In a recent report by the firm ID Analytics, more than 140,000 children across the United States were found to have been victims of child identity theft. The report supported other studies that have found the same troubling trend, as well as a growing awareness in the cybercrime community of the value of child identities and the ease with which they can be compromised.Today, the Daily Shield welcomes Steve Schwartz, Intersections’ Executive Vice President, Consumer Services. In today’s video presentation, Steve shares some thoughts on how parents can help protect their children from identity theft. It starts with parents understanding how and why their child’s personal information is used by schools, at the doctors office, etc.

Learn more about the growing problem of child identity theft and what you can do about it.

Keep informed about the latest threats to your safety. Join our Facebook group.

In today’s post, Neal O’Farrell talks about the importance of keeping on top of your own personal security. And there is no better time to do that than in October, which is National Cyber Security Awareness Month.

It’s October again and you know what that means. No, not just Halloween, although some of the stuff out there is beginning to get scary. It’s also National Cyber Security Awareness Month and a great time for you to review your security, take a close look at your personal habits, and make some of those changes you might have been putting off.

October should be “take another look” month because it’s a great reminder for you to take another look at some of the stuff you might be taking for granted.

Take another look at Facebook

• Have you changed your password recently? If not, do it now.

• Have you removed any personal information that might help a thief learn more about your background, like where you grew up, went to school, date of birth etc.?

• Have you hidden your mobile phone number on your Facebook page? Your bank may use that number to send you alerts and you don’t want thieves intercepting those alerts.

• Have you revisited your privacy settings lately? Because Facebook changes so much, you should check your settings regularly to make sure they’re still doing what you expect them to. Network World has a great slideshow entitled “Facebook Privacy: 11 settings to revisit now.”

Take another look at your computer and device security

• When was the last time you updated your anti-virus software, and is it set to automatically update?

• Have you checked that your anti-virus program is actually in place and turned on? Make sure that it wasn’t disabled accidently by another user or family member, or even by malware.

• Are you protecting valuable information on your computer or laptop with encryption? It’s a great defense against theft and hackers.

• Have you removed any apps from your phone and tablet that you don’t really need?

• Have you installed security software in your smartphone or tablet? Don’t forget that these devices can be just as vulnerable as your computers.

Take another look at your credit reports

• When was the last time you checked your credit reports? If it’s been more than three months, it might be time to check them again. Check your reports free at www.annualcreditreport.com.

• Are you using IDENTITY GUARD®? IDENTITY GUARD® provides one of the most comprehensive collections of security tools to protect your identity from all kinds of attacks and it works best if you take advantage of all its great features.

Take another look at your browser

• Have you updated it lately or set it to automatically update?

• Have you looked at the security of add-ons and extensions to your browser, and uninstalled extensions you don’t need?

• Have you thought about switching or upgrading to Internet Explorer 9 or IE 9? It has a host of new security features that can provide almost as much protection as desktop security software.

Take another look at your kids

• Are they on Facebook? If they are, have you talked to them about dangers and precautions?

• Have you created your own Facebook page so you can friend your kids and keep an eye on them?

• Have you set rules for what they can’t say and send on their phones and computers?

• Have you moved family computers to a family area – meaning no computers where you can’t see them?

Take another look at your passwords

• Have you changed the most important ones lately, like bank accounts, email, and Facebook?

• Have you moved from passwords to passphrases, to make it easier to create and remember complex passwords?

• Have you started using a password manager to keep all those passwords in a safe place?

• Have you talked to your kids or employees about changing and protecting their passwords?

Take another look at your bank accounts:

• Do you have a password management system, like ID Vault® or an anti-keylogger such as PRIVACYPROTECT®, on your computer to protect your bank logins and passwords from thieves?

• Have you opted for e-statements instead of paper statements, to protect your statements from being intercepted in the mail?

• Have you set up account alerts so that your bank or credit union can immediately notify you of any payments, transfers, or withdrawals?

• Have you changed your bank account password recently?

• Have you checked your statements for any unusual transactions?

Want to learn more about identity theft protection and our credit monitoring services?

Keep informed about the latest threats to your safety. Join our Facebook group.

The Daily Shield is pleased to publish this article by Intersections’ Consumer Security Advisor, Neal O’Farrell.

According to Greek mythology Zeus is actually the Father of the Gods. But in the world of cybercrime, the Zeus Trojan may be the biggest cyber threat this century, if not of all time.

Zeus is a banking Trojan that has swept through the global banking community over the last couple of years, using infected computers to steal bank logins and passwords, bypass security, and plundering bank accounts to the tune of billions of dollars.

 The problem is so bad, Zeus has triggered its own mini security industry, with experts, books, blogs and conferences devoted to this one piece of malware and its marauding spawn of copycats. 

To my point. Zeus has sparked a raging debate over the future of online banking, security and authentication, and global cooperation. 

And here are the most common solutions being offered: 

• More cooperation between financial institutions, on issues of security and authentication, and more standardization of security to make it easier for financial institutions to implement. 
• More cooperation globally within law enforcement, to take down the bad guys faster. 
• More control of financial transfers, especially across borders, to prevent compromised accounts from moving the money. 
• Greater focus on the “mules” – the sometimes innocent but often not so innocent individuals recruited to set up local bank accounts to which the stolen money is moved before being transferred out of the country.

 All well and good. Except for one problem. Where are the customers in all this? Zeus and other banking Trojans work the exact opposite of attacks like data breaches by hackers. In data breaches, hackers attack the institution first, in search of customer data they can then use to commit identity theft and other frauds.

 Zeus attacks the customers first, by sneaking on to their computers, and then like Trojans sneak into the bank’s network and plunder the accounts.

 One of the best defenses we have against the vital first step in the attack – the attack on the customer’s computer – is customer vigilance. The customer is best placed to protect their computer, and with round-the-clock education, support, and alerts, coupled with sanctions if they fail to take security seriously, Zeus could have many doors slammed in its face.

 And this is where financial institutions are failing. I’ve been with one of the top 3 banks for more than a decade, and can’t remember a single communication from the bank on any security issue in those ten years. Sure, I’ve received plenty of notices advising me that due to some data breach, my card may have been compromised and so is being replaced.

 Of course they never tell me what breach, when, where, what information was stolen and so on. But my bank has never advised me about security, sent me warnings, alerts, tips, offered free software (like my ISP has for years). Nothing.

 You’d think it would be in my bank’s best interest to make me as vigilant as possible. If I become a sentry instead of a vulnerability, I’m protected, my bank is protected, my fellow customers are protected, the bank has fewer security incidents and losses, and the bank’s reputation is less vulnerable.

 Most of all, I learn to trust my bank more. Silence on security is usually interpreted as apathy, that my bank is not thinking about security or my protection, and that my bank doesn’t seem to be at all bothered about all these Trojans like Zeus.

 I know my bank’s position. It’s an archaic one that believes that talking to customers about security makes customers worry about security. Whereas in reality, it’s quite the opposite.

Until banks summon the courage and smarts to engage their customers in their own security, bring them into the fight, and share their security knowledge with customers, Trojans like Zeus will continue to be the father of gods, men, and bank heists.

Keep informed about the latest threats to your safety. Join our Facebook group.

Take the first step. Learn more about the flexible and innovative solutions from IDENTITY GUARD®.

Welcome to The Daily Shield Presents, a podcast featuring interviews, helpful tips, and fun facts on identity protection. These media postings can be enjoyed in a variety of ways:

• Through the blog via the media player found in this blogpost
• Through a manual download by clicking on the “Download” link
• By subscribing through iTunes (coming soon)
  

In this episode, we feature Jerry Thompson, co-founder of White Sky Inc. Jerry takes a moment to talk about various online threats and how IDENTITY GUARD and ID Vault can help protect you from them.

This podcast is copyright 2010, Intersections Inc. All rights reserved.

Any use of the Content not expressly permitted by Intersections’ Terms of Use may violate U.S. or international copyright, trademark, and/or other laws. For questions or feedback please leave us a comment or contact us through IdentityGuard.com.

Episode 02 - Identity Guard TV with Jerry Thompson Download