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There are a number of things you can do to help prevent Identity Theft occurring to you and your family.
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When on the Internet always:
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Install Security Software. In today’s world a layered approach to security is necessary. This layered approach should consist of a keystroke encryption technology such as GuardedID®, an anti virus, anti spam, pop up stopper and firewall protection.
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Use Secure Sites. When submitting information, make sure the website is secure by checking if a padlock is showing on the bottom of the browser or the web address starts with "https".
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Be Careful of Spam. Don't respond to any emails asking for financial details - even if they look authentic. Banks, financial institutions, credit card companies and sites such as eBay and PayPal will never send out these types of emails.
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Remove Personal Information from Your Computer. Don't keep unnecessary personal information (such as tax file numbers or bank account details) on your home computer.
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Attachments. Be careful with email attachments - they can contain viruses.
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Watch out for Tricks. Fraudsters may use pop-up windows or other online marketing tricks to try and get your information. Be careful what you click on.
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Be Cautious When Using Public Computers. Assume that the world is watching everything you type on a public computer. Many are either infected with spyware or intentionally monitored by the operator.
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Read Website Policies. If using shopping or auction sites check the privacy policy of the website and read up on any safety tips they may have for you.
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| Children of all ages can be victims of Identity Theft. Whether it is a classmate at school pretending to be him or her online, or more serious cases of criminal activity involving fraud, children need to understand the risks and what they need to do to stay safe. |
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| Common ways that children become victims of Identity Theft include: |
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Giving out their own, or their parents, account details or passwords to other friends.
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Not installing any security software on their computers thus exposing them to a range of online threats.
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Leaving an electronic trail of personal information at schools, friend's houses or Internet cafes, which can be followed by others.
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Losing personal storage devices such as memory sticks, phones or personal digital assistants, which may contain personal information that isn’t minimally password protected with strong passwords. Most often these devices are not password protected.
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| Teenagers often have their first experience with paid employment when they start casual work. They may be getting paid directly into their bank accounts which they can access online. Before your children start engaging in this type of online activity they need to be fully aware of the issues surrounding Identity Theft and the necessary precautions they should take, such as purchasing and installing an anti-virus solution and GuardedID®. |
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| GuardedID® is the foundation of a layered approach to securing your child’s privacy online. |
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| On an almost daily basis, users of the Internet are warned about the latest hacking, infectious spyware or keystroke-logging incident perpetrated by criminals who are seeking to profit illegally by obtaining your financial information and/or identity. Fight back against this crime by arming yourself with the knowledge and tools to protect your identity. |
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| As an Internet user, it is important that you take the appropriate steps to protect your computer from being at risk of unlawful invasions. |
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GuardedID®’s Keystroke Encryption Technology
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Anti-Virus Software
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Anti-Spyware Software
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Firewalls
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Automated System Updates
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Credit Report Monitoring
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| When you are surfing the web or sending email you may think you are anonymous, but there are various ways that information about you or your activities can be collected without your knowledge or consent. |
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| GuardedID® is the foundation to a layered approach to keeping you secure online. There are several manufacturers of firewall and anti-virus software; we encourage you to research what works best for you. |
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Install GuardedID® keystroke encryption technology as your first line of defense to protect you from both known and unknown keyloggers that can possibly already be installed and undetected on you system.
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Installing a brand name antivirus and/or anti-spyware program to help prevent having “known” viruses, including keyloggers, installed on your computer is also very important. Don't forget to set these programs to auto-update your computer whenever in use.
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Firewall serve multiple purposes, they help prevent your computer from a brute force intrusion, as well as sensitive information from being sent “out” of your computer without your knowledge.
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Also, to help prevent having virus and keylogging software installed on your computer, avoid running programs you receive via email and instant messaging unless you know exactly what it is and who it is from. Remember that every link, picture or download can potentially install a virus and/or a keylogger on your system
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| A zero-day (or zero-hour) attack is a computer threat that exposes undisclosed or unpatched computer application vulnerabilities. Zero-day attacks can be considered extremely dangerous because they take advantage of computer security holes for which no solution is currently available. |
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| Zero-day attacks can occur because a vulnerability window exists between the time a threat is released and the time security vendors release patches to address the threat. |
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| For viruses, Trojans and other zero-day attacks, the vulnerability window follows this timeline: |
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Release of new threat/exploit
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Detection and study of new exploit
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Development of new solution
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Release of patch or updates based on signature pattern to catch the exploit
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Distribution and installation of patch on user’s systems or updating of virus databases
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| This process can often last hours or days, during which networks experience the vulnerability window. One report estimates the 2006 vulnerability window at 28 days. |
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| GuardedID® protects you from keyloggers (often installed during zero-day attacks), by encrypting your keystrokes at the keyboard level and bypassing any keylogger threats that have been maliciously placed on your computer without your knowledge. |
