Boston, Massachusetts 8/30/2007 8:30:00 PM
Identity Theft Expert and Speaker on Personal Security Reacts to Data Breaches That Have Left More Than 10 million Records Lost in Just One Month
(IDTheftSecurity.com) Recent news has chronicled a destructive computer hack into a popular job board and the pilfering of many millions of people's identifying information from this and other organizations' databases. Robert Siciliano, a widely televised and quoted personal security and identity theft expert, said these and other reports made research that says more than 159 million records have fallen prey to data breaches since 2005 all the more believable.
"When reports indicate that data breaches in just this past month have placed the identifying information on more than 10 million Americans in jeopardy," said Siciliano, "it's not too difficult to imagine how nearly 160 million might go missing in 24 months."
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 Aug. 22, "ABC News" and other outlets reported that computer hackers had somehow used log-on and password information to obtain the e-mail addresses of 1.6 million members of Monster.com:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3511384&page=1
Authorities remarked that the bounty from Monster.com represented a bonanza for spammers and phishing rings. An unrelated breach of data at Fidelity National Information Services' subsidiary, Certegy, put 8.5 million consumer records in the hands of thieves, According to an Aug. 9th report in DM News.
Against the backdrop of other recent and massive data breaches, a column that posted to Ars Technica on Aug. 20 cited Privacy Rights Clearinghouse numbers that say more than 159 million records have gone missing since 2005 due to various lapses in security. The column reported that, despite much proposed legislation, "no major data breach legislation has been passed."
"Government and industry must join forces in meaningful ways, and immediately, to protect consumer data," said Siciliano. "The number of records lost since 2005 equals more than half the U.S. population. This scale of hemorrhaging, which has only continued in the last month, essentially proves that few organizations take data security as seriously as they ought."
Readers may view YouTube video of Siciliano on CNBC discussing the ramifications of a data breach that took place earlier this year at a high-end vacation resort:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eEnX_TzmuSk
Those wishing to learn how to protect themselves against identity theft, a major concern for anyone whose electronic communication devices have been hacked, may view video of Siciliano at VideoJug:
http://www.videojug.com/search?keywords=siciliano
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About IDTheftSecurity.com
Identity 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 "The Today Show," CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, "FOX News," "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 Forbes, USA Today, Entrepreneur, Woman's Day, 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, http://www.IDTheftSecurity.com; blog, http://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
CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com
PHONE: 888-SICILIANO (742-4542)
FAX: 877-2-FAX-NOW (232-9669)
Robert@IDTheftSecurity.com
www.idtheftsecurity.com
