With all the recent data breaches involving smartphone apps, here is a compilation of breaches that might have put your personally identifiable information at risk: A white-hat ethical hacker reported an Instagram vulnerability in the login form and Sync Contacts feature that puts user accounts at risk. The flaw allowed a hacker to create fraudulent [...]
Top U.S. government officials living abroad have recently been targeted by hackers through Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging application. An internal investigation by WhatsApp found numerous U.S. officials in at least 20 countries have become victims of data breaches through hacking software through the app. The hackers allegedly took control of users’ smartphones in order to access [...]
The 7-Eleven Fuel app suffered a data breach in Australia last week that exposed users’ personal details. The app uses customer location and pricing data to help drivers find the best gas prices at local 7-Elevens, and lock in the low prices by prepaying. A customer reported the breach to 7-Eleven when he discovered he [...]
Two hackers have pled guilty to stealing 57 million files containing customer and driver personal information from Uber, which company officials failed to report to police for almost a year. Hackers Brandon Glover and Vasile Mereacre recently plead guilty to conspiracy to commit extortion charges for their roles in a 2016 data breach affecting Uber [...]
Americans’ knowledge of credit scores has been steadily declining since 2012, according to a recently released survey from the Consumer Federation of America and VantageScore Solutions, LLC. The survey was conducted by phone and posed a number of credit score related questions to 1,002 American adults. The improved economy could be one reason for the [...]
The developer of the most popular credit scoring model, FICO® Credit Scores, announced last month the national average FICO score has reached 704, an all-time high. Average scores have steadily risen for nine straight years since bottoming out at 686 during the Great Recession. Stronger credit scores give consumers better borrowing power, access to better [...]
Protect yourself and your family Identity thieves and fraudsters consistently innovate and adapt to new security measures when it comes to their crimes. One of the more modern cons, known as synthetic identity theft, is high on the list of concerns for legislators and financial institutions alike. Any demographic could be vulnerable to this form [...]
Accessing the Dark Web? You’ll need Tor For anyone to access the dark web, a special type of software and web browser is required. The most well-known and frequently-used software is the Tor browser, which stands for The Onion Router. Tor protects the anonymity of its users by using multiple layers of encryption. Keep in [...]
A new zombie attack is preying on Windows users in an attempt to take over their machines, according to researchers. Microsoft security researchers recently reported a new malware campaign, called Nodersok, that aims to disable Windows Updates and Windows Defender and turn the victimized device into a “zombie” proxy. The Nodersok infection begins with a [...]
Anyone who uses a work email address needs to be wary of email phishing scams, a common tool used by cybercriminals to prey on businesses, government entities, and other employers. Phishing emails are a common form of social engineering used to impersonate the email of a legitimate sender – such as a company or colleague [...]
A new Social Security scam is using scare tactics and prepaid cards to steal victims’ money. The new scam involves phone calls from criminals claiming to be from the Social Security Administration and reporting there has been suspicious activity involving the potential victim’s Social Security number (SSN), according to the Identity Theft Resource Center. The [...]
A SIM swap scam occurs when thieves have gained enough of your personal information to convince a wireless provider to transfer your phone number to a new SIM card that is in their control. Once they have your phone number, they will try to access your accounts, including email, banking and even social media, and [...]
The debts that appear on your credit report are typically sorted into two different types: revolving credit and installment credit. These debt types can affect your credit in different ways. But what’s the difference between revolving credit and installment credit? We break it down below. What is Revolving Credit? Revolving credit extends a fixed line [...]
Credit Freeze vs. Credit Lock: What’s the Difference? Credit freezes and credit locks are often confused for one another since they protect consumers’ credit files from fraud in similar ways. They are, however, two different actions. As more people take preventative measures to protect their identity, it’s important to know how each of these actions [...]
Do you play Words with Friends? If so, your personal information might be at risk. Mobile game publisher Zynga has reported a data breach affecting more than 218 million Words with Friends players. Company officials said a hacker was able to access players’ names, email addresses, phone numbers, login IDs, Facebook IDs, and account IDs. [...]
When people hear the term “spoof” they often think of a humorous parody of a song, movie, or real situation. It’s all about imitation — just like it is in the context of cybersecurity. But when it comes to cybersecurity, the imitation isn’t about humor or entertainment. In this context, spoofing refers to the malicious [...]
The food delivery service DoorDash has announced a data breach affecting about 4.9 million consumers, merchants, and drivers. DoorDash officials said the data breach occurred when an unauthorized user was able to access information such as consumers’ names, order histories, phone numbers, and the last four digits of credit card numbers along with partial numbers [...]
A white-hat ethical hacker recently found an Instagram vulnerability that might have exposed users’ personal information. Hacker @ZHacker13 found the vulnerability in Instagram’s login form and Sync Contacts feature. The hacker was able to put in phone numbers that the platform validated as linked to active accounts. New fraudulent accounts were set up using the [...]
During the last 10 years more than 169 million people in the United States have had their health records exposed, according to a new study. The study, published in the “Annals of Internal Medicine,” found that about 150 million people had their Social Security numbers, drivers’ license numbers, and dates of birth compromised through data [...]
As the dark web has become a more common topic of discussion, the term "deep web" is often used synonymously with dark web — but there is a significant difference between the two. Read on to learn about the difference between the deep web and the dark web: What is the deep web? Deep web [...]
The head of an Ecuadorian data analytics firm has been arrested after leaving the personal and financial information of almost the entire country’s population unprotected online. William Roberto Garces, general manager of Novaestrat, was arrested as part of an investigation into allegations his company left a server with the personal records of about 20.8 million [...]
Email and phone phishing scams are commonplace in the modern age. Their goal is to trick you into providing personal information, such as bank account numbers or personally identifying data, that can be used to commit fraud or identify theft. But thanks to spam filters and call screening, many phishing scams now go ignored. However, [...]
September is National Preparedness Month, so now is the time to create a plan to keep your personal information safe in case of a disaster. When a hurricane, wildfire, or tornado hit, you will need to make sure you have access to your personal identifiable information (PII) as well as other important documents to help [...]
Hurricane Dorian left damage along the east coast from North Carolina to the Bahamas. While residents work to clean up the affected areas, they face a new threat after the storm – identity theft. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), fraud spikes after a natural disaster with identity thieves and other scammers targeting [...]
An energy firm is out almost $250,000 from a high-tech phone scam that used artificial intelligence to mimic the boss’s voice. The CEO of the unnamed company, based in the United Kingdom, thought he was on the phone with his boss from the company’s German headquarters and following directions when he transferred about $243,000 to [...]
The global video-sharing site YouTube has agreed to pay $170 million in fines for violating children’s privacy laws. YouTube, owned by Google, will pay the U.S. Federal Trade and Commission $136 million along with $34 million to New York state for violating the 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, by not receiving parental [...]
Scammers make up more than half of login attempts on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, according to a new report. A new fraud and abuse report by Arkose Labs found that 53% of logins along with 25% of new account signups on social media are by scammers. Most of the fraudulent [...]
A new phishing scam is using false two-factor authentication to take over Instagram accounts. The scam, recently discovered by researchers, starts with emails stating the recipients have had a login attempt into their Instagram accounts. The email states if the recipients did not attempt to log into their accounts they need to log in and [...]
Temecula, California, July 22, 2019 – Actress Bella Thorne now has IDIQ℠, the company behind the credit and identity theft monitoring IdentityIQ℠ brand, to protect her identity after a recent hacking incident exposed her personal information and photos. As an actress, director, rapper, and best-selling author, Thorne has amassed a social media following in the [...]
Five men have been charged with stealing millions of dollars from military members and veterans as part of an international identity theft and fraud ring that used stolen personal information to gain access to Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs benefit sites. The U.S. Department of Justice has charged Frederick Brown, Robert Wayne Boling Jr., [...]
Temecula, California, 21, 2019 – Credit and identity theft monitoring company IDIQ has been recognized as one of the best places to work worldwide with a Stevie® Award for Great Employers. IDIQ℠ has earned a finalist spot in this year’s Stevie Award competition and will be honored with a Gold, Silver, or Bronze Stevie Award [...]
A coordinated cyberattack has taken at least 23 government agencies in Texas offline. Most of the agencies affected by the cyberattack were smaller local governments, according to the Texas Department of Information Resources. The cyberattack has been tracked to a single threat actor. Officials first became aware of the attack when they had trouble accessing [...]
Officials of the credit monitoring site Credit Karma are blaming a “technical issue” for a data breach that exposed users’ credit and personal information to other site users. Users began posting to Reddit and Twitter this week to point out the issue, saying when they logged into the site they were given access to other [...]
Apple is offering a $1 million “bug bounty” to any hacker who can take over an Apple device without being supplied information from the device’s owner. Apple Security Chief Ivan Krstic announced the $1 million bounty during the Black Hat conference held in Las Vegas last week. The $1 million bounty is a significant increase [...]
An ex-Amazon employee who hacked Capital One consumer data might also have breached information from Ford, British telecommunications provider Vodafone, and the IT company Infoblox along with Michigan State University and the Ohio Department of Transportation. Paige Thompson, a former Amazon Web Services employee, was recently arrested for hacking into Capital One’s customer information stored [...]
With the Black Hat and DEF CON conventions – the mecca for both information security professionals and hackers alike – taking place in Las Vegas this month, one major industry focus this year is aviation software vulnerabilities. Black Hat, which runs Aug. 3 – 8, features a presentation on the Boeing 787 software system and [...]
An ex-Amazon employee has been arrested for allegedly hacking the account information of more than 100 million Capital One customers. Paige Thompson, of Seattle, is accused of exposing customers’ personal information – including names, addresses, credit scores, bank account numbers, Social Security numbers, and Canadian Social Insurance numbers – and attempting to share the information [...]
Equifax is expected to pay about $700 million for a data breach that put almost half the U.S. population’s personal information at risk. The credit-reporting firm is working to finalize an agreement that includes a $700 million settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, numerous state attorney general offices, and a class-action [...]
Social media giant Facebook has agreed to a $5 billion fine – the largest in Federal Trade Commission history – for violating users’ privacy. The record-breaking fine comes after the FTC began investigating the company last spring after political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica gained access to almost 87 million Facebook users’ data without their permission. [...]
Sprint has confirmed hackers were able to access account information through the Samsung website late last month, making it the second time this year Sprint customer data has been exposed. The most recent breach occurred last month through a Samsung webpage that allowed customers to add a line to their accounts. Hackers were able steal [...]
Temecula, California, July 17, 2019 – IDIQ, the company behind the credit and identity theft monitoring IdentityIQ℠ brand, is now offering 25% off for active duty and veteran military members – a group especially at risk for identity theft. Scott Hermann, co-owner and CEO of IDIQ, said the discount is not only a way to [...]
British Airways and the hotel chain Marriott are facing record-breaking fines for failing to protect customers’ personal information in two separate data breaches. Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office this month issued a $230 million (£183.4 million) fine – the largest ever imposed by the ICO – against British Airways for a data breach last year that [...]
