onClick Biometrics in touch

Bofa - Goofed!

Bank of America said Friday that it lost Tapes containing info of 1.2 million government card-holders including senators.  This is another example of increasing threat of financial risks and identity theft because of lack of physical and access security within financial institutions.  Let's see how fast BofA learns. Click here for a complete story.

Fighting the good fight

UK citizens who believe in a national ID should be glad they have MP Martin Salter on their side. He believes a properly functioning ID card will be beneficial for the UK, especially when it's loaded up with three biometrics!

Key role for MP in cards scheme.

Facing ID theft.

Here's a little story about Colorado's use of facial recognition in obtaining driver's licenses. This is an interesting excerpt:

Of the nearly 735,000 applications processed between January and September 2004, motor vehicle officials found 528 fraudulent applications - about a quarter of them solely as a result of the facial-recognition computer program.

However even though the computer can narrow down matches to a handful versus a score of people in the database, a human touch is still needed to make that final confirmation. When the computer notices similarities, it's up to an investigator to decide if it's the same person.

Facial scanning targets ID theft.

New Mexico works to make the state inhospitable to identity thieves

New Mexico is launching a campaign to educate on identity theft. The state was ranked 13th in the amount of crimes committed, so rationalizing $200,000 from the Securities Division to cover the campaign should seem worth it. It all began on December 4th with an hour long TV special.

In due time, enough states will be investing their money to the cause, and creating such a ruckus about curbing identity theft that maybe a national organization will be created. A non-profit help center for minimizing loss and capturing the culprits.

(In the meantime, there are companies that exist to provide identity theft insurance and such, like Identity Theft 911.)

New campaign to inform about identity theft.

Time for Wells Fargo to start playing the offense.

Identity thieves decided to take Well Fargo's "hands on banking" a little too far and decided to get their "hands on" some of the company's computers and the customer data. Once again, computers were stolen from a 2nd company being outsourced by Wells Fargo. The PCs contained data on some customers of the bank, making this the 3rd time in a year and a half that Wells Fargo has had their customer data stolen in this manner.

So far, they haven't been made aware of any misuse of information resulting from any of these thefts. Guess they won't really do anything until they do hear of something.

Wells Fargo computers stolen.

Identity Management can't forgo security for convenience.

Identity management solutions need to find a common ground between usability and security. A very good article detailing the real world identity management solutions in place by some of the Fortune 500 companies illustrates that what is ideal and what is real may not always be the case. Especially now since even the term 'identity management' finds itself lacking a universal definition.

The complexity with identity management is that it first means usability. Convenience is key when trying to skim time and money off the top brought about by log-in difficulties for multiple applications. What sounds good to companies now is a single sign-on solution, maybe one for Windows apps and one for web services. The best way to describe something like this would be an organizational tool for speeding up business processes.

It's a management tool in that regard. But what it fails to do is 'identify'. Sure it does once, or twice, but after that, security is no longer a concern. It's an issue. It's something that's bound to be trampled on the first time someone figures out the single sign-on who doesn't belong. Once in, they have access to every application or service permitted.

At least places like BellSouth who are looking to an ID management system also are aware that thousands of customers could be at risk because they want to provide faster customer service. It doesn't have to be one or other - the safety of your confidential information against identity thieves or faster phone customer service - it can be both.

That being made apparent, one solution BellSouth is looking to add to their system is biometric technology. With that, a single sign-on identity solution can be secure, convenient and organized.

Identity management in the real world.
What's identity management? Ask 20 vendors, get 20 answers. But CSOs aren't waiting for a universal definition; they're busy tackling whatever projects meet their business needs.

Don't bother.

If this were true, I guess it would be pointless for us to exist.
At least - it may not be the whole answer, but it will help!
And then, isn't that a catch 22? In order to have security - you must be educated in it. If you don't bother to know how to protect yourself, there is no security!?

User Education is not the answer to security problems. Summary:
Internet scams cannot be thwarted by placing the burden on users to defend themselves at all times. Beleaguered users need protection, and the technology must change to provide this.

A cure for the disease?

Here's a long tale of identity mayhem if you're itching for something to read.

Everyone is fair game. Thieves recently snatched the identity of a three-week-old infant in Bothell, Wash. And authorities say that the dead have been favorite targets of identity thieves for years. Nor is identity theft limited to people. A growing number of thieves now assume the false guise of entire companies, adopting a business's employer identification number to secure commercial loans, corporate leases or expensive office products, according to analysts, security specialists and law enforcement officials.

Identity theft is epidemic. Can it be stopped?

1.4 million Californians better beware!

This just in!

California residents - a whooping 1.4 million of them - are being advised to stay on alert for any suspicious activity that may occur with their identity.

Yes that's right, another computer hacking leading to possible identity theft. And this is a big one too. A computer at UC Berkeley contained all the names, addresses, telephone and social security numbers of In Home Supportive Services was hacked back in August. And the FBI just today has released an advisory.

The worst part is, all these people are part of this service because they are low-income elderly and disabled citizens. Just what they need, ya know...

California warns on massive ID theft.

smart cards good, national ID cards bad

The former US presidential advisor Richard Clarke expressed his concern this week that smart cards are necessary for improving security but not so much national ID cards. Mainly because the general public can accept smart cards, and better handling of personal data is priority one. It appears as though he would like smart cards to replace existing driver's licenses, bank cards, and methods for accessing accounts with confidential information.

Clarke: Using technology to secure IDs is vital.