Consumers Offered Guidance to Navigate Data Security Breaches
Coalition for Data Security Offers Advice on What to Do –
and What Not to Do – If Involved in a Data
Breach
WASHINGTON (Business Wire EON) November 29, 2007 --
Today, the Coalition for Data Security (www.coalitionfordatasecurity.org)
issued its new guide First
Do No Harm:
How to respond when your consumer data is breached –
a practical guide for action when consumers are involved in a
data breach. It is designed to provide accurate information about the
relationship between data breaches and identity theft so that consumers
can protect themselves from possible consequences of a breach without
causing more harm than good.
“We’re trying to
give consumers guidance based on facts, not fear,”
said CDS Executive Director Jeff Tassey. “You’ve
only got about a 1 in 11,000 chance of having your identity misused as a
result of a data breach. Overreacting could cause you more damage than
actual protection in the long run.”
According to ID Analytics, in the worst security breach studied, less
than one tenth of one percent (0.09 %) of consumers had their identities
misused as a result of the breach. Additionally, in a report to
Congress, the General Accountability Office found no evidence of links
between security breaches and identity theft.
The First Do No Harm guide provides step-by-step advice
based on the type of breach that occurs, such as:
-
The “Identity Information”
breach reveals a combination of name, Social Security number,
and other personally identifiable information. Government and
university breaches are frequently this type –
groups that tend to lag behind the private sector on encryption
technology and other security measures.
-
The “Account Information”
breach will include bank account numbers, credit or debit card
numbers, or other financial information where a criminal could attempt
to use the financial accounts directly. Extreme reactions such as
credit freeze will do nothing to protect a consumer in these cases.
-
The “Don’t
Lose Sleep Over It” breach exposes
things like names, addresses, phone numbers. This is no different than
one’s information being in a phone book,
and will not lead directly to identity theft or account fraud.
-
Other Sensitive Breaches, such as insurance, cell
phones, or other services. The amount of damage a criminal can cause
will be limited to those services.
The Coalition for Data Security is a resource for consumers, businesses,
policymakers, and the media for matters related to data security
breaches. Its Web site (www.coalitionfordatasecurity.org)
acts as a central portal for studies, consumer tips, news articles, and
other resources that outline where the real holes are in data security
today, and what needs to change in order to best protect consumers and
businesses involved in a security breach. The Coalition’s
members include: CapitalOne, GE Money, National Retail Federation,
National Automobile Dealers Association, Food Marketing Institute,
United Services Automobile Association, Citibank, HSBC, Consumer Bankers
Association, Retail Industry Leaders Association, and MasterCard.
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