InformationWeek reported that two Earth observation satellites were hacked four times in recent years and it Chinese military might be responsible.

China’s military is the main suspect in hacking two U.S. satellites on four separate occasions several years ago, activity that could pose major threats to these types of operations if more serious intrusions occur, according to a Congressional report.

InformationWeek reported that two satellites–one controlled by NASA and the other by the space agency and the U.S. Geological Survey–experienced interference several times between October 2007 and October 2008, according to a draft report by the the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Hackers gained access to the satellites through Svalbard Satellite Station, a ground control station in Spitsbergen, Norway.

While no harm was caused by these two incidents, it became clear that this type of hacking could cause major problems for a satellite with “more sensitive functions.” If a hacker gained a “high level of access,” it also cause a lot of harm by accessing confidential information or imagery from the satellite’s sensors, or manipulating other terrestrial or space-based networks used by the satellite.

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Facebook accounts are hacked 600,000 times daily during users’ log-in. The company said that it records more than one billion log-ins each day, and that .06% of those are compromised.

The gap in security was first reported by UK-based computer security firm Sophos. The scope of the security breach was conceded by Facebook on a hard-to-find graphic accompanying a note describing its newest efforts to fight Internet piracy.

The post, authored by “Facebook Security” is entitled, “National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Updates,” and is posted on the site.
Facebook shared the info while boasting how it “keeps spam at bay.” The company said that while 89.1% of all email is spam, less than 4% of the content on its pages can be considered as much. It also said that, “Less than 5% of Facebook users experience spam on any given day.”

The company encourages users to take advantage of its privacy features, which include:
• Trusted Friends: This new feature helps you in case you ever get locked out of your account. You can now select three to five trusted friends who can help you if you ever have issues accessing your account. It’s sort of similar to giving a house key to your friends when you go on vacation–pick the friends you most trust and call on them to help you if you get locked out of Facebook. Facebook will send codes to the friends you have selected and they’ll send that information to you.
• Create Password Apps: Facebook is testing a feature that allows you to use app passwords for logging into third party applications. Go to your Account Settings, then the Security tab, and finally to the App Passwords section. You can generate a password that you won’t need to remember, just enter it along with your email when logging into an application.

The good news is that using Facebook can be fun AND safe if you stick to a few basic rules:
• When you sign up to play a new game or use a new app, review what information you’re required to share. If you’re not comfortable with it, don’t sign up. It’s just not worth the risk.
• Remove any personal information, such as your date of birth, email address, and employment information from your profile.
• Adjust your privacy settings so that only your friends can see your updates. This way, identity thieves can’t access your personal data, such as your whereabouts or contact info.

For strong protection on Facebook, use TrustedID’s Facebook Privacy Monitoring tool, which is included in our IDEssentials product. It monitors your Facebook profile and alerts you if any sensitive information is unprotected or vulnerable to identity thieves.

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The Ponemon Institute has released a study on data breaches, which shows that data breaches cause a major blow to an affected company’s reputation.

According to SC Magazine, Ponemon surveyed 843 executives and found that an organization’s brand value dropped between 17 to 31 percent following an incursion, depending on what type of information was breached. Respondents estimated the economic value of their company’s brand to be anywhere from $1 million to greater than $10 billion, with an average of $1.5 billion. Eighty-two percent of respondents said their company had experienced a breach involving sensitive or confidential information.

Depending on the type of information lost in the theft, companies, on average, lost between $184 million to more than $330 million in the value of their brand, according to the study. More than half of respondents said the exposures had a “moderate” impact on their company’s reputation and brand image, while 23 percent said it was “significant.”

Respondents estimated that a data breach, which was publicized by media and involved losing more than 100,000 confidential employee records, would likely result in a 12 percent decrease in brand value, on average. The loss or theft of a small number of sensitive files containing trade secrets, new product designs. or source code would likely lower brand worth by about 18 percent.

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The YouTube channel for “Sesame Street” is expected to be back online soon after hackers forced its shutdown by loading X-rated material last week, according to Business Week.

“Sesame Street” Executive Producer Carol-Lynn Parente said that YouTube took the channel down after noticing the racy material. This was an alarming surprise, as the channel usually posts clips from the popular preschool program.

Parente says it appears that the X-rated videos were online for less than an hour and that “Sesame Street” had received no viewer complaints.

YouTube says it counsels clients to adopt tougher security to avoid hackers. It did not say whether it was counseling Sesame Street

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A woman is testing New Jersey’s law on identity theft by claiming it doesn’t apply to her alleged creation of a Facebook profile in the name of an ex-boyfriend who is a police detective, according to the Daily Record.

Dana Thornton, 41, was indicted last year on one count of fourth-degree identity theft and faces up to 18 months in prison if she’s found guilty. The indictment and court papers allege that Thornton, after breaking up with Detective Michael Lasalandra, created a Facebook page using his name and birth date, and posted photographs of him and comments, which she wrote in his name. These comments disparage his lifestyle choices and career.

New Jersey’s statute on identity theft or impersonation is silent on whether it applies to Facebook and other social media and electronic devices, argues her lawyer, so she is fighting the charges. At most, Thornton’s lawyer says she violated an agreement with Facebook that says no one can provide any false personal information or create an account for anyone other than themself without permission.

The case is set to be heard Nov. 2 in Morristown.

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Credit and debit card theft is a serious issue, and it’s increasing at an alarming rate. We’d like to share a few general tips for preventing or finding out about theft of your credit or debit card or your card numbers.

• Monitor your credit card, bank statements, and telephone bills. This is critical—reading your statements is sometimes the only way to find out that your identity has been stolen. Place a mark on each month of your calendar showing when your statements should arrive, and follow up if you don’t get them. Reconcile your monthly statements with your receipts, and report any discrepancies as soon as you find them.
• Don’t put outgoing credit card or other bill payments in an accessible mailbox. An identity thief who sees the envelope sticking out of your mailbox can retrieve it in seconds, and you’ll assume your mail delivery person took it. It’s safest to mail bills inside a post office (even corner mailboxes have, on rare occasions, been robbed).
• Shred your receipts and old credit card or bank records. When you get a receipt from a credit or debit card transaction, take it home and shred it instead of throwing it in the trash. Never leave receipts lying around. Also shred credit card and bank records when they’re no longer needed—after seven years is usually long enough (though you should never throw out records proving an identity theft). And if you close a card account, snip up the card before tossing it.
• Carry only as many credit cards as you regularly need. For example, the card for a department store you visit only at its semiannual sale can stay at home until the next visit.

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The first reaction most people have when they find out they’ve become a victim of identity theft is, “But where on earth did they get my information?” In most cases, the thieves didn’t have to look too hard for it. Here are just a few of their many sources:

• Your trash. Identity thieves go through people’s trash looking for tossed financial statements, preapproved credit offers, and any other personal information. Some just pull up a car in front of someone’s house, grab the recycle bin, and drive off.
• Your mail (incoming and outgoing). A thief who can access your mailbox before you do may find preapproved credit card offers, not to mention other financial and personal information. And your bill payments awaiting pickup, which might contain your credit card account numbers or a check you’ve written, are an easy and tempting mark for identity thieves.
• Your wallet or purse. Scammers may steal personal information from your wallet or purse, such as your credit cards, driver’s license, or health insurance cards.
• An ATM machine. A thief may watch you enter your PIN and later steal your card, or retrieve your account information from a skimming device the thief placed on the card reader.
• Online. A wide variety of scams are employed by identity thieves to obtain your personal data online. In one of the most popular ones, fraudsters send “phishing” email messages designed to lure you to phony websites and reveal your personal information.
• Shops and restaurants. Dishonest employees steal your credit card information when you make a purchase by writing it down or using a handheld skimming device that captures your card data.
• Databases. Thieves can hack into corporate databases, where your personal information is stored, or buy your information on the secondary market for consumer data.

The big question is–how do you protect your information from being stolen? Simply learning about the risks and understanding how thieves get your data will go a long way in protecting your information. Now that you’re aware of how your information can be stolen, you’re better equipped to protect it! For instance, if you know thieves are targeting people’s trash, you’ll be less likely to toss out papers with your financial data without shredding it first.

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As an adult, you are probably aware of the risks of identity theft, but how many of us take steps to protect our children’s identities? This is an issue that we should be thinking about from birth, when birth announcements, Social Security applications and medical forms first expose our kids’ personal information to the world.

Child identity theft is very similar to adult identity theft. It occurs when an identity thief uses a child’s identity for personal or financial gain. Many identity thieves use children’s names and Social Security numbers to get credit cards and loans; others use children’s identities when facing criminal charges; some sell these clean identities on the black market to illegal immigrants or criminals.

Child victims may not know their identities have been stolen for years, until they grow up and apply for a job or loan themselves. When they finally discover the theft, it can be a messy situation to resolve.

As many as 400,000 children may be victims of identity theft, and kids are the fastest growing segment of identity theft victims. In many cases, the thief is a family member or someone close to the family. Others are victimized by complete strangers.

Prevention is the best tool you have to fight identity theft. When it comes to limiting the opportunities a thief has to steal your child’s identity, here are some tips you may find helpful:
1. Avoid giving out your child’s Social Security number unless necessary. Make sure that medical facilities take proper precautions with your child’s information and complain if your child’s school uses Social Security numbers to identify students.
2. Shred all papers that contain your child’s personal information before throwing them out.
3. Monitor incoming mail in your child’s name. Credit card offers or even debt collection notices may indicate credit activity. If you see anything unusual, contact the sender to find out where they got your child’ information.
4. Do not carry your child’s Social Security card in your wallet. If you need to carry a health insurance card with you, carry a photocopy version with the number cut out.
5. Teach your children not to give out personal information without your permission.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness month and there is no better time to start educating yourself on identity theft and how you can better protect your family. We’d love to hear your feedback and stories–please check us out on Twitter and Facebook!

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As a TrustedID customer, you’re fully covered when it comes to preventing, detecting, and resolving identity theft. You’ll also benefit from the services of our partners, who offer new and exciting ways to further enhance your security.

We’ve joined forces with Anonymizer, adding an extra layer of privacy protection with an innovative Internet privacy service. With the iron-clad security of TrustedID and Anonymizer, you can safely shop, email, and share data–without worrying about pesky identity thieves.

Enter today to win a 1-year subscription to Anonymizer Universal.

Here’s how:
1. Go to the Facebook “Anonomize Your ID” Contest page: http://www.facebook.com/TrustedID?sk=app_121121694568521
2. If you’re not already a fan of TrustedID’s page, click “Like” on our page.
3. Fill out a quick entry form.
4. That’s it! You’re entered to win.

Good luck!

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It’s October, which means it’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month. As an online shopper, banker, game player, and more, this is a great opportunity for you to educate yourself on how to prevent online crimes, particularly identity theft.

Identity thieves often target consumers who fail to protect themselves before it’s too late. Here are three simple tips to help you protect yourself online.

Above all, keep in mind that you’re an easy target if you offer too much personal information. Identity thieves often disguise themselves as trusted companies or even friends. When asked for your personal information, be very cautious and always verify the source before you give away your info.

Never give out your password or credit/debit card number if your financial institution emails you to ask for it. No legitimate financial institution will ask you to provide personal or financial information in response to an email.

Finally, remove any personal information, such as your date of birth, email address, and employment information from your social networking profiles, such as Facebook.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the world and scammers are constantly improving their techniques. By following these steps and educating yourself on common scams, you’ll be well-equipped to prevent identity theft all year long. For more information about how to protect yourself, visit www.trustedid.com.

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