Identity theft

About: Identity theft is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 2284 publications have been published within this topic receiving 31700 citations.

Mythology of Cyber-Crime—Insecurity & Governance in Cyberspace: Some Critical Perspectives

Abstract: There was a time within even this author’s memory, when there was no cyberspace, no cybercrime of note, no viruses and no anti-virus software, no hacking and no hackers. Cyber-delinquency was unknown, criminals had to do their criminality in the physical world and academic research was done in libraries not ‘on-line’. The speed of banking in that far off time was pedestrian. During the Fifties, letters took weeks to arrive overseas, with anything more urgent being sent by costly telegram, over phone wires. In the intelligence world, the success of decoding Enigma and the entire field of de-encryption remained a secret, Alan Turing continued to be an unsung hero, and machine intelligence had very little acknowledged role, it was mainly human centred. In the Sixties, protest was on the streets and no-one, apart from traffic engineers, knew what networking meant. In just one lifetime, all that has changed and the pace of that change has rapidly accelerated too. The evolution of cyberspace has brought many advantages to societies once separated by distances but now able to communicate, bank, educate and socialize online and in real time. It has also brought many unanticipated dangers. Some, including radicalization, grooming, phishing, banking fraud, stalking, identity theft and denial of service attacks, are the stuff of daily news. Others, including the security and defence revolutions in military affairs, are much less discussed, despite the fact that the cyber-world originated and is firmly rooted in a military architecture of space based satellites and associated communications infrastructure. This chapter critically assesses some of the mythology of just who are the cyber bad guys, the extent to which these constructions are open to wider processes of perceptions management and the need to identify the rather more hidden agendas facilitated by emerging new capability sets in cyberspace and the so called ‘internet of things.’ That world is still tremendously Anglo-centric, notions of just whose security is being protected remain contested, and we are only at the beginning of a more global debate on big data and the challenge of meaningful governance.

Chapter 5 – Cybercrime

Abstract: This chapter introduces the reader to various types of crime that’s committed online, and might pose a threat to them. It discusses what cybercrime is, how criminals choose targets, identity theft, common scams, social engineering, and hacking. In addition to teaching the reader how to identify common threats, we also discuss tools that may be used to protect them.

The cost of convenience: a faustian deal [computer security]

Abstract: The greatest threat to security is not privacy but convenience. If I send an email unencrypted, for example, I do so because I don't want to bother with encryption; for this convenience, I compromise both security and privacy. If I elect to double-talk around a sensitive subject over an insecure telephone connection rather than going some place with a secure phone, the cost again is compromised security and privacy. The sloppy use of many technologies of convenience reduces our privacy, which, in turn, leaves us more vulnerable to such serious threats as stalking, identity theft, intellectual property theft, and even espionage (both industrial and conventional). The problem is not with the technologies themselves but with our unwillingness to take the requisite precautions when using them. This generally results from a lack of awareness about the risks involved.

Security-Aware Passwords and Services Usage in Developing Countries: A Case Study of Bangladesh

Abstract: Users from developing nations, such as Bangladesh, had a rather late entry into the information highway and may not be equally aware of the different secure practices on the Internet. Such behaviors include awareness of security technologies, having similar/dissimilar passwords, frequency of changing passwords, saving passwords on browsers, and verifying authenticity of visited websites. The category of services being accessed as well as the type of devices being used may implicate the level of exposure to identity theft threats. Unfortunately, users never behave in the expected manner in terms of practicing secure technologies. In this paper, we present a study on security-aware usage of passwords and Internet-based services for users from Bangladesh. We conducted an online survey on a total of 1682 Bangladeshi Internet users in English and Bengali language. We analyzed the survey statistics to study the general trend of behavior, practices, and expectations pertaining to secure Internet usage and identity preservation. We posit that such a study can help researchers identify the weakest-link of Internet safety and focus on building secure technologies to protect users from online crimes in developing countries.

Potential Threats of Information Disclosure in Social Media: a Systematic Literature Review

Abstract: Along with the growth of social media, a variety of potential threats to users is also increasing. These kinds of threats often occur because the users accidentally or unknowingly disclose their information or identity on social media. Threats resulted from the disclosure of information are needed to be known so that the users can understand the risks that arise and take precautions. This research was aimed to summarize the potential threats arising from the information disclosure in social media. The research method used was a systematic literature review to explore and summarize the literatures that discuss the specific topic. The research results show that the potential threats are mostly social threats and identity theft.