[LINK] Fwd: Personal Data of 59,000 People Stolen

[rchirgwin at ozemail.com.au]

Roger Clarke wrote:

>
> [The following story badly confuses three concepts:
> -   masquerade involves presenting as someone you aren't.  It may or
>     may not result in harm of some kind
> -   identity fraud is presenting as someone you aren't in order to
>     commit fraud, typically financial fraud, most commonly charging
>     expenditure to a credit card belonging to someone else
> -   identity theft is presenting as someone you aren't, consistently and
>     for a sufficient period of time that substantial harm is done to the
>     person's reputation (typically on credit industry records), such that
>     the person has difficulty continuing to use that identity
>
> [The story provides evidence of theft of personal data, an implication 
> that it may have been used for masquerade, but no evidence whatsoever 
> of identity fraud, far less of identity theft. Such lack of scepticism 
> by reporters is very common, highly unprofessional, and seriously 
> harmful.

Try to convince the hack that you have to be a sceptic and see where you 
get, Roger.  The really stupid thing is you don't even have to give up 
believing things, you just have to ask for proof from your sources.

>
> [The ignorance has been perpetrated, and is encouraged, by US 
> agencies, and increasingly Australian national security and law 
> enforcement agencies.  They are using the myth of rampant identity 
> theft as a justification for grossly anti-privacy measures]

And, I submit, using the invention of a new jargon ... Fraud is fraud 
and always was. People obtaining money by pretending to be someone else? 
It's been there for*ever*. ("Portia was an identity theif: discuss.")

The agencies find themselves expanded and better funded because someone 
wants to control something. "For your own good is the first expression 
of the will to power." However, it must be admitted that where someone 
specifically targets large databases of personal information, the 
motivation could well be to get names for fake credit cards, etc...

RC

>
>
>> http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=528&ncid=528&e=1&u=/ap/2
>> 0050322/ap_on_hi_te/university_hackers
>>
>> Personal Data of 59,000 People Stolen
>>
>> Tue Mar 22, 9:08 AM ET   Technology - AP
>>
>> CHICO, Calif. - Hackers gained personal information of 59,000 people
>> affiliated with a California university - the latest in a string of
>> high-profile cases of identity theft.
>>
>> California State University, Chico spokesman Joe Wills said nearly all
>> the current, former and prospective students, faculty and staff who were
>> affected have been notified of the theft, which happened about three
>> weeks ago. Hackers gained access to the victims' names and Social
>> Security (news - web sites) numbers.
>>
>> "We still have no indication that the information was used for anything
>> other than somebody wanting to have illegal access to this server,"
>> Wills said. "Typically, on a college campus that can be to download
>> files, music and games. There's still no indication they were looking to
>> take personal information."
>>
>> The university discovered the attacks during routine monitoring of its
>> networks. The investigation revealed that hackers installed software to
>> store files on the system and tried to break into other computers.
>>
>> Identity theft is considered the nation's fastest-growing crime and last
>> year more than 9.9 million Americans were victims.
>>
>> Earlier this year, 145,000 people were exposed by a breach at
>> ChoicePoint Inc., which collects consumer data. At DSW Shoe Warehouse,
>> officials acknowledged stolen credit information at 103 of its 175
>> stores.
>>
>> The information service, Lexis-Nexis, has also admitted hackers gained
>> access to personal information of 32,000 of its customers.
>>
>> Other university systems have been targeted as well.
>>
>> Last April, hackers broke into the computer system of the University of
>> California, San Diego, compromising confidential information on about
>> 380,000 students, teachers, employees, alumni and applicants.
>
>