| It has been estimated that up to nine million Americans are victims of identity theft each year. However, consumers are largely unable to prevent or detect identity theft, rather depend on businesses and organizations to spot anomalies. For this reason, the Red Flags Rule was developed in order to spot warning signs (“red flags”), prevent identity theft and limit the damage that may be done. This article takes a closer look at the Red Flags Rule, as well as a recently introduced bill that may have important implications for the Rule. Background: The Red Flags Rule
The FTC’s Identity Theft Red Flags [...] Although they are often well-hidden, botnets represent a significant online threat. Most users are unaware that their computers are being compromised to forward transmissions of sensitive data. This article defines a botnet and explores some of the purposes for setting up a botnet. It then takes a look at some botnet detection techniques and anti-botnet solutions. What is a Botnet?
A botnet (from “robot network”) refers to a group of computers that run an application that is controlled and manipulated by the source or owner only. While the term “botnet” generally refers to computers, or software agents, running malicious software (malware; robot [...] Executive Order 13402 commanded the creation of a Presidential Identity Theft Task Force to examine how the Federal Government could better respond to and protect against data breaches resulting in identity theft. Under Federal regulations, such as the Privacy Act of 1974 and the Federal Information Security Management Act, individuals are guaranteed the security of their data, making adequate protection of data a matter of [...] In September 2006, The Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum suggested by the President’s Identity Theft Task Force to help government departments and agencies adequately protect data. What is Identity Theft? Identity theft is the unauthorized use of personally identifiable information (PII) by an individual to commit fraud, usually financial related fraud. This is achieved either by using financial account information or using an individual’s Social Security Number (SSN) to open new financial accounts. Identity theft is a serious problem costing American citizens millions of dollars every year. As one of the largest collectors of information, the U.S. Government must implement strong measures to reduce the risk of security breaches leading to identity [...] Most privacy legislation and executive orders dealing with privacy concern protecting the common citizen’s right to privacy. While Government employees are not always afforded the same privacy and civil liberties rights, the government has taken some steps to safeguard their [...] | |
