The Federal Trade Commission recently released a video on Identity Theft. With Tax Identity Theft Week and Data Privacy Month coming up at the end of January, we wanted to share this video with you. This video asks us to understand our data presence in the world and make our review of that data a routine.
The number one thing you can do to help reduce your likelihood of becoming a victim of identity theft is to reduce your attack surface. “Reduce your attack surface” is a military term used frequently in security. The less sensitive information you share out, the less you have to be worried about causing harm to yourself later. It’s never too late to start reducing your attack surface to such a persistent issue. If someone asks for your sensitive information, ensure you know why they are asking for it. How long will they keep it? Where will they keep it? Who will have access to it? What will they do with it when they no longer need it?
UMass has access to tools to help us review the sensitive data we have on our computers. We utilize Identity Finder to raise awareness in an automated way. This tool can scan our systems, and then allow the user of the computer to remediate the sensitive data on it. We want to minimize this sensitive data, especially on laptops and desktops. This tool allows the user to apply contextual analysis of the data, what it is, where it is, and then remediate it by shredding, scrubbing, or quarantining the data. These quick and easy steps allow us to keep the sensitive data safe whether it be our own personal data or that from a member of the UMass Community.
At a minimum, spend a few minutes once a month to think about a new way you can reduce your sensitive information footprint. Do you read the privacy policies businesses share with you? Did you review the HIPAA policy the last time you visited the doctor? Maybe now would be a good chance to review that? Why? Because policies and processes change and it’s up to you to stay informed about how the data you shared will be used. Certainly something that could negatively impact your financial well-being or your ability to keep your health conditions private is of value to you. The government tries to help us stay educated and safe on this topic through one of its agencies, the FTC.
Watch the FTC video now. Coming up next week: an overview on Tax Identity Theft.