Center for Identity!The University of Texas at Austin!

THE INTERNET OF THINGS!Protecting Your Identity in a More Connected World….!

A bit about myself….!•  President of TransUnion Interactive,

the consumer subsidiary of TransUnion since 2004

•  Chief Operating Officer of TrueLink from 2001-2004 before helping to manage  the merger of TrueLink, Inc. with TransUnion. 

•  25+ years of experience in the financial services industry, including mortgage and home equity originations and servicing.

Who is TransUnion?!

Objectives !In today’s webinar, we will answer the following questions:

!  How can we expect the Internet of Things to impact our lives in the near future?

!  Where and how is our personally identifiable information (PII) shared on the Internet of Things?

!  What new challenges to identity management, privacy, and security can we expect?

!  What are some tips and resources we can use to keep safe while actively engaging?

“The Internet of Things” – What is it?!Companies of all kinds – not just technology and telecommunications firms – are linking “things” as diverse as smartphones, cars and household appliances to industrial-strength sensors, each other and the Internet. Research shows by 2015, not only will 75 percent of the world’s population have access to the internet. So will some six billion devices. But … with great opportunity comes great responsibility.

Along with its conveniences, the movement will unveil unprecedented security challenges: in data privacy, safety, governance and trust.

“The Internet of Things” – How it Works!

What are Sensors?!Many Internet devices have sensors that can register changes in temperature, light, pressure, sound and motion. Nearly everything we do with one of our connected devices, sends out personal identifiable information – from our retail shopping habits, to social media presence to even how we control the temperature in our homes.

An Example: The Nest, Other Appliances and Sensors !

The Pros and Cons

Pros

• More efficient, saves time. • Saves money • Enhances daily living • Can reduce stress

Cons

• Information shared can reveal intimate, personal details about their lives, such as their medical needs, interactions with others, and personal habits • The more information available, the more likely personal information can be compromised

Biggest Challenges of the Internet of Things!Data storage investments •  With all the billions of devices coming online, more and more

data needs to be stored. •  To facilitate all of this data storage, new and bigger data centers

need to be built in the coming years. Security management & privacy •  While the number of connected devices is growing, the Internet

of Things will collect and store more and more personal information.

•  All this data is attractive for hackers and we will see more security breaches in the future.

•  Analysts already warned that most new gadgets lack the most basic protection against hackers.

PII and Online Retailers!

Breaches Becoming Too Much the Norm!

* As of August 2014

How Data Breaches Occur!

For Example: Target!

Consumers Worried About Identity Theft and Stolen PII!

Yet, Fail to Take Action!•  TransUnion survey results show that nearly half of Americans (49

percent) do not have a password protection set up on their phones, leaving personal information stored in mobile applications easily accessible for thieves.

•  Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they conduct personal

business, like emailing, shopping, checking bank accounts, and applying for a loan while connected to a public Wi-Fi network.

•  These types of activities make consumers more susceptible to Wi-Fi “sniffing,” where cyber criminals can intercept data as it travels through the air between the device and the Wi-Fi access point.

Institutions Partner with Organizations Like TransUnion to Minimize Breach!

What Can Consumers Do To Minimize Exposure to their PII at Retailers?!

1. Emerging Trend: Some cyber criminals are now using more advanced techniques, creating what is known as "ransomware," which actually installs an application (typically occurring on Android phones) and steals personal information from photos, personal calls and banking applications on the device.     2.  Emerging Trend: Identity thieves don’t necessarily need direct access to a consumer’s phone to steal confidential information. Many will pose as bank or credit card agents to gain sensitive data such as birth date, address and/or social security numbers.   ! !

TransUnion Tip: Use caution when downloading smartphone applications. Many criminals have abandoned spam and antivirus frauds for fraudulent mobile applications. Be cautious when downloading third-party applications. TransUnion Tip: Don’t reply to text messages or voicemails from unknown numbers. Only respond to people you know, or banking and credit institutions after verifying the contact information is correct. !!

3.  Emerging Trend: Phishing techniques have expanded to mobile devices. Now malicious links can not only come from email, but also from social networks and SMS-based spam.     4.  Emerging Trend: It is now common for most businesses to have a public WiFi network customers can access, but many customers may not know about WiFi sniffing, which intercepts data as it is traveling through the air between the device and the WiFi access point.  !

"TransUnion Tip: Don’t click on links you’re not familiar with, whether via a mobile site, email or text message. Also be aware of emails and text messages that look suspicious, especially those that ask for private information or ask if you’d like to download a new application. TransUnion Tip: Avoid public WiFi networks. Many applications and web pages do not use proper security measures, sending unencrypted data across the network that can be easily read by someone who is grabbing data as it travels. Save yourself the risk and avoid public WiFi networks. If you must use a public WiFi network, do not send any confidential information. !!

5.  Emerging Trend: Manufacturers of Apple, Android and Blackberry devices have found flaws that affect how everything from network connections to user identities are managed, which enables attackers to remotely wipe devices, install malicious software and access all

kinds of personal data.  !!

TransUnion Tip: Be aware of software flaws in your smartphone device. Popular manufacturers of smartphones, including Apple, Android and Blackberry, have found flaws which give thieves a loophole to installing malicious software to steal your data. Watch for warnings from your smartphone manufacturer and immediately install any updates which are related to improved security.

!

Even When You Take Caution, Identity Theft Can Still Happen!

PII and Social Media!

Identity Thieves Targeting Social Media!

With a significantly high success rate….

What Information Do We Share On Social Media?!

Enough to Lead to Identity Theft…"

How Thieves Get Our PII!

Weak Passwords = No Passwords!

What Can We Do to Minimize Exposure to Our PII on the Web?!

Less is More: Avoid giving out personal information on social media sites, such as address, phone number or your birth date. Identity thieves can open accounts and commit a number of financial crimes with just this information. Do Not Leave a Trail of Cookies: Do not save your password when you are on a public or work computer. Some social media sites automatically check this box under your sign in, so make sure it is never saved. If it saves, it may automatically bring up your account the next time someone else goes to that social media site. Lock It Up: Change your privacy settings on all your social media accounts, so that you have control of all the information that is posted. Set your profile to private, and make sure you have to approve any friend requests, comments, photo tags, links or posts that appear on your page. Get Creative: Create intricate passwords when you sign up for social media accounts. Change your passwords to social media accounts every one to three months.

Do Not Over-Share: Never give out your travel plans over social media sites. In many instances, social media thieves have become actual thieves, taking this data and using it to rob people when they are out of town.  Home School Kids on Social Media: Go through these social media guidelines with your children. Although many young people are more adept at navigating the Internet, they may not fully understand the implications of posting private information, photos or potentially offensive material on the Internet. Monitor Your Credit: Make sure you periodically your credit reports for accuracy and consider signing up for a credit monitoring service, which can alert you by email to changes in your credit report -- a helpful way to prevent identity theft. 

Summary!•  As technology advances for our personal benefit, it also means more

personal identifiable information (PII) is being shared.

•  With the benefits that the Internet of Things provides for us, it also provides identity thieves more access to our personal information.

•  From retailers to our own personal social media presence, we must take steps to minimize the exposure of our PII.

•  While there are many precautions we can take to minimize the risk of identity theft, monitoring products such as TransUnion, can alert you to identity theft and minimize the damage done by thieves.

IDWise and the Internet of Things!The Center for Identity’s IDWise resource center provides information and guidance to help you safely navigate the Internet of Things. •  An Identity Theft and Management FAQ

•  Guidelines for using mobile devices safely

•  A downloadable toolkit with steps for protecting your identity

•  A downloadable toolkit with steps for recovering your stolen identity

•  And many, many more!

Want more great information like this?!Follow the Center for Identity. !

CenterforID!

@UTCenterforID!

The Center for Identity!