Partner Solutions

Our guest blogger this week is Karen Barney of the Identity Theft Resource Center (ITRC). The rise of online functionality and connectivity has in turn given rise to online security issues, which create the need for passwords and other defenses against information theft.  Most people today have multiple online accounts and accompanying passwords to protect those accounts.  I personally have accounts (and passwords) for sites I no longer even remember.  And while I have more accounts than most due to my profession, my hunch is that many people deal with the issue of password overload.  Password overload is when you attempt to use your Pinterest, Twitter, work email and university login passwords (one after another) to get into your Money Market Account only to be locked out.  Now you have to go into the branch with photo ID, or endure the dreaded “customer service hotline” (not-line) to prove that “you are you.”  I expect that you have experienced such “password overload” inconveniences, or you almost certainly know someone who has. The problem seems like it could be easily solved by using the same password for everything.  One password to remember, and no more jumbling through your notebook trying to find what password you used for your newest account creation or Facebook app.  The problem with this approach is that if you are using the same passwords for all (or even several) of your accounts, then if someone manages to get the password for say, your Instagram account, they would probably be able to then drain your savings account, phish your family for personal information (such as your Social Security Number), or rack up a warrant in your name for writing bad checks….  This could all happen because you logged into Facebook at an unsecured Wi-fi location, where your password for that one account is compromised, and it happens to be the same password you use for multiple accounts. So, what do you do if you don’t want to tattoo 25 passwords on your arm and you don’t want to end up cuffed for felony check fraud? The answer is a password manager.  This new service was created so that users can remember just one password, yet have access to all other passwords. The best part is that you can have access to these passwords from anywhere as most of the new password managers are internet based. As the need for password management increases, the options consumers have grown leaving even the strictest cybersecurity aficionado pleased with the service. A few things you should look for when finding a password manager are: Is it cross platform? Will it work on your iPhone and your PC? How is the information (your passwords) encrypted? Does the service sync automatically, or will the user need to update the password storage database every time they sign up for a new account? What is the initial authentication process and how strong is it? How reputable is the company who created the product and what is reported about the product itself? By asking yourself these questions you should be on your way to making sure that your passwords are protected and you won’t lose your mind trying to keep track of them all. Just make sure you protect your login credentials for your password manager…. like really, really well…

Customers see a data breach and the loss of their personal data as a threat to their security and finances, and with good reason. Identity theft occurs every four seconds in the United States, according to figures from the Federal Trade Commission. As consumers become savvier about protecting their personal data, they expect companies to do the same. And to go the extra mile for them if a data breach occurs. That means providing protection through extended fraud resolution that holds up under scrutiny. Protection that offers peace of mind, not just in the interim but years down the line. The stronger the level of protection you provide to individuals affected in a breach, the stronger their brand loyalty. Just like with any product, consumers can tell the difference between valid protection products that work and ones that just don’t. Experian® Data Breach Resolution takes care to provide the former, protection that works for your customers or employees affected in a breach and that reflects positively on you, as the company providing the protection. Experian’s ProtectMyID® Elite or ProtectMyID Alert provides industry-leading identity protection and, now, extended fraud resolution care. ExtendCARE™ now comes standard with every ProtectMyID data breach redemption membership, at no additional cost to you or the member. With ExtendCARE, the identity theft resolution portion of ProtectMyID remains active even when the full membership isn’t. ExtendCARE allows members to receive personalized assistance, not just advice, from an Identity Theft Resolution Agent. This high level of assistance is available any time identity theft occurs after individuals redeem their ProtectMyID memberships. Extended fraud resolution from a global leader like Experian can put consumers’ minds at ease following a breach. If we can help you with pre-breach planning or data breach resolution, reach out to us via our contact form on our contact page.