I’d like to see the next security survey include a follow-up question to the ‘are you afraid of identity theft’ question. Something along the lines of: ‘do you know what identity theft is and how you can protect yourself?’

I’m not trying to belittle the issue of identity theft. But my own experience is that most people simply repeat the phrase because they’ve heard it so many times on TV and the radio. They don’t understand it and therefore they don’t take even the most basic of precautions to protect themselves.

It’s kind of like the idea of ‘panic rooms’. After the release of the Jodie Foster film (2002), it was all the rage to talk about ‘safe rooms’ and all sorts of new fangled security systems. But do you know anyone who actually did anything to increase the security of his or her home? Lots of talk and no action!

With identity theft, the situation is worse because identity theft is something that can impact each and every one of us. If you have a social security number (in the US, or the national ID in other countries), or credit card, or a bank account, or utility bills you are at risk. Each one of us who is living in modern society is a potential target.

Make sure you protect your personal data. As far as computer usage is concerned, at the very least make sure that your computer software is up to date, including security patches. Make sure you have the basic security programs installed and running: anti-virus software, firewall, anti-spam, and a password manager. With email: don’t open it or click on it unless you KNOW who sent it! Be jealous of your privacy!

Do you know what identity theft is? How are you protecting yourself?

What would your answers be?

Peter L

I just ran across a little article about a school having its computer system compromised because of a password being swiped. It seems that a student in the 4^th grade got the password from a teacher’s desk and then used it to fiddle with the district-wide computer ‘blackboard’ system. No long-term harm was done, but I’m sure the IT folks were scrambling for a while before they figured out what had happened.

Luckily, the alleged child culprit wasn’t prosecuted! While the 9-year old surely misbehaved, in my estimation, the offense doesn’t warrant a criminal punishment. Instead, it should be a call to the school to figure out why passwords are accessible to curious 9-year olds. (Aren’t all 9-year olds curious!?!)

What is missing from the article is any mention of the security policy of the school. Is it standard policy for teachers to write their passwords on post-it notes and to leave them on their desks? Why did this teacher have a password with administrator rights? Do all of the teachers have admin rights? Did the teacher follow procedures for keeping the password safe? Were there any procedures to follow?

We aren’t given any details, but would we be going out on a limb to conclude that the fault or breach is the fault of the teacher, if not the school or district for failing to follow an appropriate security policy for passwords?!

Peter L

A bunch of you have already sent emails asking about the photos being posted on the Sticky Password facebook page. We’re starting a photo series on facebook that we’re calling ‘Sticky Password in real life’. The idea is for Sticky Password customers to submit pictures from all over the world showing how they use Sticky Password, or anything with the Sticky Password logo anywhere: near a landmark, under a waterfall, in your apartment or the local library, at your 2^nd cousin’s wedding – anywhere! Or, even something simple like writing Sticky Password in the snow with pine cones.

Join us by sending a photo showing YOUR real life with Sticky Password to photos@stickypassword.com. Don’t forget to include your name and where you took the picture so that we can toot your horn for you. (Legal stuff: by submitting your photo, you agree that Sticky Password can post the photo on facebook and use it in any way that we’d like to promote Sticky Password.)

We look forward to posting your photos!

I ran across write up of an interesting survey in a online Swedish newspaper. It seems that a good number of Swedes are more than willing to  reveal passwords and access info to websites to an unknown person in exchange for chocolate bars while answering questions during a survey. (I suspect that this lax approach to password security – really their online identity – isn’t limited to our friends in the frigid North.)

What strikes me about this experiment isn’t that anyone would ’sell’ his or her password for a chocolate bar – that’s not the point, at all – but that people STILL think that there’s no danger of anyone misusing their passwords. I don’t doubt that a good number of the people would have revealed the same amount of information even if no chocolate had been offered. After all, these folks didn’t think that they were selling their passwords; the chocolate made it seem like an innocent game, and without giving it much thought, they revealed more than they should have.

This is scary news. Part of the problem is that many people have a picture in their minds that their passwords don’t secure anything valuable, and why would anyone want to read their e-mails anyway?! Another component seems to be that most people don’t realize how interconnected everything can be on the Internet. A password on one site that is also used on another site may reveal more about the person than he realizes, and, in this world of ours, there is always SOMEONE who IS interested in your data!

Keeping your passwords secure is a critical component to keeping your personal information secure and your online identity safe.

Peter L