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Identity Theft Labs

Commentary

What’s Your Data Breach Response Plan?

A survey conducted by the Ponemon Institute was released this past September showed troubling results. The survey showed that 67% of the respondents don’t think their organization would know what to do after its data has been breached. In fact, 68% don’t believe their company would even know how to respond to the negative publicity if a data breach occurred. What’s even sadder is 73% of those companies surveyed do have a data breach response plan in place, but only 30% of the plans are seen as effective.

So what can businesses and companies do? Get educated. Companies should incorporate training to their employees to properly safeguard customers’ sensitive data. They should also enforce awareness of their responsibility to protect their customers’ information should a data breach be found. For more on this view and other studies on this subject, click here:: Do you have a Data Breach Response Plan?
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Cybersecurity Teams’ Most Wanted

When it comes to cybersecurity, prevention is key. The best way to prevent malware from infecting a network is to know it. “Know thy enemy” and all that. So what are the biggest malware threats currently?

BlackEnergy specializes in DDoS attacks, bank scams, and spam that collects data off the target’s hard drives. Dyreza using browser hooking to interrupt traffic flow between a user’s device and their target website to obtain user credentials for banking and financial sites. Crowti is usually downloaded by other malware via email attachment to encrypt a target’s files to hold your data ransom. These are but a few enemies cybersecurity experts and we need to be aware of. For a more detailed article with other threats to learn about, click here:: Today’s Top 5 Malware Threats
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‘Tis the Season of Charity, Worthwhile Causes, and Cybercrooks

Many worthwhile charities and causes are given extra attention and needed funding during the holiday season. However, this can be a prime opportunity for Scroogely hackers to usurp credit card information from donors by creating phony charities. How can one discern what’s a real charity from a Grinch in disguise?

One way to check on a charity’s legitimacy is to visit www.charitynavigator.org. It is a free website that not only tells you whether or not a charity website is a scam, but also breaks down how much of your donation goes to the cause and how much goes to the charity’s employees. You can also contact a charity directly at website or phone number to check out its legitimacy. If a charity website fails to provide such contact info, steer clear. For a full article on holiday scams to avoid, click here:: Scams: Don’t let the Grinch ruin your holidays

 
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Basic Awareness Makes Quality ID Theft Protection

With so much money spent on cybersecurity and other methods to prevent identity and credit card theft, it is clear that hackers are getting smarter and faster. However, while it is important to stay one step ahead of them in terms of software, many effective methods of protection remain unchanged. The basics of identity theft protection online and off still apply in 2014.

Regularly checking your credit report allows you to see if there is anyone other than yourself using your social security number. Keeping your credit card covered when shopping and regularly changing your card passwords keeps your credit protected offline. Online, only shop at verified, trusted retailers and log out when you have finished. These steps seem small and simple, yet prevent giant headaches later on. For more on this topic, please click here:: Vigilence is key to thwart ID theft
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Avoiding Scams and Cybercrooks During Cyber Monday

After the past few months of data breaches at Target and other retailers, consumers need to get smart and stay extra protected this holiday season. Online Black Friday weekend sales and Cyber Monday specials might save money on Christmas gifts, but cost you more via credit card data theft if you’re not careful.

Here are a few tips to help you stay safe this sales season. First, scrutinize any online coupons that seem too good to be true or have spelling errors and double check the email address that sent the coupon to see if it’s normal. Be sure that you use unique logins and passwords for each site you visit. It is a pain, but it provides a solid roadblock against hackers. Lastly, be sure that your anti-virus software is up to date and that any previous malware has been purged. For more on holiday shopping cyber security, click here:: Tips to avoid online scammers this holiday season
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