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Move to the Head of the Class in Preventing Identity Theft
when Going Back to School:

12 Tips to Protect Your Identity at School

(NEW YORK, NY – August 5, 2008)  Millions of Americans will be returning to school at the end of the summer and many now use computers in the classroom, as well as for homework and projects.  Computers are one of the largest and potentially risky sources of personal information (over 234 million data records have been exposed due to security breaches since 2005).  If stolen, your personally identifiable information can easily lead to identity theft.  Once information such as your Social Security Number is stolen, it can be used to commit identity fraud for many years.

Statistics show close to a million--if not more--laptops are stolen each year.  Once a hacker has your laptop, they will siphon any personal data they find on it and can then sell your identity online.  Identity thieves can now buy SSNs, bank account logins, passwords, and credit card numbers online by the thousands!

Schools are traditionally open and unprotected environments.  Keeping your personal information secure is a critical responsibility because losing that information can impact you the rest of your life.  Nobody wants to graduate with bad credit – particularly when they didn’t cause it!

The makers of identity theft prevention software, Identity Finder (www.identityfinder.com), here provide a dozen simple tips to help you protect your identity and your computer at school:

1. Do not store personal information on your computer unprotected:  By securing your identity wherever it exists on your computer, you prevent your identity from being stolen even if your computer is.
2. Don’t share personal information:  When using MySpace, Facebook, or other social networks, do not share your date of birth, social security number, or credit card numbers with anyone online.
3. Don’t assume your school is protecting you:  Most college networks are unprotected; their computer systems do not have strong security controls, thereby allowing a host of malicious programs to reach you through the Internet. 
4. Protect your password:  Your password is now a form of your identity and can be used to access your computer, your online bank account, and any other password protected areas.    Make sure it is at least seven characters, contains numbers, and upper and lowercase letters.
5. Configure peer-to-peer file sharing programs securely:  You might download music, movies, and other programs using file sharing programs, but these programs may also allow people to access your computer and steal personal and private information such as financial aid documents.  Configure sharing programs not to expose personal folders.
6. Install software updates and fixes weekly or monthly:  It might be an annoyance, but always update Windows and Mac OS, your web browsers, and multimedia applications such as Apple Quicktime and Adobe Flash, as soon as possible after companies release them.  These fixes plug holes that hackers already know how to exploit to gain access to your files; some attacks work just by you visiting a web page.
7. Don’t leave your laptop unattended at the library or school cafeteria:  Even with security cables, the hard drive that stores all your data can be easily removed.  You keep the computer but they keep all your data!  Take your laptop with you.
8. Don’t click on email messages that contain hyperlinks to websites:  Many new friends and students will be emailing you and you might be more trusting of unknown messages in the first few weeks of the semester.  Phishing attacks are increasingly common and attempt to trick you into visiting false websites to steal your personal information.  Close email messages with web links from unknown people and type the web address in manually. 
9. Never enter private information on public computers such as in the library or classroom:  These systems may be infected with a keylogger or spyware capturing everything you type.  Use your personal computer to access sensitive websites.
10. Never email or instant message personal information:  These communications are usually not secure and can be listened in upon by other people.  Call someone if you must be read them your personal information.
11. Stay secure when wireless:  Wireless networks could allow someone to easily attempt to attack your computer.  If you set up a wireless network in your dorm, enable the security features to prevent people from joining your network. 
12. Don’t let the school use your SSN as a Student ID:  Social Security Numbers are personal and confidential; don’t let your registrar use it as an SID!

About Identity Finder:
The Identity Finder software searches through files and e-mails for personal information - such as social security numbers, passwords, and credit card details – and helps users securely shred or encrypt the data.  Identity Finder, LLC is a leading niche innovator of security and privacy technologies. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in New York City, the company specializes in developing software solutions that meet business and consumer needs.  The company’s products have been used by thousands of organizations in more than 40 countries.

http://www.identityfinder.com

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