I’ve updated my article on performing an Annual Identity Check. It now includes details on requesting credit reports from Innovis, TeleCheck and more. And I re-verified all the phone numbers and website links. You can read the article here.
This Christmas my daughter got a Fisher-Price Kid Tough digital camera from a relative. It’s an adorable pink camera of modest resolution with a USB cable to use for downloading the pictures to your computer. And it comes with a free virus! Yay! Fortunately, my anti-virus software instantly detected the malware and quarantined it. And I long ago disabled all Auto Run support in Windows. If I hadn’t, the virus may have actually been able to run briefly. Malware needs only seconds to wreak havoc. In this case, it was a worm that installs backdoors, probably to open up a PC for eventual induction into a botnet. Attempts to contact Fisher-Price (or rather Mattel) have been fruitless, but I suspect this is a case of the factory where[…]
Consequences of Overzealous Security
Part of Information Security is not making assumptions. You don’t assume that computer systems are safe, you check them. Even if they were safe when you checked them, you check them again months later to make sure they are still safe. This sort of regular assessment is no different than security guards making regular rounds in an office building late at night. Such as at a bank. When something suspicious is discovered during a systems check or pentest, you investigate it in order to verify that what was found is what you think it is. Evidence of a server break-in needs to be checked carefully before one goes blurting out “We’ve been hacked!”. Just like a bank doesn’t say “We’ve been robbed” because some accounting numbers don’t match-up.[…]
Annual Identity Checks
Updated: 1/23/09
Added information about Innovis, a fourth credit reporting agency. Added information about TeleCheck. Expanded information about ChoicePoint/ChoiceTrust reports. Normalized formatting and other minor tweaks.
Wake-up! Time to get to work. Go get all your identity reports, make sure nothing has appeared that is bogus or suspicious. With the US economy in the same state as your average mushroom farm, getting credit of any sort is exceptionally difficult now. And thieves are going to be taking advantage of the situation any way they can. It’s more important than ever before to keep on your toes! This year I’ve added details on a fourth credit reporting agency called Innovis Data Solutions, and re-verified all the other information is correct and accurate.
Get to it!
Updated: 10/7/08
Moved article from Gather website to JediMercer.com, reformatted slightly for cleaner apperance.
Updated: 3/28/08
Removed Horizonal Rule tags as Gather improperly undoes them. Updated several links and removed the link for stolenidsearch.com as it is now defunct. Added additional introductory paragraph about current year.
2008 is here and our long-promised bounty of money from the government will be sent out in just over a month. Be cautious about any offers on websites or in e-mail about advances on your government IRS rebate, or statements that you need to pay processing fees or other nonsense.
Oh, and it’s past time to do another annual identity check! If you did one of these last year in 2007, you’ll have the extra bonus of being able to compare your reports side-by-side and see any changes. In addition to protecting your identity and your finances, you may even find some ways to save money. So let’s get on with the original article, shall we?
