Posted in Computers, Data security, Hackers, Internet Dangers, Money, Money Finesse
The stereotypical image of a hacker is a guy who spends all his time holed up in his bedroom or den, fingers flying over the keyboard while red, bleary eyes, kept open only by continuous doses of Jolt cola, search the monitor for opportunities to ply his trade.
Not so anymore, hackers are getting out and about these days and practicing a more outdoorsy kind of hobby: drive-by hacking.
Wi-Fi makes it possible for drive-by hackers to park near wi-fi hotspots and steal data from unsuspecting computer and laptop users. According to a story at Consumer Affairs, the huge data loss suffered by TJ Maxx has been identified as being the work of drive-by hackers.
TJ Maxx was using an old protocol for its network that was notoriously simple to hack. Add to that the fact that TJ Maxx didn’t use encryption when sending data from transactions to banks and the theft was almost too easy. Using stolen credit card and debit card numbers, the hackers were able to counterfeit credit cards and purchase Wal-Mart gift cards. They redeemed the gift cards for thousands of dollars in merchandise.
Posted in Banks, Data security, Identity theft, Money, Money Finesse
There have been some high-profile security breaches and data losses in the news: banks and other financial institutions losing customer data, stores and retailers suffering data loss through hackers and in some cases, customer data just being thrown away.
Although it isn’t clear if this is a hoax or film of some janitors exhibiting an actual find, a video posted on YouTube has garnered a lot of attention in the news.
In the video, loan applications, account data and personal information on customers are found unshredded in the trash outside a J.P. Morgan Chase bank branch. Last year, Chase was in the news for accidentally throwing out tapes of sensitive data on 2.6 million customers who held Circuit City credit cards issued through Chase.
While the film is being called a hoax and a set-up by the SEIU (Service Employees’ International Union) which is currently trying to unionize security workers, the lesson about safe-guarding personal data is well-taken. Too often consumers themselves will dispose of sensitive bank receipts and credit card statements without first ensuring that they are shredded so that no personal information can be gleaned from them.
Americans continue to lose money to identity fraud and more victims lose more money each year.
