600,000 More Social Security Numbers Compromised

DoubleWhopper writes "This time it's Time Warner Inc. According to this CNN article, an 'outside storage company' is to blame for the latest significant loss of personal information. From the article: '...the tapes contained names and Social Security information on current and former Time Warner employees and some of their dependents and beneficiaries dating back to 1986.' Fortunately, the tapes are said to have no customer information, at least."

Comments

Tired old excuse....

[Psmylie]

I think its funny that they always make sure to note that it's an outside company... in my opinion, it doesn't really matter if it's an outside vendor or not, the company who owns the data is still responsible for the security of that information. Are the vendor's procedures inadequate? Well, it was your company's job to find that out before contracting with them. Were they not following procedures? Well, it's your company's job to check up on them and make sure they're following them.

Honestly, I'd like to see all of the victims of ID theft get together and start filing class-actions against the companies that allow this sort of thing to happen. Maybe if we start hitting them in the pocketbook, these companies will start taking data security seriously.

Alway's Compromised

[Seumas]

Hell, I consider my social security number compromised every time I'm forced to give it to a $8/hr customer service person over the phone to get my Cable, Internet, Telephone, Gas, Electricity services, rent a car, get a loan, get a bank account, apply for a job.

Even when it's acceptable to request a social security number (an employer), you aren't promised that someone in the chain won't take your information for their own use. *shrug*

Social security numbers...

[breakbeatninja]

Are very flawed forms of identification. With them you can find the associated name, birth date, bank accounts, loans, credit cards, properties, etc. They are extremely exploitable and yet the security that surrounds them is minimal. What a lot of people may not know is you ARE NOT required to give your social security number to utilities, banks, creditors, etc. Sure, it helps your standing with them and they can probably find them on their own, but I personally think with the amount of abuse of this central identification number there needs to be a new, more secure system with safe guards to prevent this sort of rampent abuse. The first step is for financial institutions to limit the customer's liability for identity theft related fraud, because they're insured by the FDIC. After that, perhaps a biometric or RFID identification system could eventually be implemented. I know it sounds very big brotherish, but the current system is horrible.

A solution to the ID crisis...

[Dark Coder]

To reduce the identity theft immensely, one or more of the following MUST be legislated:

1. Replace the SSN with SecureID card with challenge keypad (none of those biometric foo-foo crap, bio is non-revokable)

2. Make data aggregation illegal (ooooh, sorry credit bureaus)

3. Make IRS the focal point of multi-keyed 2nd-generation SSN registration centre (sorry SSA, you screwed up, big-time!)

4. Customer "optionally" generate a NEW SSN for each business or financial institutions. (remember, data aggregation should be illegal)

5. Credit Bureau would function just fine (just a bit laggard with aggregation effort).

Once imposed, identity theft would (I guarantee this) be reduced to insignificant amount.

UNTIL THEN, nothing is currently being done to reduce the water flow from the Dutch Boy's leaking dikes.

It doesn't take much brain to resolve this crisis, just time and money. The Congress has absolutely no clue on how to fix this mess... Write your congressman today with these suggestions.