was being offered for information leading to the arrest of a woman wanted on charges of identity theft. ...read full article September 14, 2009 Identity-theft victim catches her thiefA Seattle customer service representative who was the victim of identity theft in January was able to help police break up a ring of ID thieves when a woman tried to open a credit card account using her stolen identity. ...read full article September 14, 2009 Serena Williams meltdown is latest poisoned search attackVideo of tennis star Serena Williams imploding Saturday in the U.S. Open women's semifinals is just the latest search term to be poisoned by attackers wanting to infect users with rogue anti-virus software, researchers said Monday. ...read full article September 12, 2009 Hacker Pleads Guilty In Major Identify TheftAlbert Gonzalez, 28, accused of stealing tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers in one of the largest computer break-ins in U.S. history, pled guilty Friday.A hacker accused of stealing tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers in one of the largest computer break-ins in U.S. history pleaded guilty Friday to fraud, identity theft and other charges. ...read full article September 11, 2009 Chandler man arrested for stealing identity of Marlins pitcherPHOENIX -- A man stopped for having a poorly inflated tire was arrested for stealing the identity of a Florida Marlins pitcher. ...read full article September 11, 2009 Newstead debt collector charged in identity theftState police at Lockport have arrested a Newstead woman accused of purchasing merchandise and paying bills with checking-account and credit-card numbers she obtained from her job at a local debt-collection agency. ...read full article September 11, 2009 Former loan officer indicted on bank fraud and aggravated identity theftMcALLEN — A former Lone Star National Bank loan officer has been indicted on five counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. ...read full article September 9, 2009 Sacramento man pleads guilty in identity theft schemeA Sacramento man who was part of an international identity theft operation pleaded guilty to numerous felony charges in federal court, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday. ...read full article September 9, 2009 Woman guilty in ID theft that ensnared BernankeA doctors' receptionist has admitted to stealing bank account information from patients as part of an identity theft ring that ensnared Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke as a victim. ...read full article September 9, 2009 Trust, but let Google verify: Companies join government in identity authentication experimentOpenID, Information Card announce Web 2.0 initiative with fedsThe Obama administration is collaborating on a pilot program with Web 2.0 organizations and vendors to enable people to access multiple federal Web sites with greater transparency and more control over their personal information, the groups announced today. ...read full article September 9, 2009 DuPont sues employee for trade secrets data breachIndustrial manufacturing giant DuPont has sued an employee it claims was planning to smuggle trade secrets to China, according to a report this week in The News Journal of Delaware. ...read full article September 9, 2009 Cutwail botnet authors behind wave of malicious IRS spamResearchers at an email security firm warned Wednesday of a new spam run that seeks to infect machines by tricking users into believing the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is trying to contact them over a fraudulent incident. ...read full article September 8, 2009 Mobile phone ID fraud increasesThere has been a rise in the number of mobile phone accounts being cloned or taken over by criminals, figures show.According to the UK fraud prevention service Cifas, the practice is one of the growth areas of identity theft. ...read full article September 8, 2009 How To Prevent Card-Skimming Identity TheftThe PCI Security Standards Council (PCI SSC) provides a framework and in-depth guidelines on how merchants securely store and transmit payment card account data to keep it out of the hands of criminals. Non-compliance with the standards can result in fines of up to $500,000 issued by credit card associations such as Visa Inc. and MasterCard Inc. PCI recently released best practices for retailers to defend themselves against the growing number of credit- and debit-card skimming scams. ...read full article September 8, 2009 Court allows suit against bank for poor online securityA US couple who had thousands of dollars stolen from their online account have been given the go-ahead by a court to sue their bank for failing to provide adequate security.In 2007 Marsha and Michael Shames-Yeakel fell victim to an ID thief who gained access to their Citizens Financial Bank online account and stole $26,500 from a home equity credit line. ...read full article September 8, 2009 Better Business Bureau Warning, iJango Possible Pyramid SchemeA new money making opportunity that claims to “Multi-level market the Internet” could be nothing more than a pyramid scheme warns the Better Business Bureau (BBB). An investigation by the BBB about iJango – a new self-described multi-level marketing company – finds that this business is aggressively seeking representatives for a product that has no track record. Consumers are paying hundreds of dollars in upfront fees based on the claim that they can earn money by recruiting others to do the same – a red flag for pyramid schemes. ...read full article September 8, 2009 Website exposes sensitive details on military personnelProgramming errors on a website that helps commuters carpool to work are exposing sensitive information of workers for hundreds of employers in Southern California, including at least one military installation. ...read full article September 8, 2009 Thousands of Patients Affected By Hospital BurglaryKern Medical Center Sends Out Notices To 30,000 PatientsBAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- A small burglary has left major problems for Kern Medical Center. That's because someone stole the personal information of thousands of people. ...read full article September 7, 2009 OUTRAGE: Private School Files Abandoned On NY CurbDocuments Containing Sensitive, Personal Student Information Abandoned When School Moves Papers, Some Containing Signatures And Social Security Numbers, Posed Potential Identity Theft NightmareBRIGHTON BEACH, N.Y. (CBS) ? it’s a disturbing mystery unfolding on a Manhattan Street. Boxes of highly confidential student records were dumped on the curb, papers with Social Security numbers, signatures, and personal information – an identity theft nightmare waiting to happen. ...read full article September 7, 2009 Identity theft can be on-campus problemGOFFSTOWN – As students head off to college this fall, there are plenty of things for them to worry about: Passing classes, making friends, decorating dorms, getting invited to the right parties, the freshman 15. ...read full article September 7, 2009 Phony debt collectors raise fear of national data breachThe Better Business Bureau is issuing a national alert about phony debt collectors who are calling consumers and saying they have defaulted on a payday loan and will be arrested if they don't pay immediately. ...read full article September 3, 2009 TJX settles for $525K with four banks over breachTJX announced Wednesday that it has settled with the four remaining banks pursuing a class-action lawsuit against the discount retailer over a major breach disclosed more than 2 1/2 years ago. ...read full article September 3, 2009 Environmental rogue traps users with "green" promiseA new rogueware menace is playing the environmental card, seeking to trap users into buying and downloading useless security software by claiming that donations to an environmental program will be made with every purchase. ...read full article September 3, 2009 FBI Investigates Laptops Sent To GovernorsState officials fear the unsolicited computers could contain malware meant to penetrate the security of state or federal networks.The FBI is investigating why unsolicited laptops have been sent to 10 governors' offices across the nation. The shipments have spurred cybersecurity concerns. ...read full article September 3, 2009 Police: FAU Student Stole Identity To Save TuitionFormer Student Accused Of Stealing Woman's Social Security NumberBOCA RATON, Fla. -- A former Florida Atlantic University student faces years in prison after police said she stole someone's identity to save money on college costs. ...read full article September 1, 2009 Suspect in ID-theft ring that hit Bernanke's wife arrested in Miami-DadeA woman accused of involvement in a major theft ring that targeted the wife of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was arrested Monday night in Miami-Dade County by U.S. marshals. ...read full article September 1, 2009 Recorded telemarketing calls without written permission now illegalYou soon may be hearing a lot fewer of those maddening pre-recorded telephone pitches for everything from car insurance to debt consolidation services. ...read full article September 1, 2009 Instant messaging speeds up data theft dangerIDG News Service - One of the more sophisticated pieces of malware in circulation has been given an upgrade that lets cybercriminals act even faster after they've stolen data from a PC. ...read full article August 31, 2009 SCAM ALERT: Unofficial web sites for DMV registration renewalONEIDA COUNTY, N.Y. (WKTV) - Oneida County residents are asked to be on the alert regarding a web site that appears to renew vehicle registrations, but is, in fact, not connected with state or county government offices. ...read full article August 31, 2009 Woman Finds Social Security Number in Google SearchHarrisburg, Pa. - The Internet is a great tool for researching what kind of scholarships are available. But if you receive a scholarship, the Web can also be a threat to your identity. ...read full article August 31, 2009 Five More Accused in Credit Card Fraud InvestigationThe five men operated thousands of miles from Manhattan, under aliases like “the Viver,” “Inexwor” and “DoZ.” And with their true identities obscured on the Web, Manhattan prosecutors said, these men were able to play intimate roles in a cybertheft that resulted in more than 95,000 stolen credit card numbers and $4 million worth of fraudulent transactions. ...read full article August 28, 2009 Hacker in massive ID theft pleads guiltyAlbert Gonzalez plead guilty to charges related to the largest case of identity theft in U.S. history.BOSTON (Reuters) -- The man accused of masterminding the largest identity theft in U.S. history agreed to plead guilty to related charges, according to court papers filed in Boston federal court Friday. ...read full article August 28, 2009 State govs saying ‘No thanks’ to mystery laptopsOfficials report receiving three to five laptops their offices never orderedCHARLESTON, W.Va. - Even during tight budgetary times, a growing handful of state governors are proving too wary to accept laptop computers that have shown up at their offices this month, unsolicited. ...read full article August 28, 2009 Skype snooping trojan detectedSource code for a new trojan has been released that has the ability to snoop on phone calls over the popular voice over IP (VoIP) program Skype. ...read full article August 27, 2009 Everett cops arrest suspected ID theft kingpinEVERETT, Wash. - The suspected kingpin of a sophisticated identity theft ring that victimized hundreds of people has been arrested following a nearly year-long investigation by Everett police. ...read full article August 27, 2009 Mass SQL injection attacks still scaling upThe mass SQL injection attacks that gained attention earlier this week are continuing, with some 210,000 pages infected so far. All of the attacks are coming from IP addresses based in China, Amichai Shulman, CTO of database security firm Imperva, told SCMagazineUS.com Thursday. ...read full article August 26, 2009 Bernanke's other banking problem: Identity theftSome critics of recently reappointed Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke argue that he was too slow to realize that the financial system was teetering on the brink of collapse during 2008. But Bernanke might have had another, more personal banking issue on his mind at the time, Newsweek reports: his wife Anna's purse was stolen in August 2008, and the thieves used its contents to access the couple's joint checking account. ...read full article August 24, 2009 New mass SQL injection attack infects 56,000 websitesTens of thousands of websites have been compromised with a suite of malware containing backdoors, password stealers and downloaders, according to a security firm. ...read full article August 22, 2009 New Hartford phone scam has people posing as grandchild asking for moneyNEW HARTFORD, N.Y. (WKTV) - The New Hartford Police department is alerting the public of a phone scam targeting the elderly. ...read full article August 21, 2009 Health care breach notification mandatedTwo new rules were created this week requiring health care organizations, and other entities that interact with personal health records (PHRs), to issue notifications in the event of a data breach. ...read full article August 21, 2009 BU reports ROTC information data breachBoston University officials have confirmed that personal information of thousands of individuals associated with an Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program was exposed through a public file transfer program installed on a BU computer, according to a university publication. ...read full article August 21, 2009 New York: Debt collectors illegally threatened arrest, assaultNEW YORK (CNN) -- Michele Minton was crying as she listened to a man tell her she'd be arrested within the hour if she didn't pay a $4,400 debt. ...read full article August 20, 2009 Mail carrier aids ID theft investigationWomen accused of using data on co-workers, job applicantsAn alert mail carrier’s suspicions led to charges that two Milwaukee women stole personal information from job applicants and workers at a store one of the women managed and used it to commit identity theft. ...read full article August 20, 2009 Identity-Theft Malware Flourishes during Economic Downturn, According to PandaLabsOf the 37,000 new viruses, worms, Trojans and other security threats that appear each day, 71 percent are Trojans, mostly designed for identity theftGLENDALE, Calif., Aug. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Panda Security, the Cloud Security Company, today announced that PandaLabs, the company's laboratory for detecting and analyzing malware, has discovered that the number of users affected by malware designed for identity theft has increased 600 percent this year compared to the same time in 2008. Most of these variants are Trojans, with many incidents of phishing, worms, and spyware. ...read full article August 20, 2009 Radisson Hotels Computers CompromisedA hacker appears to have had access to guest information at a limited number of hotels for several months.Radisson Hotels & Resorts' chief operating officer Fredrik Korallus on Wednesday said in an open letter to company customers that the computer systems at some Radisson hotels in the U.S. and Canada had been accessed illegally. ...read full article August 19, 2009 Hacker Accesses Berkeley J-School SSNsBreach affects nearly 500 applicantsHere’s some investigative fodder for budding reporters at UC Berkeley’s School of Journalism: How did a hacker manage to break into what student newspaper The Daily Cal describes as “a private segment of the journalism school's primary public web server” to steal Social Security numbers and other private data? ...read full article August 19, 2009 Facebook Security: Inside a Hacker ChatBelow is the transcript of a real Facebook Chat conversation between a savvy user, Derek, and a scammer who has gained access to Derek's friend's account and is trying to trick Derek out of money. ...read full article August 18, 2009 Prosecutors say man stole 130M credit card numbersA former government informant known online as "soupnazi" stole information from 130 million credit and debit card accounts in what federal prosecutors are calling the largest case of identity theft yet. ...read full article August 17, 2009 How were Social Security numbers given away?CONCORD, N.H. – When Tropical Storm Chata'an struck the Federated States of Micronesia in 2002, the U.S. government sent 1,300 blankets, 4,000 disposable diapers, 30 cases of sardines — and my Social Security number. ...read full article August 17, 2009 Stolen ID Ordeal: Theft years ago left lasting pain for Lowell manLOWELL -- It seemed so insignificant at the time, Hung Kim Te doesn't even remember the date: Someone broke into his pickup truck as it was parked on Franklin Street, and stole some paperwork from his glove box. ...read full article August 17, 2009 Hackers Stole IDs for AttacksWASHINGTON -- Russian hackers hijacked American identities and U.S. software tools and used them in an attack on Georgian government Web sites during the war between Russia and Georgia last year, according to new research to be released Monday by a nonprofit U.S. group. ...read full article August 15, 2009 Wells Fargo employee accused of fraud, theftA Wells Fargo call center employee accused of accessing the bank's computer system and using customers' information to pay off debts and obtain credit and ATM cards was arrested Friday in Sacramento on numerous federal allegations of bank fraud. ...read full article August 14, 2009 2 arrests in SoCal $678K Medicare fraud caseTwo women are under arrest for allegedly participating in a scheme to bilk $678,000 from the Medicare program, money that was later used to purchase a gold Hummer and other luxury items. ...read full article August 14, 2009 Tustin man sentenced for identity theftTUSTIN, Calif. -- An Orange County man who fled to Mexico has been sentenced to 31 years in state prison for stealing the identities of more than a dozen people and using them to buy property. ...read full article August 14, 2009 Private-eye team each gets 6 months in ID theft caseTACOMA — A couple who ran a private-investigation firm have been sentenced to six months in prison and two years supervised release for using illegal methods to dig up dirt on people who were involved in court cases or litigation. ...read full article August 14, 2009 Florida officer gets 8 years for identity theft scamWEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida officer has been sentenced to eight years in prison for using official databases in an online identity theft scam. ...read full article August 14, 2009 Staten Islanders beware: You may be the victim of identity theftSome Staten Islanders may be the victims of identity theft and not even know it yet. American Express card members are now learning that their accounts may have been compromised by an employee's recent theft of data. ...read full article August 13, 2009 Utah man sentenced in identity theft caseA man who pleaded guilty to identity theft in federal court has been sentenced to four years in prison.SALT LAKE CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to identity theft in federal court has been sentenced to four years in prison. ...read full article August 12, 2009 Man gets 3 years in prison for stealing IDs over LimeWireA Washington state man who admitted using the LimeWire file-sharing program to steal tax returns and other sensitive documents has been sentenced to more than three years in federal prison. ...read full article August 12, 2009 LimeWire ID Theft Case Raises P2P ConcernsDo users understand what they're sharing on P2P networks?A federal court on Tuesday sentenced a Washington man to 39 months in prison for using P2P file-sharing service LimeWire to obtain personal information from unsuspecting users' tax returns and other documents stored on their PCs. ...read full article August 12, 2009 Widespread Harassment from Phony Debt Collectors Raises Concerns of Mass Data Breach, Warns BBBChicago, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Scammers may have Social Security and bank account numbers, home addresses and employer information Chicago, IL - August 5, 2009 - The Better Business Bureau is issuing an alert about phony debt collectors that are calling consumers nationwide and claiming that they have defaulted on a payday loan and will be arrested if they don't pay immediately. Claiming to be lawyers, the scammers say they are with the "Financial Accountability Association" or the "Federal Legislation of Unsecured Loans" and are equipped with a disconcerting amount of personal information about their potential victims. ...read full article August 10, 2009 Mexican Drug Trafficker Convicted of Aggravated Identity TheftLAREDO, TX—Mexican citizen Jose Guadalupe Ramirez Ortiz, 33, has been convicted of falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen and committing aggravated identity theft during his attempted illegal entry into the country earlier this year, United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. Ortiz pleaded guilty to both federal offenses today before United States Magistrate Judge Diana Saldaña. ...read full article August 9, 2009 7 Expensive Mistakes College Students MakeEvery August, millions of parents nationwide load up minivans and head out to drop off their high school grads at college. But while college freshman may be academically prepared for school, they often still have a lot to learn when it comes to managing money. Most new college students have little to no experience handling money on their own, and they end up paying dearly for that inexperience by making costly mistakes. Here we look at some of the most common money mistakes college students make, and provide some tips on how to mitigate or avoid them. ...read full article August 5, 2009 Man Charged With Web Name Theft, Sale on eBayDaniel Goncalves, 25, who works for an online research firm, hacked into an online account belonging to one of the owners of the P2P.com domain name, New Jersey police said. He allegedly shifted ownership to himself and resold the Web site address on eBay to Mark Madsen, a Los Angeles Clippers forward who did not know the name was stolen. ...read full article August 5, 2009 Online Scammers Prey on the JoblessWhen Claude Vera responded to the customer-service job opening he saw on the online-classified site Geebo.com back in February, it seemed like one of a hundred small acts that might get him back to work. Most of his e-mail messages to prospective employers were going unanswered, so he was relieved when Penguin Express Inc. replied the next day with a work-from-home job. ...read full article August 5, 2009 Mozilla Store Security BreachedGatewayCDI, which operates the Mozilla Store, suffered a security breach affecting an undisclosed number of customers.Mozilla on Wednesday disclosed that a security breach had occurred at a third-party vendor that operates the backend infrastructure of the Mozilla Store. The breach occurred at GatewayCDI, a distributor of promotional products based in St. Louis, Missouri. The Mozilla Store sells various items of clothing, software, and other merchandise related to Firefox and other Mozilla projects. ...read full article August 4, 2009 Identity Theft Attempt at DefconCriminal hackers hacked hackers at the annual Defcon conference in Las Vegas. Defcon is a conference of hackers of all breeds. Hackers come in white, black, grey and law enforcement. That’s the Good, Bad, Bi-Hacker and Government. People of all kinds with an intuitive sense for technology and inventiveness descend on Las Vegas to learn and explore and…hack. ...read full article August 4, 2009 IRS Alerts Public to New Identity Theft ScamsWASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service reminds consumers to avoid identity theft scams that use the IRS name, logo or Web site in an attempt to convince taxpayers that the scam is a genuine communication from the IRS. Scammers may use other federal agency names, such as the U.S. Department of the Treasury. ...read full article August 4, 2009 Army Guard to Inform Members of Data LossARLINGTON, Va. – Members of the Army National Guard who could be affected by the theft of a laptop containing their personal data, will be notified through an official letter, Guard officials said here today. ...read full article August 4, 2009 Prosecutor Denies Violating Rights in ID ProbeDENVER -- Colorado authorities say they did not violate anyone's privacy rights when they seized thousands of tax documents to investigate undocumented immigrants for identity theft. ...read full article July 30, 2009 Identity theft hackers attack MI5 websiteComputer hackers attacked the website of intelligence agency MI5 in an apparent bid to steal the identities of web users, according to a report that will embarrass security officials.The security breach could also have enabled the hackers to download viruses onto the machines of anyone using the organization’s website, the Daily Express reported. ...read full article July 30, 2009 Ghanaian man wanted for identity theft in USA Ghanaian man is wanted by the Kitty Hawk police in Dare County, North Carolina, USA for alleged identity theft. ...read full article July 30, 2009 Oregon victim of 35-year ID theft 'elated' at arrestAn Oregon man who was the victim of a 35-year-long identity theft case says he's so happy about an arrest in the case that he could kiss the special agent who handled it. ...read full article July 30, 2009 iPhone vulnerable to hacker attacks: researchersLAS VEGAS (Reuters) - Security experts have uncovered flaws in Apple Inc's iPhone that they said hackers can exploit to take control of the popular device, using the tactic for identity theft and other crimes. ...read full article July 30, 2009 DoD Official Says U.S. Needs Separate Cyberczar For Online IdentityDeputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Robert Lentz said a national leader is needed for reducing problems with anonymity on the NetBLACK HAT USA -- LAS VEGAS -- A top Defense Department official today called for a second national cybersecurity czar dedicated to handling problems and risks associated with anonymity on the Internet. Robert Lentz, who is the deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber, identity, and information assurance in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense as well as the chief information assurance officer for DoD, in his keynote address here at Black Hat USA told attendees here that identity is at the heart of securing the Internet. ...read full article July 30, 2009 Man held for identity theft against U.S. Rep.A man is being held in Ghana on charges of attempted extortion and identity theft against U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, D-Boca Raton, the U.S. Secret Service said today. ...read full article July 30, 2009 Black Hat: Clampi banking trojan spreading rapidlyResearchers have identified a new and dangerous banking trojan that can utilize a Windows tool to spread itself to all workstations across an organization. ...read full article July 29, 2009 ‘Red flag’ rule to prevent customer identity theft postponedSome companies are not certain what rules apply to them or what their obligations are, FTC saysThe Federal Trade Commission today delayed until Nov. 1 a rule that would require financial institutions, including investment advisory firms, to have programs to detect and prevent identify theft for their customers. ...read full article July 29, 2009 School District's Teachers Targeted In Identity Theft ScamFAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The list of identity theft victims at a local school district grew longer on Tuesday night, and police are still trying to figure out what happened. ...read full article July 28, 2009 Carded for your care? Docs begin checking IDsNew FTC rule requires physicians, hospitals to help deter identity theftElena Castro was finishing the paperwork to buy her first home when the bank called to warn her of a problem — nearly $10,000 in unpaid hospital bills on her credit report. The charges were for several ear, nose and throat procedures done at hospitals in her region. ...read full article July 28, 2009 Laptop with Personal Info of UCCS Students StolenFaculty Member's Laptop Had Student Names, Social Security NumbersCOLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The personal information of nearly 800 students who attended The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs could be at risk after a faculty member's laptop was stolen from their home. ...read full article July 28, 2009 2 Con Artists Sentenced in Debit Card Theft ScamA second key figure has now been sentenced in identity and debit card theft scams that targeted the elderly and cost victims over $440,000. ...read full article July 28, 2009 Former nursing home worker jailed for patient ID theftREADING — A former Kutztown nursing home employee was sentenced to nine months of house arrest for stealing the identity of an elderly resident who lived at the home. ...read full article July 27, 2009 Child Identity Theft VictimsJason Truxel was denied a mortgage because of bad credit. However he wasn’t aware his credit scores were low so he pulled his credit reports. What he discovered was a tremendous amount of credit card debit and accounts he never opened. One such account showed that a credit card was opened in his name when he was 13 years old. Jason learned the hard way that he was a victim of child identity theft. ...read full article July 27, 2009 Woman charged with identity theftA Jacksonville woman has been charged with identity theft, according to a news release from Sheriff Todd Entrekin. ...read full article July 27, 2009 Man Pleads Guilty To ID Theft, ForgeriesMan Faces Up To 24 Years In PrisonDENVER -- A 46-year-old man has pleaded guilty to stealing the identities of nearly two dozen Coloradans in 10 counties, forging checks in their names and making away with more than $24,000 during a six-month crime spree. ...read full article July 24, 2009 Students don't worry about ID theft, survey findsCollege students and their parents don’t exactly see eye-to-eye when it comes to ID theft. A new survey shows less than a quarter of students interviewed were concerned about having their identities stolen, while the opposite is true for their parents. About 74% indicated they believe students are at moderate-to-high risk for identity theft. ...read full article July 23, 2009 Pending LegislationCongressmen John Tanner (D-TN) and Sam Johnson (R-TX) as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Social Security and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee respectively, introduced legislation meant to enhance the privacy of Social Security numbers in government and private sector records in order to protect Social Security programs from fraud and to combat identity theft. The bill is entitled “The Social Security Number Privacy and Identity Theft Prevention Act of 2009? and is identical to legislation unanimously reported by the Committee on Ways and Means in the 110th Congress. ...read full article July 22, 2009 Smart card, biometrics on the way for Social Security card?The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is exploring the use of biometrics and smart cards for a new Social Security card, SecureIDNews has learned. This could lead to the issuance of as many as 300 million electronic credentials in the next six to eight years. ...read full article July 14, 2009 Microsoft Office users attacked by cybercriminalsMicrosoft Corp (MSFT.O) warned that cybercriminals have attacked users of its Office software for Windows PCs, exploiting a programming flaw that the software giant has yet to repair. ...read full article July 14, 2009 Richmond Woman Sentenced for Bank Fraud and Identity Theft of Elderly WomanRICHMOND, VA—Monica Joanna Howard, age 41, of Richmond, Virginia, was sentenced today to 65 months’ imprisonment, followed by a five-year term of supervised release for bank fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1344, and aggravated identity theft, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028A. Dana J. Boente, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, announced the sentence that was imposed by Chief United States District Judge James R. Spencer. ...read full article July 13, 2009 Report: 85 Percent of U.S. Businesses BreachedThe 2009 Annual Study: U.S. Enterprise Encryption Trends was released on July 13, 2009 by The Ponemon Institute. The study says that 85 percent of surveyed businesses have experienced a data breach in the past year, up from 60 percent in the 2008 study. The report was sponsored by encryption supplier PGP Corp. ...read full article July 13, 2009 New York Official: Tagged Site Stole IdentitiesNew York's attorney general charged Thursday that Tagged.com stole the identities of more than 60 million Internet users worldwide -- by sending e-mails that raided their private accounts. ...read full article July 13, 2009 Cybercrime spreads on FacebookCybercrime is rapidly spreading on Facebook as fraudsters prey on users who think the world's top social networking site is a safe haven on the Internet. ...read full article July 13, 2009 Microsoft Security Advisory (973472)Vulnerability in Microsoft Office Web Components Control Could Allow Remote Code ExecutionMicrosoft is investigating a privately reported vulnerability in Microsoft Office Web Components. An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the local user. When using Internet Explorer, code execution is remote and may not require any user intervention. ...read full article July 10, 2009 Text message scammers quietly prey on regional banksLaw enforcement and security experts say that for more than a year now, scammers have been using scam text messages to prey on small regional banks and their customers. And according to a report released July 14 by Cisco Systems, the problem has only been getting worse in recent months. ...read full article July 10, 2009 Twitter Suspends User Accounts Infected With Koobface WormResearchers say worm sends tweets with a variety of URLs that lead victims to malware infectionTwitter is warning members that the Koobface worm is on the loose in the Twitterverse, and that the social network is temporarily suspending any accounts it discovers spreading the worm. ...read full article July 10, 2009 Reports pour in under CA’s New Privacy LawsReports of health record breach violations have been pouring into the California Department of Public Health since the state began requiring healthcare entities to report all incidents of unauthorized record access. ...read full article July 9, 2009 Identity Theft – Phishing ScamThe Oshkosh Police Department and the Wisconsin Department of Justice are urging folks to be on guard against a recent phishing scam that has recently appeared in Wisconsin. Recently, the Department of Justice received reports of people calling homes and cell phones in an attempt to gain personal information. ...read full article July 6, 2009 Carnegie Mellon Researchers Find Social Security Numbers Can Be Predicted from Publicly Available InformationCarnegie Mellon University researchers have shown that public information readily gleaned from governmental sources, commercial data bases, or online social networks can be used to routinely predict most — and sometimes all — of an individual's nine-digit Social Security number. ...read full article July 6, 2009 New York Warns Agents on Identity Theft ScamNew York State licensed insurance agents and brokers should be aware of an identity theft scam involving telephone calls used to target insurance professionals in at least a half dozen states. ...read full article June 24, 2009 Security Breach Leaves 45,000 at Risk of Identity TheftOn Tuesday Cornell informed more than 45,000 current and former members of the University community that their sensitive personal information — including name and social security number — had been exposed when a University-owned laptop was stolen earlier this month. ...read full article June 23, 2009 Miami group charged in $100 million Medicare fraudA band of conspirators in Miami defrauded the U.S. healthcare system by creating phony clinics that churned out $100 million of medical bills in five states, federal prosecutors said on Tuesday, June 23. ...read full article June 23, 2009 ID TheftSomeone gets your social, ruins your credit, upends your life. And gets away free and clearIt wasn't long after Brandon Sharp turned 30 that he proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes, and the plans for marriage made him "realize it was time to change my priorities," namely, time to buy a house. They wanted one in spring, and when they found the place that was right, they went to a mortgage broker's office one day. That's when Sharp found out there was no way he'd get approved for a loan. There were too many bad marks against his credit, the broker told him. ...read full article June 22, 2009 Member of identity theft ring sentenced to prisonA 27-year-old woman was sentenced today to three years and four months in prison for her part in an identity theft ring, according to a Sacramento County District Attorney's Office news release. ...read full article June 18, 2009 Corporate TakeoverA New Twist on Identity TheftLate last month, we helped wrap up a case that took identity theft to a whole new level: one company trying to steal $23 million by pretending to be another company. ...read full article June 12, 2009 Medical Problems Could Include Identity TheftBrandon Sharp, a 37-year-old manager at an oil and gas company in Houston, has never had any real health problems and, luckily, he has never stepped foot in an emergency room. So imagine his surprise a few years ago when he learned he owed thousands of dollars worth of emergency-service medical bills. ...read full article June 4, 2009 Peabody Man Indicted for Identity Theft and Bank FraudBOSTON, MA—A Peabody man was charged today in federal court with stealing bank customer identities to fraudulently withdraw bank funds. ...read full article June 1, 2009 Maryland Woman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Public Money and Aggravated Identity TheftDefendant fraudulently obtained more than $77,000 in unemployment compensation by using social security numbers of other individualsWASHINGTON—A 43-year-old Bowie, Maryland woman, Rhonda Dale Robinson, has pled guilty to one count of Theft of Public Money and two counts of Aggravated Identity Theft, Acting U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips; Charles Willoughby, Inspector General of the District of Columbia Office of the Inspector General (D.C. OIG); Joseph Persichini, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Washington Field Office; and Gordon S. Heddell, Inspector General of the Office of the Inspector General, U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), announced today. ...read full article May 27, 2009 Eighteen charged in NY bank fraud, ID theft schemeProsecutors in New York said on Wednesday they have indicted 18 people for operating a bank fraud and identity theft scheme that resulted in the cashing of more than 1,000 counterfeit checks at several large banks. ...read full article May 27, 2009 Guilty Pleas in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Fraud and Identity Theft ChargesBATON ROUGE, LA—United States Attorney David R. Dugas announced today that ROBERT THOMPSON, the leader of a massive identity theft and bribery scheme, pled guilty this afternoon before Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ralph E. Tyson to charges of conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, computer fraud, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and obstruction of justice. One of his co-conspirators, CHARLENE B. JACKSON, also pled guilty this afternoon before Judge Tyson to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering. ...read full article May 22, 2009 Former Bank Teller Pleads Guilty to Identity TheftPHILADELPHIA—Lauren W. Arnold, 21, of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty today to stealing the identifying information of Wachovia Bank customers while she worked there as a teller, in 2008, announced United States Attorney Laurie Magid. Arnold sold the customer names, addresses, social security numbers, dates of birth, drivers’ license numbers, and account balances, to a third party. The third party enlisted others and the information was used to negotiate fraudulent checks in the customers’ names and to make unauthorized withdrawals from the customers’ accounts. Arnold pleaded guilty to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft. The total intended loss to Wachovia Bank was over $270,000. ...read full article May 19, 2009 Don't let ID thieves hijack your job huntScammers increasingly are targeting job seekers; here are 6 ways to protect yourself.Let's say you've been job hunting for months now, and applied to so many employers you're starting to lose track of them all. One day you get a call from someone in HR at a well-known company. He found your resume on an online job board, thinks it's very impressive, and is looking forward to meeting you, he says. To set up the interview, he asks for your home address, date of birth and Social Security number. Odds are, you give him the information, even if it seems a bit strange. After all, this person could end up offering you a job, and you don't want to seem difficult to work with. And odds are, you'll never hear from him again, or the company he claimed to represent -- but, within a day or two, he'll have opened half a dozen credit cards in your name, maxed them out, and created an enormous mess it could take you years to straighten out. ...read full article May 12, 2009 Cops: Sales clerk surrenders in credit-card number theftsA 22-year-old sales clerk turned herself in to Sheriff's personnel after purchasing more than $15,000 with stolen credit card numbers, according to a Sacramento County Sheriff's Department news release. ...read full article May 11, 2009 ATMs on Staten Island rigged for identity theft; bandits steal $500GA band of brazen thieves ripped off hundreds of New Yorkers by rigging ATMs to steal account and password information from bank customers. ...read full article May 11, 2009 Dublin man gets house arrest for theft schemeA Dublin man who was a high-school senior when he was arrested in an identity-theft scheme was sentenced to six months of house arrest and three years of probation in U.S. District Court in Beckley, W.Va., today. ...read full article May 1, 2009 East Boston Man Sentenced in Identity Theft, Credit Card Fraud RingBoston, MA—An East Boston man was sentenced yesterday for his role in a scheme to steal credit cards from health club locker rooms and take more than $350,000 in cash advances at horse race tracks in at least 10 states. ...read full article April 29, 2009 Former Fed Employee Arrested for Stealing Co-worker IdentitiesAllegedly used info for student loansLast week, federal authorities arrested Curtis L. Wiltshire, a former IT analyst for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (FRB-NY), for stealing bank employees’ identities to fraudulently obtain student loans. His brother Kenneth Wiltshire was arrested separately for attempting to obtain a boat loan using identities stolen from federal workers, according to a Department of Justice release. ...read full article April 27, 2009 San Francisco Man Sentenced for Role in Identity TheftSAN FRANCISCO—James Linville was sentenced Friday to 45 months in prison for assuming the identity of another person and possessing more than 15 credit cards in that person’s name, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello announced. ...read full article April 1, 2009 FBI: Thousands of Puerto Ricans victims of ID theftAs many as 12,000 Puerto Rican schoolchildren, teachers and school administrators are believed to be victims of an identity-theft ring that sold stolen personal documents to illegal immigrants in the mainland United States, according to the FBI. ...read full article February 26, 2009 Stillwater Woman Pleads Guilty to Identity TheftA 44-year-old Stillwater woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to fraudulently inducing the bank in which she was employed to make mortgage loans to her based on fraudulent documents. ...read full article August 21, 2007 Stopping Student ID TheftFinancial author Dave Ramsey explains to Julie Chen why students are the most likely target for identity theft and what they can do to stop it from happening. ...read full article |
Contact Information Center for Identity Management and
Information Protection Utica College
1600 Burrstone Road Utica, NY 13502 |
1600 Burrstone Road, Utica, NY 13502 • Phone: (315) 792-3006
For comments or suggestions contact
Copyright © 2009 - Utica College - All Rights Reserved
For comments or suggestions contact
Copyright © 2009 - Utica College - All Rights Reserved