Citigroup Data Breach – How it Affects Your Wallet
This week’s news of the theft of private data comes from Citigroup. Seems that even the most reputable organizations can be exposed to the ever-more frequent data breaches we read about. You’ll likely recall the recent news of Sony, PBS, Epsilon and Lockheed Martin. Regrettably, the list is growing by the day. It affects me, and likely, it affects you. Now what?
First, arm yourself with the facts. See the attached articles.
- http://blogs.wsj.com/deals/2011/06/09/citigroup-data-breach-4-tips-to-protect-yourself/
- http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/06/09/us-citi-idUSTRE7580TM20110609
- http://www.informationweek.com/news/181502068
Second, remember to protect your most important data (this information, on its own, or in any combination, is a jackpot to an identity thief):
- Social Security number
- Date of birth
- PIN
- Credit Card numbers
- Bank Account numbers
- Birthdate
Third, never reply to an e-mail requesting personal information. Unless you originate the communication, suspect the worst and do not respond. This is referred to as “Phishing” and the results are never good.
Fourth, if you think your credit card has been compromised, call and request a new card. The phone number is on the back of your card, and the associates answering your call love serving as a hero to you and your credit. They’re awesome folks.
And finally, just pay attention. If your intuition is triggered, there’s likely good reason. You’ll never regret being cautious.
Sony Data Breach Grows by 25 Million – $1 Billion Price Tag
Sony just admitted this week that their Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) division, which they though was not affected by the recent breach, has also been compromised. They believe that the hackers stole personal information from an additional 25 million users and that the breach included credit card information.
In an unrelated article, Mizuho Investors Securities analyst Nobuo Kurahashi estimated the cost of Sony’s recovery from the data breaches to be approximately $1.25 billion:
Kurahashi estimates that the data breach will cost Sony about Y100 billion, or $1.25 billion from lost business, various compensation costs and new investments–assuming that no additional security problems emerge. The cyber attacks on Sony in recent weeks involved the theft of personal data that include names, passwords and addresses from accounts on its PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment gaming services. Sony has also said that more than 10 million credit-card numbers may have been compromised.
The return on investment of Sony simply protecting their customer data properly in the first place would be thousand-fold. But if companies were doing more to protect themselves before the attack, what would we write about?
John Sileo’s motivational keynote speeches train organizations to play aggressive information offense before the attack, whether that is identity theft, data breach, cyber crime, social networking exposure or human fraud. Learn more at www.ThinkLikeASpy.com or call him directly on 800.258.8076.
Largest Identity Theft Ring Charged
Are you one of the 200,000,000+ Americans (almost 66% of the US population) who had their identity stolen from TJ Maxx, Marshalls, BJ’s Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble, Sports Authority, Forever 21 or DSW?
If so, you need to know that 11 people, including a Secret Service informant,
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