Identity theft

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

A Semi-Automated HTTP Traffic Analysis for Online Payments for Empowering Security, Forensics and Privacy Analysis

Abstract: The paper discusses means to identify potential impacts of data flows on customers’ security, and privacy during online payments. The main objectives of our research are looking into the evolution of cybercrime new trends of online payments and detection, more precisely the usage of mobile phones, and describing methodologies for digital trace identification in data flows for potential online payment fraud. The paper aims to identify potential actions for identity theft while conducting the Reconnaissance step of the kill chain, and documenting a forensic methodology for guidance and further data collection for law enforcement bodies. Moreover, a secondary objective of the paper is to identify, from a user’s perspective, transparency issues of data sharing among involved parties for online payments. We thus declare the transparency analysis as the incident triggering a forensic examination. Hence, we devise a semi-automated traffic analysis approach, based on previous work, to examine data flows, and data exchanged among parties in online payments. For this, the main steps are segmenting traffic generated by the process payment, and other sources, subsequently, identifying data streams in the process. We conduct three tests which include three different payment gateways: PayPal, Klarna-sofort, and Amazon Pay. The experiment setup requires circumventing TLS encryption for the correct identification of forensic data types in TCP/IP traffic, and potential data leaks. However, it requires no extensive expertise in mobile security for its installation. In the results, we identified some important security vulnerabilities from some payment APIs that pose financial and privacy risks to the marketplace’s customers.

Media, ethical norms and media literacy education

Abstract: Media reporting requires ethical prudence. Journalistic ethics must set norms, guidelines, rules, and codes that will provide for truthfulness and accuracy; impartiality and honesty; respect for personality and privacy; independence from individual interests; accountability to society and social goods; respect for the law; moral, competence and good taste.. New media offer quick contact, promotion, exchange of thought, and freedom of expression. New technologies, such as the Internet, do not change the necessity of posing basic ethical issues of privacy violations, intellectual property or identity theft, dissemination of fake information, but only give them a greater dimension. The current body of research provides ample evidence of the growing need for media literacy instruction in all schooling levels in order to educate and protect the young from unethical social media contents. Therefore, this paper will deal with the problem of media, ethical norms and media literacy education comprising teaching moral reasoning and critical thinking skills. Media literacy must be incorporated in all schooling levels, from the lowest and progressing towards the highest. Even the youngest ones nowadays know how to stream, how to twitch and use social media but they are not fully aware of possible negative effects. Media and the Internet especially should be seen as an instrument of change and progress but they can be manipulative as well. However, the role of the responsible society is to educate the young how to use media to their advantage and successfully differentiate ethical from the unethical in the media of the contemporary networking world.

Collaboration in combating identity theft

Abstract: The paper analyzes and compares operations of recently established collaborative organizations created in order to address the problem of identity theft. Issues such as the relevant stakeholders, collaboration origin, membership, organization, management, scope, objectives, governance, structure, time frame and collaborative activities are discussed. Critical analysis of the existing practices is used to formulate recommendations for future joint efforts aimed at combating identity theft.

False Reports of Theft

Abstract: In the United States, false reports of theft are found in association with all manners of burglaries; robberies; grand theft auto; and identity thefts. To be clear, these are cases in which someone has falsely reported that a theft has occurred. Sometimes they have even staged an attack, complete with injuries and other evidence, to convince authorities. Motives in these false report cases most often include profit, concealment of negligence, crime concealment, criminal facilitation, attention, and revenge. It is not possible to get inside the mind of anyone. However, motive can be inferred and interpreted by a careful examination of the physical and behavioral evidence. While there are red flags for false reporting, it is their totality and context that allow for conclusive determinations. One red flag in isolation is not dispositive. Consequently, professional investigators and examiners understand their duty of care: all reported crime must be investigated, to include the careful examination of all available evidence, before professional opinions may be given. Otherwise liability may result.