Target Credit Card Breach - GCM Express have recently sent me a card asking me to call them urgently. No letter arrive...

Target Credit Card Breach : Videos

Target customers hit by major credit card security ... Target customers hit by major credit card security ... Target customers hit by major credit card security breach. Duration: 140 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Wed, 18 Dec 2013 20:24:45 -0800	Potential credit card breach at Target investigated ... Potential credit card breach at Target investigated ... Potential credit card breach at Target investigated For more Latest and Breaking News ... Duration: 33 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 06:01:04 -0800	40M accounts may be involved in credit card and ... 40M accounts may be involved in credit card and ... 40M accounts may be involved in credit card and debit card breach at Target. Duration: 106 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 11:49:03 -0800	Target Targeted: 40 million credit cards tainted by ... Target Targeted: 40 million credit cards tainted by ... One of the largest American retailers Target has confirmed that a massive breach of security ... Duration: 126 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 06:38:49 -0800
Happy Holidays: Target Reportedly Investigating ... Happy Holidays: Target Reportedly Investigating ... Happy Holidays: Target Reportedly Investigating Credit/Debit Card Breach. Duration: 205 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Wed, 18 Dec 2013 20:11:49 -0800	Target: 40M card accounts may be breached - YouTube Target: 40M card accounts may be breached - YouTube Target says that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been affected by ... Duration: 173 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 05:47:12 -0800	Target say 40 million credit & debit card accounts ... Target say 40 million credit & debit card accounts ... Target says that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been affected by ... Duration: 226 seconds     Video type: YouTube     Hosted by: youtube.com on Thu, 19 Dec 2013 07:00:36 -0800

Target Credit Card Breach : Photo Gallery

Target Investigating Black Friday Data Breach - Business Insider Target Investigating Black Friday Data Breach - Business Insider Target Hit By A Major Black	40 Million Credit Cards Stolen From Target 40 Million Credit Cards Stolen From Target target-credit-card-breach-	Secret Service investigating massive credit card breach at Target ... Secret Service investigating massive credit card breach at Target ... Target acknowledged that "approximately 40 million credit and debit card	Target investigating Black Friday data breach of credit card info ... Target investigating Black Friday data breach of credit card info ... target
Target investigating Black Friday data breach of credit card info ... Target investigating Black Friday data breach of credit card info ... Visa Mastercard credit cards	Reports: Customer data stolen in Target credit card breach ... Reports: Customer data stolen in Target credit card breach ... Target credit card breach	Secret Service investigating Target data breach Secret Service investigating Target data breach Credit card scanner at Target	Shopping Scare: Possible Credit Card Breach at Target | FOX8. Shopping Scare: Possible Credit Card Breach at Target | FOX8. Credit: Target via CNN
Massive Target credit card data theft revealed - CSMonitor. Massive Target credit card data theft revealed - CSMonitor. A Target employee returns	Target Confirms Credit/Debit Breach | WREG. Target Confirms Credit/Debit Breach | WREG. credit card data breach at	Potential credit card breach at Target investigated | Project ... Potential credit card breach at Target investigated | Project ... credit card data breach at	Secret Service investigating Target data breach Secret Service investigating Target data breach Target customers hit by major
Business Newswires : euronews : the latest international news as ... Business Newswires : euronews : the latest international news as ... Target officials did not	40 Million Card Accounts at Risk After Data Breach, Target Says ... 40 Million Card Accounts at Risk After Data Breach, Target Says ... Customers shop at a Target	Target: 40M card accounts may be breached | www. Target: 40M card accounts may be breached | www. Target: 40M card accounts may	Target: 40 million credit card accounts may be breached | The ... Target: 40 million credit card accounts may be breached | The ... Target data breach could
Modern Mechanix -- A Battle of Wits (Dec, 1930) ...item 3.. How the Spamhaus DDoS attack could have been prevented (March 29, 2013) ... Modern Mechanix -- A Battle of Wits (Dec, 1930) ...item 3.. How the Spamhaus DDoS attack could have been prevented (March 29, 2013) ... Modern Mechanix -- A Battle of Wits (Dec, 1930) ...item 3.. How the Spamhaus DDoS attack could have been prevented (March 29, 2013) ...	BGFJ0R (CYBER ATTACK) ...item 2.. Watching the crooks: Researcher monitors cyber-espionage ring (July 25, 2012 2:00 PM PDT) ...item 3.. Hackers swipe data from former Bright Futures recipients (11:01 PM, Oct. 24, 2012) ... BGFJ0R (CYBER ATTACK) ...item 2.. Watching the crooks: Researcher monitors cyber-espionage ring (July 25, 2012 2:00 PM PDT) ...item 3.. Hackers swipe data from former Bright Futures recipients (11:01 PM, Oct. 24, 2012) ... BGFJ0R (CYBER ATTACK) ...item 2.. Watching the crooks: Researcher monitors cyber-espionage ring (July 25, 2012 2:00 PM PDT) ...item 3.. Hackers swipe data from former Bright Futures recipients (11:01 PM, Oct. 24, 2012) ...	Economically --- Challenged & illiterate .. CIA website forced offline (11th February 2012) ...item 3.. A time for charitable laziness (Nov. 3, 2013) ... Economically --- Challenged & illiterate .. CIA website forced offline (11th February 2012) ...item 3.. A time for charitable laziness (Nov. 3, 2013) ... Economically --- Challenged & illiterate .. CIA website forced offline (11th February 2012) ...item 3.. A time for charitable laziness (Nov. 3, 2013) ...	OBAMANOMICS APPLIED OBAMANOMICS APPLIED OBAMANOMICS APPLIED
191: Copenhagen Accord Heralds Geo-Political Power Shift 191: Copenhagen Accord Heralds Geo-Political Power Shift 191: Copenhagen Accord Heralds Geo-Political Power Shift	It is about time... It is about time... It is about time...	The Target Credit Card Breach: What You Should Know The Target Credit Card Breach: What You Should Know If you did some Christmas shopping at Target over the last few weeks, you'll want to pay close attention to your credit card statements, as the retailer is dealing with a major data breach. Target is just now confirming the security breach that ...	Target confirms massive credit-card data breach Target confirms massive credit-card data breach Target says that its stores have been hit by a major credit-card attack involving up to 40 million accounts. Chief Executive Officer Greg Steinhafel confirmed Thursday morning earlier reports that a brazen data breach had taken place. In a statement ...
Target confirms massive credit, debit card data breach Target confirms massive credit, debit card data breach Target shoppers have been victims of a stunning theft of information on their credit and debit card accounts in recent days. The giant retailer said Thursday about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted in U.S. stores between Nov.	Target Hit by Credit-Card Breach Target Hit by Credit-Card Breach The company early Thursday said a data breach may have affected about 40 million credit card and debit card accounts between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. Target said it alerted authorities and financial institutions immediately after it found out about the ...	Target says 40 million credit, debit card accounts may be breached Target says 40 million credit, debit card accounts may be breached Target said Thursday that data on 40 million of its customers' credit and debit card accounts may have been breached by cyber-crooks during the busy holiday season. The Minneapolis retailer said the unauthorized access – which occurred between the Nov.	Secret Service investigating massive credit card breach at Target (Updated) Secret Service investigating massive credit card breach at Target (Updated) UPDATE Thursday 5:34am CT: In a statement posted to its website early Thursday morning, Target acknowledged that "approximately 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been impacted between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15, 2013," adding that the ...
Target Investigates Breach Involving Credit Card Data Target Investigates Breach Involving Credit Card Data SAN FRANCISCO — Target is investigating a security breach involving stolen credit card and debit card information for millions of its customers, according to one person involved in the investigation. The breach, which was first reported Wednesday by ...	Hackers Steal Credit Card Data From Up to 40 Million Target Customers Hackers Steal Credit Card Data From Up to 40 Million Target Customers Cybercriminals have hit retail store Target with a massive data breach that may have affected 40 million of customers' credit and debit cards accounts. The breach started around Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year in America, and has ...	Potential credit card breach at Target investigated Potential credit card breach at Target investigated Leary's comments came following a report from respected security researcher Brian Krebs that Target had suffered a data breach around the time of Black Friday last month "potentially involving millions of customer credit and debit card records." Target ...	Target customers hit in major credit card security breach Target customers hit in major credit card security breach Payment card data was stolen from an unknown number of Target Corp. customers starting on the busy Black Friday weekend in a major breach at the U.S. retailer, according to a person familiar with the matter. The Secret Service is investigating ...
Target holiday cyber breach hits 40 million payment cards Target holiday cyber breach hits 40 million payment cards BOSTON (Reuters) - Target Corp said hackers might have stolen data from some 40 million credit and debit cards of shoppers who visited its stores during the first three weeks of the holiday season in the second-largest such breach reported by a U.S ...	Secret Service Investigating Target Credit Card Breach Secret Service Investigating Target Credit Card Breach Target was the target of a major security breach, with credit card information being stolen from its stores, starting... See More. Now, a scare for anyone paying for their holiday gifts with credit or debit cards. Target was the target of a major ...	Target confirms nationwide credit, debit card data breach Target confirms nationwide credit, debit card data breach Target confirmed that up to 40 million customers' credit and debit cards could be affected by a massive security breach after thieves gained access to private card information used at its stores. Target confirmed early Thursday that its security ...	Target credit card breach has little impact on Cleveland shoppers' habits Target credit card breach has little impact on Cleveland shoppers' habits A Target employee checks receipts as shoppers leave with full carts just before 5:30 a.m. at Steelyard Commons at Black Friday in 2009. This Black Friday was the start of a credit card breach that saw nearly 40 million shoppers' information compromised ...
40 million customers possibly at risk by Target credit card breach 40 million customers possibly at risk by Target credit card breach MINNEAPOLIS -- Target says that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been affected by a data breach that occurred just as the holiday shopping season shifted into high gear. The chain said that accounts of customers who made ...	Millions of Target customers' credit, debit card accounts may be hit by data ... Millions of Target customers' credit, debit card accounts may be hit by data ... Target said Thursday that the credit and debit card information of as many as 40 million customers was compromised over three weeks of the holiday shopping season — one of the largest breaches ever of American consumer data. Within hours, worried ...

Target Credit Card Breach : Latest News, Information, Answers and Websites

How to make StormPay like service , accepting payment and transferring money?

Of course it will be 1/10000 of services StormPay provides , but if I wanted to offer my website members the ability to add funds using their credit cards to their accounts , and then use it to transfer money to their friends or shopping in affiliated websites ( with mine ) ,, do I need a merchant account , payment gateway or what exactly ,,, sorry Im not familiar with such issues.

Answer: This is something you almost certainly won't be able to do for multiple reasons:

1) You need to find an acquirer that will allow you to offer this service. Basically you will need to go to one of the largest processors directly (Like Nova, First Data, etc.). They will require a lot from you to do this such as a large sum of money as a deposit (probably millions of dollars), a background check, a credit check, and lots of contracts to be signed.

You can't do this will a regular merchant account because allowing others to use your merchant account to accept payments is called factoring and strictly forbidden. Doing that would mean your account is shut down immediately, your money is held, and you are banned from ever accepting credit cards ever again. That's bad.

2) You will need to be PCI certified which, for the kind of service you plan to offer, will be difficult. You will need to make sure all of your servers are secured and impregnable as you will be storing credit card information and other sensitive data that hackers will definitely target. If you get breached your life will be ruined.

3) You will need to write your own software for interacting with the acquirer that lets you offer this service. It takes months to write and be certified on their platform. You'll need to use a high level programming language like C/C++ as regular web languages just aren't meant for tasks like this.

4) The biggest issue you will have is fraud control. Fraud will be rampant and if you can't control it you will be shut down without notice and your funds held from you for a very long time. Of course you can expect to be sued by your users if that were to happen as that means they lose their money, too. Controlling fraud would require a large investment in fraud prevention and even then it would only minimize it and not prevent it completely.
Category: Other - Business & Finance

Target holiday cyber breach hits 40 million payment cards | Reuters

8 hours ago ... The retailer uncovered the breach after it was alerted its systems might have
been compromised by credit card processors who had noticed a ...

Is mobile9 games safe for the lg voyager?

I dnt see any reviews on the website...what is it like?

Answer: Nothing is 100% safe. It's all about trust. E.g. i trust amazon with my credit card details. I trust Apple if i download their remote application.

EVEN Ventones. They send the file to your phone. What happens if their database gets breached- a hacker has your telephone number. What happens if they are a rogue company that will sell your data? Etc Disclaimer: I'm not saying they are i'm just saying what if they were. See my point about trust.

On the up side i have been using mobile9 for 5 years and have never had a problem. If any unsafe files do occur (i have never seen this in these 5 years and am a frequent user) they will be removed immediately.

If your phone just supports Java then you are at little risk. Very few viruses exist for Java (they do exist though) just in small quanitites- it's like with Mac and Linux and they say they don't get viruses, even though in reality they can and some do exist, so using the same logic you can say the same about Java.

If your phone is smarter and takes sis files (is symbian OS or similar) be a bit more careful as these programs are more powerful and have more potential. There are anti-virus programs out there for this, but these don't catch everything- some unlucky person needs to discover a virus.

Security on the Internet is a scary thing. However, a lot use it and don't have problems. May be they're either lucky, careful or both or maybe it's not as bad as people make out.

If you're downloading wallpapers, screensavers or ringtones you should be fine. Never heard of anything being able to exploit these on a phone. Softwares are what you need to be weary of.

You could look at it from the other side: Would a hacker have a good reason to access your phone? A computer is different, it has always on connections- so they can use them to send spam or host phishing websites and make financial gain, or they could keylog and still bank details. How many people use their phones for this sort of thing at the moment? I think a computer is a bigger target and what you should be worried about more. However, maybe your phone is valuable to someone?
Category: Cell Phones & Plans

Target: 40 million credit cards compromised - Dec. 18, 2013

21 hours ago ... The Secret Service is investigating a reported credit card data breach at discount
retailer Target.

What is a hacker and a cracker?

I heard this one guy says he knows how to get into someones account in a few mins and he just sees their password, how is this possible?? I dont want to do it Im just wondering if thats a hacker or a cracker.

Answer: There are, of course, programmers who do fit the media's picture of the computer hacker. These programmers use their skills to cause trouble, crash machines, release computer viruses, steal credit card numbers, make free long distance calls (the phone system is so much like a computer system that is is a common target for computer criminals), remove copy-protection, and distribute pirated software. These people may also call themselves ``hackers,'' leading to more confusion. Hackers in the original sense of the term, however, look down on these sorts of activities. Among the programming community, and to a large extent even amongst the illegal programming community, these people are called ``crackers'' and their activities known as ``cracking'' to distinguish it from hacking.

The cracker definitely does not follow the Hacker Ethic. Even among legitimate hackers there are those who add to the Hacker Ethic the belief that system-cracking for fun and exploration is ethically OK as long as the cracker commits no theft, vandalism, or breach of confidentiality. It is the hacker who uses his skill for these latter purposes who has crossed over and become a cracker.

Crackers have their own lore, their own heros, and their own set of ethics distinct from the hackers discussed in this paper. They also have much more space in the popular press.

=====

By the way, no that's not possible. Well established software or websites aren't easily hacked into.
Category: Security

Possibly 40 Million Target Shoppers' Credit Card Info Stolen | NBC ...

Target is investigating a major security breach affecting the credit card data of an unknown number of customers, according to reports.

Main Street in the Cross Hairs; Nations 5 Million Retail Stores Prove an Easy Target for Data Thieves

Along a crowded stretch of highway just south of Miamis downtown is a shopping area that might be called the data theft capital of the United States. In the wireless hacker equivalent of a drive-by shooting wave, criminals obtained the cardholder information of tens of thousands of customers at four major stores there, including a DSW Shoes retail - Data thieves obtain cardholder information of tens of thousands of customers at retail merchants, singling out stores with strong wireless signals and weakly protected data; could have parked car outside store or set up in local Starbucks, using laptop computer outfitted with off-the-shelf wireless receiver; may even have received help from Web sites listing geographic coordinates of easy-to-target stores; from there, it would be easy to pick up signals being broadcast around the store and use them to gain access to its computer systems; unlike banks and other financial institution, merchants often lack technological expertise and management attention to keep their customers information secure; photo (M) - By ERIC DASH

TODAY IN BUSINESS; Today in Business

A BID TO EASE CREDIT IN EUROPE The European Central Bank said that it would extend a lending deadline in December to help the banking system through a period of unusually tight credit at the end of the year. The action represents a renewed effort by the bank to calm a lending system that had showed signs of returning to normal recently but now - By CARTER DOUGHERTY

MASTERCARD SAYS 40 MILLION FILES ARE PUT AT RISK

MasterCard International reported yesterday that more than 40 million credit card accounts of all brands might have been exposed to fraud through a computer security breach at a payment processing company, perhaps the largest case of stolen consumer data to date. MasterCard said its analysts and law enforcement officials had identified a pattern of - By ERIC DASH and TOM ZELLER Jr.

Potential credit card breach at Target investigated | Fox 59 News ...

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Secret Service is investigating a reported credit card data breach at discount retailer Target. Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed the investigation Wednesday evening.

Target Hit by Credit-Card Breach - WSJ.com

14 hours ago ... Target was hit by an extensive theft of its customers' credit-card data over the
Black Friday weekend in what appears to be a breach of a major ...

Target investigating Black Friday data breach of credit card info ...

If you have shopped at Target this holiday season, be aware that authorities are looking into a credit card data breach involving the nationwide retailer.

Target confirms massive credit, debit card data breach - CBS News

9 hours ago ... Retailer says info on some 40 million accounts may have been compromised
from day before Thanksgiving through Sunday.

Target Investigates Breach Involving Credit Card Data - NYTimes.com

22 hours ago ... A security breach affecting millions began the day after Thanksgiving and
appears to have focused on Target's point-of-sale systems.

which of the following is most secure (from security breach, hacks, etc..)?

•
1.Internet transactions
2.Internet surfing
3.Wired telephone conversations (using land lines)
4.Wireless telephone conversations (cell phones)
5.Wireless computer network
6.FAX
7.In-person retail credit card transaction at a store

can you please briefly list the pro and con of each? Especially the cons of how each can be attacked. briefly.

I appreciate it.

Answer: Wired telephone conversations can be monitored at either handset, at the exchange, at a PBX, or at any wires in between (e.g. up a pole). It's hard to modify a live conversation without the participants noticing, and it's hard to falsify a conversation where the participants know each other.
Caller ID may be spoofed.

Fax much the same, but there's more possibility of falsification (intercepting and changing a message), though that might require physically cutting wires.

Internet surfing without SSL can be monitored and falsified at either end (by software on the client or server), or at any switch in between, e.g. the ISP at either end, or by a man-in-the-middle attack such as ARP cache poisoning, or by BGP poisoning (advertising more specific routes.

Wireless computer network, the same plus wireless monitoring if the wifi link is open or the WEP or WPA key is known to the attacker. With WEP, that's easy given a moderate amount of traffic

"secure" internet transactions with SSL, where the certificate chain uses the PKI system built in to the browser, the same - an attacker can purchase a commercial chaining certificate and use it in a man-in-the-middle attack, impersonating both endpoints.

Internet transactions using a vertified and trusted certificate chain, can be attacked at the endpoints only.

Cell phones, can be monitored at the endpoints (the handset). Same as for wired conections. Some cellular networks (old analog for sure) can be monitored over the air with a simple radio receiver. GSM, I'm not sure. Rogue microcells can be created causing the handset to connect to a cell created by an attacker

In-person credit card transactions can be monitored at either end (the store, or the credit card verifier). The store employee may be dishonest and keep a record of card details, or may skim the card in a second stripe reader. The card reader in the store may be fitted with a skimmer by a third party, or the data connection between the card reader and the network may be tapped.

I don't have any statistics.
Internet transactions seem moderately secure if the client PC is secure and virus-free, and the online retailer is top-tier and takes security seriously (Amazon, PayPal). SSL-aware intrusion detection systems (which perform a MITM attack against https) are supposed to not record credit card details.
Dishonest retailers seem to target tourists and out-of-state customers.
Category: Security

A computer manufacture wants me to send back my old hard drive?

that they replace under warranty. Also want me send back the old memory plates they replaced. I have a lot of information i.e. Social security #s, credit card #s and a lot of personal information that I feel will be breach, if it got in the wrong hands. If I dont send these parts back within ten days, they will charge me for cost of the new ones. What would be the most correct way to handle this dilemma? or am I worried about nothing?

Answer: Hello,

Relax, the employee's don't have time to deal with a possibility of information on a failed hard drive.
They just need to find out what they need to repair it, and get it back into service.
Why would they mess with a personal hard drive small fry? If they were going to commit a crime, why not target the big stuff like a banks failed hard drive. Going to do something and take that chance make it worthwhile.
Your worried about nothing.

Format is one thing, but just delete the partition(s).
They won't know what partition size(s) or type(s) you used.
Category: Desktops

Target Hit by Credit-Card Breach - Robin Sidel - Security - AllThingsD

Target Corp. was hit by an extensive theft of its customers' credit card data over the key Black Friday weekend, people familiar with the matter said, in what appears to be a brazen breach of a major retailer's information ...

Assault of the Hackers

SINCE hanging out a shingle six years ago, Stonebridge Bank, a 50-employee Internet bank in West Chester, Pa., has built up $400 million in assets, virtually from scratch, by managing deposits for Pennsylvania families and lending to small businesses. Its success has also made Stonebridge a tempting target for cybercriminals, who according to the - Article on threat posed to small businesses by cyber-hackers and value of Internet security, despite its expense; Symantec, maker of security software, says hackers attempted 33 million attacks each day worldwide and number of new vulnerabilities rose 20 percent during first half of 2006; security experts offer advice on how to diminish vulnerability; photo (M) - By AARON RICADELA

CREDIT CRAD MERGER: THE OVERVIEW; Bank of America to Buy MBNA, A Prime Issuer of Credit Cards

Seeking to grab a bigger share of consumers business by becoming a powerhouse in credit cards, the Bank of America Corporation announced plans yesterday to acquire the card giant MBNA for $35 billion in cash and stock. The deal represents a bet by Bank of America that consumer spending will remain robust. This could be a risky assumption if rising - Bank of America Corp announces plan to acquire MBNA, countrys third-largest credit card issuer, for $35 billion in cash and stock; deal would make Bank of America largest card issuer, with 20 percent share of market; for MBNA, merger offers access to Bank of Americas coast-to-coast network of branches to attract new customers; under deal, MBNAs chief executive Bruce L Hammonds will become head of Bank of Americas credit card operations; Bank of America is acquiring portfolio made up of lowest-risk borrowers in industry; MBNAs strength is in marketing to affinity groups like professional organizations, whose members typically carry higher balances and pay their bills on time; deal represents bet by Bank of America that consumer spending will remain robust; graphs (M) - By JULIE CRESWELL and ERIC DASH

Target Investigates Breach Involving Credit Card Data - NYTimes.com

A security breach affecting millions began the day after Thanksgiving and appears to have focused on Target's point-of-sale systems.

Why are college students targeted for identity theft ?

I have a term paper to write.. and the prompt is why college students are targeted for identity theft. Im finding it really hard to think of three topics for this paper because Ive never even heard of a college student being in that predicament.

This is all very new to me, I really dont see why theyre targeted. Im a college student and no one has tried to steal my identity o,O I have a credit card though .. its a victorias secret one if thats any helpful.

Answer: College campuses are prime targets for would be thieves. College students are 'fresh' targets because you are just starting to establish credit- ie credit cards, student loans, car notes... - you are most likely still covered on your parents medical insurance. Another threat, your SSN is everywhere on campus. Thieves can use your SSN to get a job, you don't claim the income on your tax returns, and now the IRS wants to talk to you. Furthermore, that could reduce if not eliminate your eligibility for Student Loans, and the Pell Grant.

How often do you think a college student actually checks their credit report?
How often do you think a college student checks their driving record?
How often do you think a college student checks their tax records?
How often do you think a college student checks their Social Security Records?

These are all major vulnerabilities that even non-college adults are oblivious to. That is one factor (lack of education, awareness, and preparation) as to why Identity Theft has grown exponentially over the last decade.

The biggest threat for college students is the carefree lifestyle of college students. Most students are concerned with- Partying, Fun (many sub-categories in that), and finding new friends and love. They are not concerned with protecting their identity, because they have been under the wing of their parents.

This answer could go on for a longer post than can be put here. I actually offer an Identity Theft talk for college students, that lasts for an hour. So, that should give you an idea of how vulnerable college students are.

Mark A Priganc, Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist
Author of Identity Theft: The Personal Guide
Founder of: The National Law Enforcement Identity Theft Summit

If you have additional questions, visit http://www.identitytheft-reality.com click contact and you can reach me there.

I hope this helps you out without creating too many more paths to take your paper.

PS: A great website to look at is: http://www.privacyrights.org/ar/ChronDataBreaches.htm#CP

This is an extremely long list of data breaches that have occurred since 2005. Scroll through the list and take note of all of the colleges and universities that have lost information.
Category: Higher Education (University +)

Surging Losses, but Few Victims

THE theft last May seemed scary. The personal information of more than 26 million military veterans was stolen from the home of an employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The personal details on the workers laptop and an extra hard drive included veterans names, birth dates and Social Security numbers -- the nuggets most sought after by - Theft of laptop from home of employee at Department of Veterans Affairs underscores crucial distinction between data loss and malicious data theft, distinction that has been glossed over or ignored in recent wave of disclosures of data breaches in public and private sectors; while high-profile data breaches are common, there is no evidence of resulting surges in identity theft or financial frauds; even when networks are hacked and information is intentionally stolen, only tiny fraction of data can be exploited; people tend to equate data loss with identity theft, but there appears to be no correlation; different types of data breaches noted; photos; drawing (M) - By STEVE LOHR

Target Confirms Point-Of-Sale Data Breach, Announces It Exposed ...

The company moved quite slowly on this breach. On December 12 Brian Krebs reported the first rumors of the attack, suggesting it consisted of a wholesale scraping of “track data,” the data found on each credit card magnetic ...

i want to put avon on a site so people will see it and i could start selling more where do i go?

Answer: I once sold Avon. However, Avon is very strict when it comes to selling their products on line.

You would think that they don't care what you do, as far as, advertising on-line to increase your sales. The more sales you make, the more money you put in their pockets, as well as yours.
My husband is a web developer/marketing guru; if I may add he's very good at what he does. My point in telling you this, I was told I couldn't create my own website. I definitely couldn't use keywords or advertising on any of the major search engines to bring customers to my site. Without keywords, or submitting my site to any search engines would be worthless. Without any of those, it's impossible to bring targeted traffic to your site (those looking for the exact products you have to sell); not alone no one knows you exist.

I was told I'll have to use their worthless website they have for Avon consultants which I believe is $19 a month (a while ago) but that's the only way I'll be able to sell my products on-line without breach of contract. For whatever reason, I was told they want to make it fair for the other consultants (BS). Well, it's not my fault they don't have marketing experience on-line for increasing on-line sales.

The best way to increase you sales in to target people that have purchased Avon, or similar products in the past. Those you would want to target has a credit card, shops on-line. Perhaps then you can subscribe to Avon website and direct them to the website by typing in your consultant number. Give them an incentive to type your consultant number in. By giving them 5% off their purchase price or free lipstick or something. That way you can make sure you receive the credit you've work so hard to get. The way you'll go about getting a list of people, would be to purchase a list from companies that provide information. You tell them what specific information you want, and they deliver. Shop around, talk to people that have actually used a list of varies companies. You can email me if you really want the name of a company we use. I apologize, I don't have the information near me (company).

Direct mail marketing works! Just remember to mail to your people on the list at least 3 times, you get a better response the 2nd and 3rd when mailing. Best way to go about it is to send postcard, you can get 4 postcards to a page, and it cost .24cents to mail the postcards. If you'll not able to purchase a list, just try holding parties in your home or friends, once again, give incentives for those attend and let them know why they need attend.

I would recommend you call Avon Customer Support for starters, perhaps they have changed their strict rules.

I hope this helps.
Please let me know how things work out for you!
Category: Financial Services

To Fight Identity Theft, a Call for Banks to Disclose All Incidents

Is the identity theft scourge getting better or growing worse? There is little consensus on whether financial institutions and law enforcement agencies are making headway in combating identity theft. But Congress is nonetheless taking aim at the crime as a major consumer protection problem. The Senate Judiciary Committees subcommittee on - By BRAD STONE

How can I ensure my network is not being watched?

So my dad thinks that some youtubers I follow are crap and they teach me "bad stuff" (even though theyre nothing more than comedians or how-to guys), and he warned me that hes going to start watching my computers if I keep watching their vids. He said hell do so through some guys at work who are PC pros and, as he put it, can crack into any PC anywhere, anytime. I didnt take it seriously, though I know these guys do exist, because I met them, and even though Im sure Im "clean", I still feel like my privacy could be invaded without me knowing, so I want to know whats the most effective way of preventing unauthorised access to my home network, or at least a way to find out if someone was or is hooked up and listening in real time. I already have the firewall on my router up and running, but thats certainly not going to stop a really good hacker hellbent on getting in. Antivirus software dont care about network attacks, so those dont count. Dont go all "family values" on me here, because it could happen with any attack, not just from my pops friends. Ideas ?

Answer: There's no such thing as a network that is 100% secure, 100% of the time. It just doesn't exist. ALL Security professions accept that fact that at some point in time there network or servers will be compromised. For smaller smaller companies this may never happen, because they are not popular targets. For large corporations it is almost guaranteed that their network and/or nodes on the network will be compromised. ALL security professionals accept this fact, which is why they develop engage in activities such as risk assessment where they asses which nodes would cost the most money if in the event they were compromised and information was lost. They also develop strategies for isolating attacks, eliminating attacks, minimizing attacks, and recovering compromised nodes from attacks.

With that being said there is no way to ensure ( another word for 100% certainty) that your network will be protected all of the time.

What you can do is set up a firewall (which you've done), configure the router security settings such as blocking services like: telnet (port 23), Radmin (port 4899), UPnP (port 1900 for UDP, and port 2869 for TCP) etc. You should also have anti-virus software on all of your computers (which you have), Avoid clicking on suspicious links, or opening suspicious emails or email attachments. Be careful when submitting sensitive information online (i.e. credit card, ss number, etc). Be weary of plugins that present major vulnerabilities (i.e. java for mac users). Avoid downloading things from unidentified sources. Use HTTPS (if offered) instead of HTTP when surfing the internet (e.g. https://www.website.com). HTTPS (Hyper Text Transer Protocol Secure) basically layers the typical HTTP protocol over the SSL/TLS or (Secure Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) which are protocols that use cryptography for secure internet communication. You can also set up and use vpn or Virtual Private network.

These are a few things you can do to better protect yourself, however if a really good hacker is "hellbent" on breaching your network theres not much you can do to stop him or her. There are many more things you can do to increase your security. I encourage you to educate yourself and others as much as you possibly can...the more you know the better off you are. Everyday new exploits and vulnerabilities are discovered, which is why 100% security doesn't exist. I wouldn't stress too much, unless you know that a hacker has already targeted you, I doubt that you are a prime target, considering your home network and computers probably don't contain valuable data like a bank's would.
Category: Computer Networking

Is this how British education will soon look?

Subject: Teaching Maths in Britain

1. Teaching Maths In 1970
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100..
His cost of production is 4/5 of the price.
What is his profit?

2. Teaching Maths In 1980
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is 80% of the price.
What is his profit?

3. Teaching Maths In 1990
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80.
How much was his profit?

4. Teaching Maths In 2000
A logger sells a truckload of timber for £100.
His cost of production is £80 and his profit is £20.
Your assignment: Underline the number 20.

5. Teaching Maths In 2005
A logger cuts down a beautiful forest because he is selfish and inconsiderate and cares nothing for the habit of animals or the preservation of our woodlands.
Your assignment: Discuss how the birds and squirrels might feel as the logger cut down their homes just for a measly profit of £20.

6. Teaching Maths In 2009
A logger is arrested for trying to cut down a tree in case it may be offensive to Muslims or other religious groups not consulted in the application for the felling license. He is also fined a £100 as his chainsaw is in breach of Health and Safety legislation as it deemed too dangerous and could cut something.. He has used the chainsaw for over 20 years without incident however he does not have the correct certificate of competence and is therefore considered to be a recidivist and habitual criminal. His DNA is sampled and his details circulated throughout all government agencies. He protests and is taken to court and fined another £100 because he is such an easy target.

When he is released he returns to find Gypsies have cut down half his wood to build a camp on his land. He tries to throw them off but is arrested, prosecuted for harassing an ethnic minority, imprisoned and fined a further £100. While he is in jail again the Gypsies cut down the rest of his wood and sell it on the black market for £100 cash. They also have a departure BBQ of squirrel and pheasant and leave behind several tonnes of rubbish and asbestos sheeting.

The forester on release is warned that failure to clear the fly tipped rubbish immediately at his own cost is an offense. He complains and is arrested for environmental pollution, breach of the peace and invoiced £12,000 plus VAT for safe disposal costs by a regulated government contractor.

Your assignment: How many times is the logger going to have to be arrested and fined before he realises that he is never going to make £20 profit by hard work, give up, sign onto the dole and live off the state for the rest of his life?

7. Teaching Maths In 2010
A logger doesn’t sell a lorry load of timber because he can’t get a loan to buy a new lorry because his bank has spent all his and their money on a derivative of securities debt related to sub-prime mortgages in Alabama and lost the lot, with only some government money left to pay a few million-pound bonuses to their senior directors and the traders who made the biggest losses.

The logger struggles to pay the £1,200 road tax on his old lorry. However, as it was built in the 1970s it no longer meets the emissions regulations and he is forced to scrap it.

Some Bulgarian loggers buy the lorry from the scrap merchant and put it back on the road. They undercut everyone on price for haulage and send their cash back home, while claiming unemployment for themselves and their relatives. If questioned they speak no English and it is easier to deport them at the governments expense. Following their holiday back home they return to the UK with different names and fresh girls and start again. The logger protests, is accused of being a bigoted racist and as his name is on the side of his old lorry he is forced to pay £1,500 registration fees as a gang master.

The Government borrows more money to pay more to the bankers as bonuses are not cheap. The parliamentarians feel they are missing out and claim the difference on expenses and allowances.
You do the maths.

8. Teaching Maths 2017
أ المسجل تبيع حموله شاحنة من الخشب من اجل 100 دولار. صاحب تكلفة
الانتاج 80 من
الثمن. ما هو الربح له؟= 20
Harwarda

I have a degree in Communications systems engineering.

I gained this degree as a mature student, but it was full time, I put my life on hold and worked part time so as to be able to do it.

At the end of year 1 (The Common year, which in Engineering is Maths, whatever the subect title of each lecture may be), all those that failed were British kids who had only one year before obtained good A Levels in Maths/Physics etc.

Most kids leaving 6th form or College appear to be doing well in the subject, but the acid test is University levels and they are simply not equipped. I have not made this up, It is a fact that is borne out every year in Universitys offering Engineering degrees.
The Greeks all passed the first year without breaking sweat. The Mature students did likewise.
Danny Smith

This was no more aimed at the family you have mentioned than it was those 300 or more poor souls who drowned trying to get across the Med.

It was a crack at many things, with an attempt at humour which deeply sad people such as yourself clearly cannot understand.

There are examples within it (for those who are not hard of thinking) or who do not allow their mind set to blind them from what is in front of their very eyes, that ring true, by degree I would agree, and some of it is utter rubbish used for a bit of fun,

Get off your high horse and grow up.
Smells like new screen names?

There is far more truth in the above than you are capable of understanding if you are across the pond. Trust me, much of it is a reality for many people here.

Answer: That's an interesting, funny and also quite scary little story. The kind of people who claim that mass immigration is an asset are also the kind of people (lefties) who turn around a minute later and refuse to admit that there's such thing as a welfare sponger. I wish they'd make their minds up! They also fail to understand our problem with multi-culturalism. Nobody cares if someone wants to be a Muslim, collect stamps, support Stockport county, be a vegetarian or whatever. We care when we're forced to change our ways to accommodate their "needs", like serving halal meat in schools etc.

And as for "England deserves it coz of the British Empire and wot it done, innit?"
... any more little gems of wisdom from our knuckle scraping philosopher?
Like "..and Germans should get gassed coz of wot them done to them Jews, innit!"

There's a scourge of pick pockets, drugs, prostitution, armed gangs and people traffickers in major French cities by organised Bulgarian gangs. Lefties will no doubt be delighted if this reaches us because an English lady having her handbag swiped on the Tube then credit cards cloned will obviously put right all the damage caused by European explorers.

Plus of course, what happened 150 years ago in Africa to dem Africans is entirely HER fault. Innit?
Category: Immigration

Sources: Target Investigating Data Breach — Krebs on Security

15 hours ago ... Nationwide retail giant Target is investigating a data breach potentially involving
millions of customer credit and debit card records, multiple ...

Playstation network out again?

I just got kicked off. is anyone else having these issues?

Answer: PlayStation Network will be offline tomorrow morning for scheduled maintenance.

From 5am to 8am BST, users will be unable to sign into the service, while those online may find themselves logged out.

Account management services, PlayStation website access and the PlayStation Store should all be unaffected by the downtime.

Reasons for the maintenance have not been disclosed. Last week, a minor system update targeted stability issues and problems with PS mini saves.

PlayStation Network went offline in April due to a severe breach in security that led to personal details and credit card information being stolen. Full access to the service was restored earlier this month.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/news/a324849/psn-maintenance-for-tomorrow-morning.html
Category: PlayStation

Is sonys recent "welcome back package" just a cheap way of buying back customer loyalty and trust?

Will there be any compensation for the loss of personal info and bank details or just for the downtime of psn.Is it likely to happen again.Should we all be keeping an eye on our credit ratings etc now to ensure our identities have not been stolen.Constructive thoughts please

Answer: If you are a Sony PlayStation Network (PSN) customer you are probably getting a little paranoid. First there was the data breach from last month that exposed customer data and forced Sony to take the network down.

And now, just days after Sony got the service back up and running, it has taken the PSN password reset service offline because it was allowing people to change other customers' passwords if they knew their e-mail address and birth date--information that was stolen in the attack.

Sony says the hole in the PSN password reset site was not exploited in active attacks, although there are reports that the information was circling in the underground and being used prior to Sony taking the site down.

"Given what we've seen unfold over the past few weeks, people should know that Sony is very much a target right now, and they're having issues," said Chris Lytle, security researcher at Veracode.

Whether you think hackers are actively targeting Sony to get to your account and credit card information, you might want to step up your security practices. Here are some tips to help use the service more safely:

If for some reason you haven't been prompted to change your PSN password, do it now. Obviously, you can't change it through the PSN Web site if the password reset function is down, but you can do it through your console. Pick a password that is unique and strong and used only on this service. If you were using your PSN password on other services, change those too. For more password tips read this.

Create a new e-mail account to be used just for your PSN activity. One of the potential threats from the data breach, beyond the password resent problem, is phishing e-mails. Whoever has the list of stolen e-mail addresses and other personal data from PSN could now send targeted e-mails to PSN customers, pretending to be Sony and tricking customers into revealing their passwords and credit card information on a fake Sony Web site. Changing your e-mail will eliminate this threat.

Buy a pre-paid PlayStation Network Card to use at the PSN Store and delete your existing credit card information there. You can purchase the cards in $10, $20, and $50 denominations at Best Buy, GameStop, Amazon, 7-11 and other retail stores. If the card number is stolen it can only be used on the PSN Store and any loss is limited to the value of the card. The PlayStation Store does not accept any other types of pre-paid cards.

Monitor your credit card or debit card account associated with your PSN account. Sony has said it has no evidence credit card information was stolen but can't rule out the possibility that it was. As a result, the company is offering free identity protection through a company called Debix. Debix will be watching for signs of identity fraud, but the service hasn't kicked in yet for people in the U.S., at least. And it's always a good idea to keep a close eye out for suspicious transactions when your financial data may have been exposed.

https://www.allclearid.com/sony


I think sony could do better with welcome back package like giving use one new game and add-ons to our games. Best thing is free identity protection
Category: Security

How much longer is ps3 maintenance?

Man i wish it would turn on already. Who gots black ops.
IF you do put your PSN name on your message and give me a thumps up.

Heres mine:Beaster454

Answer: Here are blog entries from some important people involved with Sony:


Keir Thomas reports:

When Sony's PlayStation Network was taken offline ... all eyes fell on the Anonymous group, who've taken a dislike to Sony's ... treatment of hardware hacker George Hotz. ... Last night Sony confessed that an "external intrusion" caused [it] to take-down the PlayStation Network and ... Qriocity. ... However, they're not saying anything more, or giving a time scale as to when gamers will be able to resume playing online.
...
The phrasing Sony used ... indicates that this wasn't a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. ... Instead, this seems to be an individual breaking into the network ... probably why it's taking so long to clean-up. ... The break-in might even be coincidental to the recent Anonymous actions. ... However, the timing is certainly suspicious.

Tricia Duryee adds context:

Sony’s PlayStation Network ... provides PlayStation 3 users with downloadable games, movies and TV shows. ... [It's] similar to Xbox Live ... trying to extend the life of the console by adding new content.
...
It has 70 million registered accounts worldwide who have downloaded more than 1.4 billion pieces of content..

Sony's Patrick Seybold spins thuswise:

We are working around the clock to bring them both back online. Our efforts ... involve re-building our system to further strengthen our network infrastructure. ... This task is time-consuming ... [but] it's worth the time ... to provide the system with additional security.
...
We will continue to give you updates as they become available.

But Anonymous gloats at Sony's misfortune:

Sony released a statement ... saying that the network outage may be a result of "targeted behaviour by an outside party". ... Adding to the confusion is the fact that the message has since been removed.
...
[We] are not related to this incident. ... A more likely explination is that Sony is taking advantage of [our] previous ill-will ... to distract users from the fact the outage is accutally an internal problem.
...
Sony is incompetent.

And Sidharth Bhansali sounds worried:

Waiting is all one can do, but this ... raises questions regarding security. ... Not only do we have game-related stuff on PSN, but also millions of users’ addresses and credit card details are buried in the store.
...
Let's hope that PlayStation is up and running soon.

Oh look! Adam Dolge has a Deep Throat in Sony:

A source with close connections to Sony Computer Entertainment Europe ... who wishes to remain anonymous [says] the PSN sustained a LOIC attack ... (a denial-of-service). ... There was also a concentrated attack on the ... servers holding account information. ... “Admin Dev accounts were breached.” ... The SCEE source said Japanese servers may be restored [today] while [other] servers will likely be operational [tomorrow].
...
Again, this information is from a source who claims to have a very close connection with [Sony].
...
"Everyone deserves the right to know what’s been going on," the source wrote. ... If you have information to share, please do so.

Meanwhile, Charles Pullman speaks for many in this rant-and-a-half:

You would think that Sony would have had recovery plan ... we can conclude that they do not. It is sad that they ... shut everything down. ... Companies have been able to make major changes to their systems without having to completely shut them down. There is something else going on here.
...
Other companies who have these kind of problems ... do not leave users in the dark as to what is going on. ... [Sony is] very secretive about everything that is going on. ... They had better start providing more information as people are losing patience ... and starting to consider other gaming systems.
...
As with any lack of information, there is speculation as to what is going on. ... At this point, it could have been a single hacker ... who was able to get through their security firewalls. ... There is even the possibility that they gained access to the ... credit card information and that is why they shut everything down the way that they did. If [so] they need to admit that now and not wait.
...
Keeping your customers informed ... is critical with successful businesses.
Category: PlayStation

To Fight Identity Theft, a Call for Banks to Disclose All Incidents

Is the identity theft scourge getting better or growing worse? There is little consensus on whether financial institutions and law enforcement agencies are making headway in combating identity theft. But Congress is nonetheless taking aim at the crime as a major consumer protection problem. The Senate Judiciary Committees subcommittee on - There is little consensus on whether financial institutions and law enforcement agencies are making headway in combating identity theft; Congress is taking aim at crime as major consumer protection problem; Senate Judiciary Committee will take up issue; hearing will revolve around two bills proposed by Sen Dianne Feinstein; one would require companies to reveal when they suffered data breach; other bill would limit use of Social Security numbers and establish criminal penalties for their misuse; committee will also hear radical new idea on way to obtain reliable numbers on extent of identity theft; proposal, submitted by Chris Jay Hoofnagle, lawyer and senior fellow at Berkeley Center for Law and Technology at University of California, recommends that lending institutions like banks and credit card companies, and payment firms like PayPal, be required to report their internal figures on fraud and identity theft publicly; photo (M) - By BRAD STONE

GCM Express have recently sent me a card asking me to call them urgently. No letter arrives. Why?Who are they?

I received a letter approx 2 weeks later from a company saying I owe them money. Beware of GCM Express as it appears that they pass on your private info without your concent (DPA Breach) to companies who then try to scare you into paying them money for a debt youre supposed to have had. If you get a card, DO NOT REPLY.

Answer: Correct ..

The world is full of scammers and con-merchants .. some are total FRAUDS, others are simply 'fishing' for debt repayment .

Note that these days, most scammers use spam emails, since this is effectively free, however the 'old' paper methods are starting to make a 'come back' as the today's unsuspecting victim is less suspicious of 'real' mail ..


The total scam works like this .. your get some note through the door, or letter in the post saying you have a package to be delivered or some-one owes you some money (or you owe some-one else) and you need to contact them urgently (needless to say, they ONLY contact information they give is a Premium Rate phone number .. where you will pay them £5 a minute whilst a computer generated message asks for your details and wastes your time - you may have to listen to a recorded message telling you a load of rubbish about packages of money etc. and never getting to the point - in fact, any old rubbish, just to keep you hanging on as long as possible)

The Debt Recovery "fishers" work like this :-
They purchase disputed / unrecoverable debt from legitimate companies where the debtor has moved address (or otherwise deny it is them that owes the debt) .. they then trawl the Voters Register for the the same area and write to everyone with the same surname ... what they are trying to do is find parents / relatives who will tell them where the debtor has gone or, better, will pay up in their stead .. to archive this, they spout a load of nonsense about how the debtor has made their relatives liable for the debt and suggest they can be taken to Court, have their Salary 'attached' or reported to Credit Reference agencies ..

Finally there is the 'unsolicited goods' scam ... again so old that it's coming back ... although most often perpetrated against Companies, individuals living in 'high vlaue' neighborhoods may well be targeted .. here some 'unknown' Courier Company man turns up with a package that you sign for .. inside is some worthless rubbish (often a washing powder 'sample' or some other kitchen cleaning product) .. a few weeks later the Invoice arrives, with a copy of the 'Order Form / Acceptance Note' you signed, demanding payment (often a small amount, eg £5 or £10) with suggestions that you will end up in court / reported to Credit Reference agencies if you fail to pay (and perhaps a Premium Rate phone number for you to call if you want to 'cancel') .. the amount is small enough to those living in the neighborhood to not be worth the risk of financial problems, so a lot of people pay up... others call to complain (and discover they have paid 10 times over when their phone bill arrives)

NEVER sign for anything you are NOT expecting .. if your relatives are in the habit of sending 'signed for' presents, check the senders name / address before signing .. and run a mile from any unfamiliar delivery service ...

If you get 'Delivery Notes' through the door, look up the details on google before calling any phone number ..
Category: Other - Business & Finance

LINK BY LINK; An Ominous Milestone: 100 Million Data Leaks

ON Thursday, Kevin Poulsen, senior editor for Wired News, noted in his blog (blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/), a milestone in the number of records that have been compromised in data breaches since the ChoicePoint breach nearly two years ago: Rapid-fire announcements this week by U.C.L.A. (800,000 records) and Aetna (130,000) moved the total to the - Recent announcements of data breaches by UCLA (800,000 records), and Aetna (130,000) moved total to threshold, when Boeing Co reveals that laptop recently stolen from employees car contained names, Social Security numbers and other data on 382,000 current and former employees, bringing total to 100,152,801 records; there was no question about motive and quarry in incident involving University of California, Los Angeles; hacker, or hackers, have been entering restricted database for over year before beach was discovered; educational institutions have particularly acute problem when it comes to nations leaky data issue; study by Public Policy Institute for AARP last July, using data compiled by Identity Theft Resource Center, determined that of 90 million records reportedly compromised in various breaches between Jan 1, 2005, and May 26, 2006, 43 percent were at educational institutions; University of Colorado at Boulder announces that names and Social Security numbers of 17,500 former students may have been exposed in attack on server; drawing (L) - By TOM ZELLER Jr.

do i need to freeze my credit status?

I was recently the target of an online phishing scam. This breach included my name, address, age and occupation but not my social security number. I am low-income, never had a credit card and not likely to apply for one soon. Is it a good idea to ask the credit bureaus to freeze my credit now to guard against possible identity theft? Is there also included a safeguarded option to re-activate my status in future when I am ready to apply for credit? Peace.

Answer: You can put the account on fraud alert through Trans Union Fraud Dept. Their toll free # 1-800-680-7289. They will notify the other 2 bureaus for you at no charge. You have to renew it every 90 days. When you're ready to apply, just call and have the fraud alert removed.
Category: Credit

Credit Card Breach May Affect 40 Million Target Shoppers | KTLA 5

The discount retailer Target issued an apology Thursday and said it was working with a forensics firm to investigate a security breach that may have compromised the personal data of 40 million customers. The unauthorized ...

QUOTATION OF THE DAY

The processing companies are hubs for millions of payment records. It is the juiciest target for an individual who wants account numbers. It is a honeypot for identity thieves. CHRIS HOOFNAGLE, senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, on a security breach involving credit card records. [C13]

Target confirms credit card breach affects thousands | FOX6Now.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The Secret Service is investigating a reported credit card data breach at discount retailer Target. Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary confirmed the investigation Wednesday evening.

how did my debit card info get stolen?

I dont use my debit card for anything besides ATMs and occasionally making purchases at the store i work at (a large retail chain.) I got a call from my bank the other day saying that someone had attempted to buy airline tickets with my debit card online. fortunately my bank declined the transaction and immediately deactivated my card.

how could my card information have been stolen and how can i prevent this from happening again?

Answer: Unfortunately, more and more thieves are targeting merchant chains and card processing companies as their source of credit/debit card numbers. They will either tamper with the terminals that you swipe your card through, or hack into the computers that store/process the card transactions. They can then use the stolen card information to make purchases online, or create duplicate cards to make purchases in person, or make ATM withdrawals. You may have just made a purchase at the wrong store at the wrong time. VISA/MasterCard provide Zero Liability protection for their debit cards because they know you cannot prevent this from happening.

Below are news articles on the largest breach in history and one of the most recent breaches and a multi-state store.
Category: Credit

Target says 40 million credit, debit card accounts may be affected by ...

7 hours ago ... Target says that about 40 million credit and debit card accounts may have been
affected by a data breach that occurred just as the holiday ...

Target confirms massive credit-card data breach - USA Today

14 hours ago ... Secret Service confirms investigation of potential breach that began around Black
Friday.

What Can Hackers Do with Network Sniffer?

What Can Hackers Do with Network Sniffer

Answer: A network sniffer in the wrong hands is a deadly weapon. A network sniffer is a real danger because it is a very powerful and difficult to detect tool

Security breaches of all kinds are reported all the time. Everyday we hear of hackers who managed to steal sensitive data, of people who become victims of identity theft, etc. Very often the breaches are so incredible that you wonder if hackers have supernatural powers. Well, hackers hardly have supernatural powers but they don't need them supernatural powers are not necessary when a networklacks security and one has the right tools to break in.

Hackers Can Monitor Networks With a network sniffer

The tools hackers use to break into networks are more or less the same tools network admins use to monitor and maintain their network with. For example, network sniffers are among the tools hackers love most. A network sniffer captures packets and shows you their contents.This means that with the help of a network sniffer running somewhere into the network, hackers can monitor all the unencrypted traffic to and from this network.

This is really scary - just imagine a malicious hacker who knows all the secrets of your company. It gets even more dangerous for networks, where hubs (and not switches) are used because in this case a network sniffer can be installed on any computer and the hacker will monitor all the traffic in that segment, not only the traffic to and from the host. The good news is that hubs are almost out of use today and because of that hackers can do less damage with a network sniffer.
Hackers Can Obtain Passwords and Credit Card Numbers With a network sniffer
When a hacker uses a network sniffer to monitor your network, this is not nice but when he or she steals passwords, credit card numbers and other types of sensitive data, this is a real danger. Unencrypted passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive data are an easy target for a hacker with a network sniffer.

In many of the cases of mass theft of credit card numbers and passwords happen because hackers use a network sniffer on an unencrypted network. For truth's sake, it is important to mention that even if all the traffic is encrypted, there are still many other ways to obtain sensitive data. But when the traffic over a network is not encrypted and nobody monitors the network for unauthorized network sniffers, sooner or later data will be stolen.

One of the greatest achievements for hackers with a network sniffer is to capture the administrator's password. When the administrator's password is transmitted over the network in an unencrypted form, this is an easy target for hackers. If hackers manage to intercept the admin password, they have the power to do everything they want to on your network - delete data, modify data, etc. So, do you see why hackers don't need supernatural powers but only the admin password?
Category: Computer Networking