One of the oldest institutions of higher education in the United States recently suffered from one of the newest and pervasive forms of crime. Officials reported in mid-February that someone had gained access to private and highly sensitive information off of one of the Harvard University servers. The server also contained personal information about a number of applicants and current students, although this material was believed safe until further investigations showed the data breach was wider than originally believed.

Initially, statements from Harvard noted that the servers contained personal data, but that it has not been compromised. As time went on, however, authorities came forward with the troubling news that numerous students were now at risk for identity theft. In total, over 10,000 personal records were accessed and out of this 10,000, there were over 6,500 social security numbers taken. The university also reported that Harvard Student ID numbers were also taken, although these do not pose the same security risk as do the social security numbers.

The breach occurred on the university’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences’ server, although no one has been indicated as a suspect in the crime. There has also been no indication of how long the data breach was taking place before system authorities were notified and shut down access to the server. This is just one in a long string of data breaches that have hit the collegiate education system in the United States. However, Harvard has shown itself to be one of the best responding universities.

CIO Daniel Moriarty reported to the media that, although there was some initial hope that the student data was safe, it was his unfortunate duty to report that these hopes were no longer valid. The university has assured students that it will do everything in its power to help combat any instances of identity theft that might result from this breach. One of the most basic steps the university is taking is “notifying the individuals who have been impacted and lining up the [identity theft] services for those individuals.” Similar services have been available at other institutions, although there has been a greater lag time between the data breach and the purchase of the ID theft services.

Although used by students, one of the services available to anyone concerned with protecting their identity is Lifelock. The company provides credit monitoring through all three bureaus and alerts the subscriber before any loan applications or credit cards are opened in their account. For a minimal monthly fee, subscribers have reported having a better piece of mind and more confidence that their identity will remain secure.

*In an alarming piece of news, Harvard University students affected by the data breach in February have more to worry about. In mid-March investigators found that personal data from the university server had been posted on the peer-to-peer file transfer system known as BitTorent. This has effectively spread the social security number and private data to millions of individuals.

This time around, the activities in Peoria, Illinois having nothing to do with Betty Friedan or The Feminine Mystique. While this town was the birthplace of the controversial feminist author, its most current claim to fame is one it wishes would never have happened. An employee at the Illinois Eye Center apparently was using her private access to personal files to screen applicants for identity theft.

Authorities don’t have all the details at this point, although they view the investigation as ongoing. No numbers have been given as to the number of potential victims, although the records at the Illinois Eye Center cover over 100,000 residents in the Land of Lincoln. The employee suspected as the culprit behind the crime worked for the company from June-November of 2007. During this time period, she accessed numerous files in an effort to learn which people had the best credit ratings and were the most susceptible to identity theft. The employees apparent targets were females, aged 18-25.

The Peoria Sheriff’s Department was first notified of a string of identity thefts in January 2008. After some investigative work, they learned that all of the women got treatment at the Illinois Eye Center. Further inquiries led authorities to the terminal used by the terminated employee. She was brought in for questioning and maintains her innocence, although police are hoping to charge her soon. The Illinois Eye Center would not release why the woman was no longer employed there, although they said that it had nothing to do with any violations of personal privacy laws and that they have been fully cooperating with the police.

At least ten attempts of identity theft have been made against women falling in between the 18-25 age range listed above. In the majority of these cases, the attempts have been unsuccessful. Unfortunately, in at least once case the theft was completed and a large loan was taken out by someone in the name of a victim. While none of the victims were available for comment at the time of this article, police said that the women had taken steps to protect their lines of credit and to halt any efforts at identity theft.

Within recent years, companies have developed in response to the prevalence of identity theft. One of these ID theft services is Lifelock. Best known for its promotions that involve the CEO shouting his social security number to groups of people in large cities, it provides services that monitor credit reports. It has contact with all three credit bureaus and alerts members to any actions that involve the bureaus. Such instance include taking out loans or opening new credit card accounts.

Authorities do not have a time table for when they think their investigation will conclude. Members of the Illinois Eye Center who were affected are advised to remain vigilant in their record keeping. The affected individuals should have received a letter from the company alerting them to this security breach. If you are a member and notice any suspicious activity on your financial accounts, alert the Peoria Sheriff’s Department immediately.

Although reports of data breaches seem to be centered in the United States, the rest of the world is far from safe from such occurrences. This was recently proven in a daring day-time robbery at a medical center in England. The worst part about this robbery is that the people most likely to suffer from the effects are small children and their parents. As has been reported far too often in the media, young children who are the victims of identity theft sometimes spend the rest of their lives trying to overcome all the hurdles that have been placed in their way. Many never overcome them. Thankfully though, there have been developments in protection over the last few years.

One of the best improvements has been the creation of subscription ID theft services. Not only do these companies, like Lifelock, provide checks on credit reports and financial accounts, but they also protect the subscribers from any unauthorized activities that take place due to identity theft. Although some companies are bound by national borders, Lifelock is able to provide coverage to citizens in both the United State and the United Kingdom.

Despite the sketchy nature of details involving the most recent data breach, authorities are saying that there is a “large risk of victims suffering from identity theft.” The theft of a laptop took place in Telford, England. The assailant simply walked in to the main office of the health center, disconnected the laptop, and walked out the front door. No efforts were made to stop the man because no one saw him take it. It was only after consulting the security cameras that an accurate description of the suspect was generated.

The laptop contained the medical history, addresses, and birth dates for 238 children. There have been no reports yet about the background of the children, although there has been some speculation that they were part of a program to provide assistance to underprivileged families. Despite the severity of this breach, authorities report that it could have been much worse. The laptop originally had access to England’s National Health Service system. Once the theft was reported, the first step taken to combat any possibility of identity theft was to deactivate the laptop’s subscription to that service. Authorities believe their proactive measures have ensured the safety of 1000’s of individuals.

While the investigation is on going, authorities have been fielding a number of questions from concerned parents. They have assured family members that they are working as quickly as they can and that notifications have been sent to the individuals affected by the breach. At this point, a spokesman for the health center has said that there have been no reported cases of identity theft, but that “top men will continue to monitor the situation in the foreseeable future.”

Amid the sun and palm trees of Florida, many local teachers and employees now have one more issue to worry about, other than just sunburn. It was reported earlier this week that a high school senior at Atlantic Technical High School was tracked down as the source of a large data breach. In all, over 35,000 individuals within the Broward School District of Coconut Creek Florida, were put at risk by the hack.

Authorities were able to track the student down in a timely fashion. According to their written reports, the student did “a poor job of covering up his actions, although that did not stop him from committing the crime.” That data encryption system for the school district was recently upgraded, although reports haven’t detailed whether or not this upgrade was in response to this data breach. Students at Atlantic Technical are required to fill out a computer access form that binds them to abiding by a series of rules and regulations, one of which is respecting the integrity of personal data and files on the school’s servers.

While details are still developing in the case, the school board is attempting to alert affected faculty and staff. Unfortunately, despite the “sloppy hack” and the quick response by authorities, no list has been created to name the individuals at risk of identity theft. The information that was taken contained personal addresses, social security numbers, bank routing numbers for the district’s direct deposit system, and funds contributed to state-run retirement funds. Teachers and staff throughout the district have expressed a great concern at this threat to their privacy and security.

Until the school district is able to alert all 35,000 individuals, people are advised to take matters in to their own hands. Unlike other recent data breaches, the Broward School District has not guaranteed to provide identity theft monitoring for its employees. Experts suggest that the public school system is not able to support subscriptions for such a large number of people. However, some teachers have taken steps to protect themselves. One of the easiest options available to both faculty and staff is a subscription through an ID theft service, such as Lifelock. These companies monitor the credit reports of subscribers and check with all three credit bureaus to make sure that no unauthorized activity is made on credit cards, bank accounts, or loan applications.

As for the student caught with the stolen information on his laptop at home, charges have been filed. For the mean time, the student has been suspended for two weeks while the investigation continues. Efforts at the district level have been made to bring the student up for the possibility of expulsion. Although the offender was only 17 at the time of the data breach, the severity of the hack may expose him to being charged as an adult, as criminal charges will no doubt soon follow his trial with the local school board.

Continuing the long string of data breaches to affect students, employees and undergraduates at Connecticut State University have become the next victims in line. Those who attended institutions in the state system over the last four years are advised to contact the university to see whether or not they are an affected individual. Details are still pending about the extent of the breach, although initial estimates place the number around 3,500 impacted students, some having graduated. Unfortunately, because the university is still trying to recover the information, the ongoing investigation limits the amount of detail available to the media.

The material that was stolen contained the names and social security numbers of students; more than enough information to create a situation in which people must be weary of identity theft. Despite regulations regarding the university’s computer system, the files were not encrypted. Upon further questioning of officials, it was learned that encryption regulations apply only to files stored on the CSU servers, not offsite locations. The reason this issue becomes so important is because the data breach occurred when a business laptop of a school vendor was stolen on an on-campus visit. Although the vendor was in a public area, surveillance cameras have yet to identify the guilty party.

Despite the problem of the actual files not being encrypted, the vendor has assured the university that his computer was password protected and that “every reasonable effort is being made to locate the missing laptop.” There hasn’t been any information reported about the company that the vendor worked for or what their personal security regulations entail. Future reports should contain that information and a more thorough history of the vendor to see whether or not it has had any similar data breaches.

While the university has attempted to contact the affected individuals, the process is not yet complete. For those who are nervous or fear that they have been the victim of identity theft, there are a few steps that they should take. First of all, they should contact the university immediately. The people most likely at risk are students who attended Eastern Connecticut University, Western Connecticut University, Central Connecticut University, and Southern Connecticut University between the years 2001 and 2004.

If you were a student during that time frame and haven’t been contacted yet, you should also keep a close eye on your credit report and other personal financial information. Unfortunately, the sale of personal information is rampant on the internet and is one of the main reasons that identity theft has become so pervasive. Some of the affected individuals have been subscribing to ID theft services to protect against any of the damages associated with identity theft. Of the available institutions providing such services, many have found that Lifelock, the company that has ads displaying the president and CEO’s social security number on the side of a truck in New York City, to be a cost effective and secure option.

Everyone is concerned with their personal health information. News segments cover issue on the field on a nightly basis. There is a reason so many people are concerned. Not only are they worried about insurance companies denying them health coverage because of some piece of medical information, but also because of the damage done to individuals who have their personal histories stolen. That is the exact concern for 128,000 people who were insured by WellPoint, Inc. The Tampa based insurance provider reported a data breach earlier in this week.

The data breach was easily preventable, according to reports. Rather than an outside hacker illegally entering the system, an employee accidentally posted the material on the company’s website. The personal information that appeared on the website included social security numbers, prescription numbers, and pharmacy medical records. No information has surfaced about security measures undertaken by the company to prevent similar problems from taking place in the future. There is also no word about when the breach occurred, although it was reported in the middle of April.

Within the 128,000 affected people, at least 71,000 live in the state of Georgia. This group of 71,000 mostly includes low income individuals who were receiving insurance as part of a plan to supplement the health coverage of poor and under privileged people. No details are yet available about any individual complaints or legal actions under way by the affected individuals.

WellPoint, Inc. officials say that there have been no reported incidences of identity theft. In an effort to help those negatively affected by the data breach, the company is providing free credit report checking for all 128,000 victims. Experts in the field of network security view this as being an important step toward the company reclaiming its credibility.

Unfortunately, with the many data breaches happening on a daily basis, few companies are taking the same type of stand as WellPoint. In instances where the affected business does not step forward and approach the situation in a proactive sense, consumers are advised to take matters in to their own hands. Such steps involve monitoring credit cards, loan applications, and all information reported to credit bureaus. One method to streamline this process is to invest in a subscription to an ID theft service. Companies, like Lifelock, monitor all three credit bureaus and alert subscribers to any attempt to take out loans, open new credit cards, or proceed with any other fraudulent activities.

For the time being, officials continue to monitor the situation. Individuals who have their insurance through WellPoint and have not yet been contacted, should check for updates on the company’s website. Anyone who notices fraudulent activity on their accounts, whether through personal screenings or alerts from Lifelock, should contact WellPoint immediately to discuss the next step. Customer service representatives are available to answer all the questions of people insured by WellPoint.

Another international economic institution was hit today by a data breach. In this case, over 10 million Korean users of the popular auction site eBay, are the potential victims of identity theft. The breach occurred in late February, but was only recently discovered and reported to the media. Information about the material stolen in the breach is still uncertain, although authorities continue their investigations both within Korea and around the world.

While the 10.8 million affected Koreans have not all been notified, officials for eBay state that the data breach did not involve the theft of any information from American buyers or sellers. Details about how the company stores its data was not released and this has been the largest of any problems to affect the online auction company. Although there have been problems in the past, this is by far the largest and most troubling for the company. It recently made headlines when buyers went on strike to protest the extra costs now tied in to completing sales on the website.

Authorities involved with the investigation have only provided some details. While they assure that the personal information about the 10 million users was not stolen, they have not made clear how they are aware of this detail. Despite their optimism, personal ids and logins for the website were taken. This information could be used to access other accounts by Korean buyers and sellers who do not have different passwords for different accounts. Variations in passwords and user ids are important for everyone in today’s world. The same can be said for making sure that passwords are strong and use a variety of numbers, letters, and symbols.

Until the investigation is completed, consumers are expected to monitor their personal accounts. This involves credit cards, loans, and other personal information. Data breaches and identity theft are becoming too common. For those individuals who think they might have been affected, there are a variety of options to consider. Many people are vowing to keep an eye on their credit reports. While there are some free reports out there, many people are finding it burdensome to keep an eye on this material in a timely fashion. As a direct result of these difficulties, more and more people are turning to subscriptions by ID theft services. While a number of companies exist to provide these services, most people are turning toward Lifelock and its inexpensive services.

For the time being, authorities continue to investigate the breach. Local law authorities have concluded that the perpetrators were located outside of the country. Unfortunately, no further details have been made available. Asia has been the site of a number of recent data breaches, although many have been traced to Germany and other locations in Europe. While international law enforcement agencies try to combat the problem, consumers are being advised to take steps to protect their identities, such as purchasing subscriptions with Lifelock.

It appears that no one is safe from ID theft anymore. A group of 150 individuals in Boston have had this fact recently confirmed for them. According to published reports, the 150 individuals had attended classes at the Boston Museum of Science. Although the investigation continues, the affected individuals have already been contacted by mail and phone. It appears that their personal information was posted on the museum’s webpage by a contract employee. Since the webpage was public, the data was available to anyone with access to the Internet.

Although the 150 individuals had taken classes at the museum, there were additional people affected. Another 180 consumers who had purchased gifts at the museum shop also had their personal information shared on the website. Unlike the 150 students from the museum, who had their home addresses and credit card information posted, the regular gift shop consumers just had their credit card numbers placed on the webpage.

A spokesman for the museum was not able to confirm how long the material remained on the website. The breach was only brought to the attention of the media at the end of last month, although it had taken place earlier. The delay was due to the fact that the museum was trying to alert all the affected parties in a timely fashion. Additionally, there was no information available about how the breach was noticed or who might have obtained the sensitive data.

Although a copy of the letters sent to the affected individuals has not surfaced for the media, in undoubtedly contained information about steps the people should take. Whether or not in included any information about purchasing a subscription from an ID theft service, such as Lifelock, hopefully the affected people look in to this option. More and more consumers are realizing how simple interactions, such as taking a course at the local museum, can be the source for potential identity theft. With more transactions taking place online, these types of breaches are, unfortunately, becoming more common.

As the story continues to develop, investigators are seeing whether or not any fraudulent activity has taken place on affected accounts. The fate of the contract employee who accidentally posted the information has not been released. Currently, no investigations are being done on the employee, which implies that police and the museum do not believe that this was an intention act. As more information becomes available about the breach, authorities will be in contact with the students and shoppers at the museum store.

While this breach has brought negative attention to the Boston Museum of Science, it does not seem to have affected its visitor numbers. The museum has assured its patrons that it has stepped up security and put measures in place to prevent any further misplacement of private information. Time will tell how effective these measures prove to be.

Comcast users beware! Once again a large company in the United States finds itself in trouble after having had its electronic data systems breached. The second largest provider of cable TV and internet services suffered a disruption of its services late last week. At the time of the company’s press conference with the media, the number of people affected was roughly estimated in the millions. Thankfully, it appears that the personal data of Comcast customers was not stolen.

As Roel Schouwenberg, vice-president of Kaspersky Lab, noted, “the hackers seemed more interested in fame than money.” The market for stolen information, such as personal addresses, drivers license numbers, social security numbers, and mother’s maiden names is widely known about on the Internet. In some chat rooms, identities can be purchased for as little as $12. With such prevalence, more and more individuals are investing in ID theft services, such as Lifelock.

The specifics of the Comcast case are still developing. Beginning on Wednesday evening, users who went to the Comcast homepage were redirected to a site that informed users that Comcast had been hacked. Thankfully, a site was not set up that would have allowed users to enter their personal information. Many subscribers use the Comcast homepage to access their personal and business email accounts. Insiders familiar with the case say that this could have been a much worse breach.

The hack occurred when the DNS settings for the Comcast homepage were changed by the guilty individuals. The redirected site contained the names “KRYOGENICS, Defiant and EBK.” KRYOGENICS is known for hacking other sites, most recently numerous celebrity accounts on MySpace. Although it was Comcast customers affected in the most current breach, investigators informed the media that it was a lack of security at Network Solutions. No one was available for comment at Network Solutions, although they were called multiple times.

Various reasons have been given for the hack, although no one is certain which is most accurate. The most frequently cited cause is the recent policy by Comcast to limit download speeds from such sites as Bit Torrent. These sites are frequently used to illegally download music and movies. Comcast has been in close contact with the music and film industries to help limit the amount of illegal downloading that has been occurring in recent years.

What has attracted so much attention to this case is the size of Comcast’s client network. It currently has 14.1 million customers, narrowly behind AT&T’s 14.6 million. Although this is the first time that a major company’s homepage has been hacked in a number of years, information security specialists remind consumers to be weary. No wonder more and more people are investing in ID theft services, Lifelock being one of the most popular choices. At the end of his interview, Schouwenberg stated, “there are a lot of sites compromised every hour, they just don’t get the same attention.”

Consumers, beware.

With the presidential primaries finally settled, many American are turning their attention toward November for the show-down between John McCain and Barack Obama. Unfortunately, not all Americans can let this be the sole point of their attention. This is especially true for the citizens of Pennsylvania. In the crucial swing state, many voters understand that the primaries can be very important and many took steps to make sure that their voice was heard and vote counted.

In an effort to streamline the voter registration process, the state government set up a website that allowed users to enter their personal information and register without the hassle of having to send any forms in through the mail. This system was working quite well, with over 30, 000 individuals participating in the early days of its operation. Sadly to report, those 30,000 people are now at risk for identity theft. A severe data breach of the system took place that exposed a variety of personal information, including birth dates and social security numbers, to the public. The state has not yet said how the breach happened or what security measures were in place to prevent such an issue. Outside reports state that the breach occurred because of a simple programming error, although these are unconfirmed reports.

While the presidential election is far from being a conclusion, this is now a period of considerable unrest for the 30,000 voters in the state of Pennsylvania who registered online through the state’s website. There have been no reports of identity theft at this moment, but it is still early in the process and authorities are not optimistic. One was reported as saying, “When the breach is this large, you just have to hope we caught it soon enough and that people are protected.” Within a day of being alerted that the website was functioning incorrectly, it was shut down by the state. Despite the programming glitch, many are praising the state’s network administrators for acting so promptly to limit the extent of the damage.

There has been no indication about how the state plans to contact the affected individuals. People who know they registered within the state through the website are advised to be vigilant in situations regarding their identities. A few individuals who were available to talk on the issue said that they were investing in subscriptions to ID theft services. While a variety of companies and options are available, the majority of people we talked to have decided on Lifelock. Regardless of the company that one chooses, personal identity experts are advising people to take precautions. As one investigator, who wished to remain anonymous, stated, “Too many people wait until something bad has happened to them before they protect themselves. Lots of people have car insurance, but all too few take the threat to their identities seriously enough until it is too late.”