12,279,616 Online Identity Records Were Lost in October 2011

Location: Norwalk Author: RiskCenter Staff

Date: Wednesday, November 23, 2011

IdentityHawk reported 58 publicly known breaches in October compromising 12,279,616 online records. The results are part of the “breached institutions” listing from The IdentityHawk October 2011 Identity Breach Report. A Ponemon Institute Research Report, entitled "State of Web Application Security Survey" (February 2011) reported that 93% of organizations have been hacked at least once in the past two years.

“If an enterprise is breached, such as a major e-tailer, consumers need to be aggressive.”

A data breach, according to the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC), is “an event in which an individual’s name plus Social Security Number (SSN), driver’s license number, medical record, or a financial record/credit/debit card is potentially put at risk – either in electronic or paper format.”

According to Jeff Paradise, executive director of IdentityHawk, “Identity theft breaches are often initiated because identity thieves steal thousands of records in batches from major enterprises. In fact, in 2002; former White House Cyber Security Advisor, Richard Clarke warned us. He was quoted as saying to enterprises, ‘If you (enterprises) spend more on coffee than on IT security, you will be hacked. What’s more, you deserve to be hacked.’” http://news.cnet.com/2100-1001-840335.html

Unfortunately, Paradise continued, “Many organizations, a decade later, are still not spending enough and are not vigilant enough when it comes to protecting enterprise data. Yet, hackers have become more aggressive and sophisticated.”

Added Paradise, “If an enterprise is breached, such as a major e-tailer, consumers need to be aggressive.” Paradise recommends these steps:

1. Immediately see the details of the breach.

2. Determine if you are affiliated with the fraud event.

3. If affiliated with the breach (for example if you bought something from a retailer online or offline using a credit card, your information could have been compromised) IdentityHawk, or others can, guide members through the specific steps needed to take protective measures.

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