Consumers Data Stolen from LexisNexis

LE UI Guy writes "Reuters is currently running a story regarding LexisNexis being tapped into by identity thieves who accessed up to 32,000 customer profiles. Information hit included names, addresses, Social Security and driver's license numbers. This comes on the heels of rival ChoicePoint being breached for 145,000 profiles last month in a similar case. Better check yourself." Update: 03/10 02:40 GMT by J : ChoicePoint's name corrected (and, it may be more than 145,000, they don't know).

Comments

Re:ChoicePoint =! CheckPoint

[Flendon]

Checkpoint was protecting Choicepoint's systems, I guess the management did a bad choice going with a weak firewall protection like checkpoint after all, now they pay the price. Rumors are going on in our company that we're going to move away from Checkpoint for the same reasons.

ChoicePoint was not hacked. It was purely social engineering. The criminals were granted access because ChoicePoint didn't bother checking if the real estate license (or the name on it) they were shown was real. At least in this case it wouldn't have mattered if they had no firewall.

Re:Social Security numbers?

[AtomicDog]

A company that does, and that refuses to do business with you if you refuse to give them your SSN is in violation of federal law.

Which federal law? I couldn't find anything about that from the SSA's website, but I did find this page:

When am I legally required to provide my Social Security number?:

"If a business or other enterprise asks you for your SSN, you can refuse to give it. However, that may mean doing without the purchase or service for which your number was requested. For example, utility companies and other services ask for a Social Security number, but do not need it; they can do a credit check or identify the person in their records by alternative means."

Also, your SSN is required for more than just tax purposes, as you claimed:

"Specific laws require a person to provide his/her SSN for certain purposes. While we cannot give you a comprehensive list of all situations where an SSN might be required or requested, an SSN is required/requested by:

• Internal Revenue Service for tax returns and federal loans
  
• Employers for wage and tax reporting purposes
  
• States for the school lunch program
  
• Banks for monetary transactions
  
• Veterans Administration as a hospital admission number
  
• Department of Labor for workers compensation
  
• Department of Education for Student Loans
  
• States to administer any tax, general public assistance, motor vehicle or drivers license law within its jurisdiction
  
• States for child support enforcement
  
• States for commercial drivers licenses
  
• States for Food Stamps
  
• States for Medicaid
  
• States for Unemployment Compensation
  
• States for Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
  
• U.S. Treasury for U.S. Savings Bonds"

The Privacy Act regulates the use of SSNs by government agencies. When a Federal, State, or local government agency asks an individual to disclose his or her Social Security number, the Privacy Act requires the agency to inform the person of the following: the statutory or other authority for requesting the information; whether disclosure is mandatory or voluntary; what uses will be made of the information; and the consequences, if any, of failure to provide the information.

(from the same page linked to above)

Finally, to the grandparent: yes, you can get a new SSN number assigned to you. Here's how:

How can I get a different Social Security number assigned to me?