VERMONT ID THEFT THREAT Burlington Free Press.com | Opinion:

ID theft threat still rampant

Published: Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Monday, the state reported that a computer virus breached a server used by the Agency of Human Services containing the personal information of 69,000 people, possibly exposing them to identity thieves.

Such warnings that the security of personal data in state hands have been compromised is becoming alarmingly frequent. In December, the state mistakenly posted on the Web Social Security numbers of several hundred health care providers. In February, a laptop computer stolen from a Vermont State Colleges employee contained as many as 20,000 records on faculty, staff, and current and former students.

That's not a record that inspires confidence. The state and others entrusted with personal information have a duty to ensure its security. But with so much data spread out over so manycomputers, the best defense is for each of us to keep a wary eye on potential misappropriation of our information.

The problem is serious enough that the Legislature passed laws last year making it easier to freeze bank accounts and requiring companies to notify customer when the security of personal information has been compromised.

For years, governments, businesses and private institutions have been collecting information -- names, addresses, Social Security numbers, credit card and bank account numbers, work histories, health records and who knows what else -- and a lot of it now is stored in computers.

Once the data are digitized, they become vulnerable to a host of security threats, either through human error or malicious attack. If you're not concerned about identitytheft, consider just two more major incidents from the past year:

Last week, Vermont banks were urging customers to check credit and debit accounts after a data breach in December at the company that owns T.J. Maxx, Marshall's and other stores.

A laptop computer stolen in May from the home of a Veterans Affairs employee contained sensitive personal information on 26.5 million U.S. veterans.

Our economy and much of our society would grind to a halt without the computerized flow of this data. But today's threats are too numerous and evolve too quickly to keep this information absolutely secure. It comes down to taking care of your own. A good place to start is the state attorney general's Web site on identitytheft, which includes how to obtain credit reports and freeze accounts, as well as the latest consumer rights laws.

Consider yourself the final firewall between your identity and identity thieves. Your view For more information on identify theft, go to the state attorney general's Web site at: www.atg.state.vt.us/display.php?smod=198
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