The stream of security breaches beginning in February 2005 has left
more than 88 million Americans at risk for identity theft, according to the
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse, a nonprofit organization that monitors
security breaches. As recently as August of 2007, Monster.com, an online
recruitment site, discovered that hackers had broken into its
password-protected resume database. As a result of this breach, the names,
addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of 1.3 million job seekers
were stolen, leaving these individuals vulnerable to identity theft.
While it is not clear yet how many New Yorkers have been affected by the
Monster.com breach, New Yorkers have been and continue to be victims of
security breaches. It has been reported that in May of 2007, the State
University of New York at Stony Brook experienced a security breach,
resulting in the Social Security numbers and University ID numbers of 90,000
faculty, staff, students, alumni and other community members being visible
via Google’s search engine for a period of two weeks. In August of 2007, the
financial information belonging to 280,000 New York City retirees was
exposed when a laptop belonging to a New York City financial information
services Agency consultant was stolen from a restaurant.
The compilation of large electronic databases is inevitable given the
digital age. While entities are grappling with challenges to database
security and finding ways to keep consumers’ information safe, New Yorkers
should be aware that State law requires businesses and government entities
to notify them in the event of a security breach so that affected consumers
can take appropriate action to protect themselves against the threat of
identity theft. If you are the recipient of a security breach notice, the
CPB recommends that you follow these steps:
Becoming a victim of a security breach can be upsetting, but help is
available. If you have questions or concerns about a security breach, please
contact the CPB at
webmaster@consumer.state.ny.us. We will review your message and/or
question and respond. |
