Entries by Robert Siciliano

Government Tries to Thwart P2P Identity Theft

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Computerworld reports the House Energy and Commerce Committee passed the Informed P2P User Act, a law that supposedly makes it safer to use peer-to-peer, or P2P, file-sharing software. Yawn. The bill now goes to the House for one more round of  approval. If passed, the bill requires developers to explain to users…

70 Million Veterans at Possible Risk For Identity Theft

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Wired reports the inspector general of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is investigating a potential data breach affecting 70 million records of U.S. military veterans. The issue involves a defective hard drive the agency sent back to its vendor for repair without first destroying the data. Once the drive…

Invest in Identity Theft Protection and a Credit Freeze

ConsumersUnion provides a resource for consumers to learn what their options are in regards to a “security or credit freeze”. “There are more than eight million new victims of identity theft each year in the U.S. Many of these victims find that crooks have used stolen personal information like Social Security numbers to open new…

New Identity Theft Virus Steals from Online Banking

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert A new kind of Trojan horse infiltrates your online bank account, and not only steals your log-in information, but also siphons funds directly out of your account. The virus is known as URLZone, is controlled by servers in the Ukraine, and it determines how much money to steal from a victim’s…

High-Tech Harassment in Social Media

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Technology keeps providing new opportunities for harassment: social media identity theft, cell phone abuse, online bullying, the list goes on. Over a year ago, I appeared on The Tyra Show to discuss high tech harassment. I met a family from Washington, who found that several of their phones had been hacked and were…

8 Ways to Prevent Business Social Media Identity Theft

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert There are hundreds, or maybe even thousands of social media sites worldwide such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and YouTube. Social media networks are quickly becoming the bane of the IT Manager. Twitter phishing and Facebook jacking are growing rapidly. Social media is still in its infancy and its security has been an issue since…

New iPhone App Helps Vet a Potential Mate

Robert Siciliano Personal Security Expert So you’re about to go on a date with a person you met briefly in the frozen food section of the supermarket who says to you “You better get out of this aisle because you’re so hot, you’re gonna melt all this stuff”. Flattered and hungry for companionship you immediately…

Twitter Phishing Leads to Identity Theft

Identity Theft Expert Robert Siciliano Twitter phishing is a growing problem and is spreading through a virus. Twitter accounts that have been hacked are spreading a link with a request to click on and download a video. Some Twitter phishing involves Twitter porn. Today Ena Fuentes, who’s definitely a hot little number, started following me on Twitter and wants…

National Protect Your Identity Week Facilitates Identity Theft Protection and Education

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert A recent National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) survey conducted by Harris Interactive(R) revealed that 45 percent of all U.S. adults, roughly 101 million people, would feel at most risk for identity theft when making a purchase with a credit card that requires the card to be temporarily taken out of…

The Scourge of Medical Identity Theft

Robert Siciliano Identity Theft Expert Medical identity theft can make you sick. As I once eloquently explained on CBS’s Early Show, if medical identity theft happens to you, “you’re screwed.” And it’s true. Medical identity theft occurs when the perpetrator uses your name and, in some cases, other aspects of your identity, such as insurance information, to…