(BOSTON, Mass. - May 11, 2007 - IDTheftSecurity.com) New, criminal online threats have been increasing in numbers and sophistication, according to reports. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said this further proves that countermeasures, whether they're from business or the government, must become policy at a pace that matches hackers'.
"Our systems and institutions for combating crime are failing to keep up with 21st century criminals," said Siciliano. "Online crime increases by the day, but governments and industry make progress to enact laws and implement policies against these crimes only by the year."
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and a member of the
Bank Fraud & IT Security Report's editorial board, Siciliano leads Fortune 500 companies and their clients in workshops that explore consumer education solutions for security issues. A longtime identity theft speaker and author of "The Safety Minute: 01," he has discussed data security and consumer protection on CNBC, on NBC's "Today Show," FOX News, and elsewhere.
On May 4,
Webuser reported that, according to PC Tools, online threats criminal in nature have increased by 120 percent in "the last few months." The finding seemed to support larger trends indicated by the 2006 Internet Crime Report, released in March. That report, jointly developed by the National White Collar Crime Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, found large increases over the previous year in Internet auction fraud and other online crimes.
The
Webuser article cited bot networks, also known as zombies, as an example of the increasing sophistication of online crime. A
SearchSecurity.com article from April 27 reported another example, a newly detected spamming technique whereby spammers eschew attaching images in favor of using hosting sites that link images back to e-mails, greatly improving their chances of slipping past spam-blocking systems.
"The advancements in online crime perpetration occur at breakneck speed," said Siciliano. "Meanwhile, we have a Federal Identity Theft Task Force that took a year to produce recommendations. These will probably go through another year of committee hearings in Congress before any of them even have a chance of becoming law. Clearly, we must step on the gas."
Recent security mishaps resulting in data breaches of massive proportions have also suggested that hackers are exploiting data troves in increasingly sophisticated ways. For instance, on May 4,
The Wall Street Journal reported that perpetrators of the recent breach at TJX Cos., which put 45.6 million customers' credit or debit cards in jeopardy of fraud, achieved the breach by breaking into an unsecured wireless network.
"There is no excuse to be storing customers' personal and financial information on unsecured wireless networks, the easiest networks to breach," said Siciliano. "While computer-savvy criminals improve their game, industry and government lag behind, at best, and display no sense of urgency, at worst. Consumers, meanwhile, pay dearly."
Readers may
click here to view a CNBC clip, which features commentary from Siciliano and ran in wake of the year 2005 data breach affecting ChoicePoint, Inc.
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About IDTheftSecurity.comIdentity theft affects us all. Robert Siciliano, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com and member of the
Bank Fraud & IT Security Report's editorial board, makes it his mission to provide consumer education solutions on identity theft to Fortune 500 companies and their clients.
A leader of personal safety and security seminars nationwide, Siciliano has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, "FOX News," NBC's "Today Show," "The Suze Orman Show," "The Montel Williams Show," "Maury Povich," "Sally Jesse Raphael," "The Howard Stern Show," and "Inside Edition." The Privacy Learning Institute features him on its Website. Numerous magazines, print news outlets, and wire services have turned to him, as well, for expert commentary on personal security and identity theft. These include
Entrepreneur,
Woman's Day,
Mademoiselle,
Good Housekeeping,
The New York Times,
Los Angeles Times,
Washington Times,
The Washington Post,
Chicago Tribune,
United Press International,
Reuters, and others.
Visit Siciliano's Web site, www.IDTheftSecurity.com; blog, www.realtysecurity.com/blog; and YouTube page, http://youtube.com/stungundotcom.
The media are encouraged to get in touch with Siciliano directly:
Robert Siciliano
Personal Security Expert
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com
The media may also contact:
Brent W. Skinner, President
STETrevisions
PHONE: 617-875-4859
FAX: 866-663-6557
BrentSkinner@STETrevisions.biz
www.STETrevisions.biz
