Dateline NBC will profile Absolute Software’s LoJack for Laptops in a new “Gadget Theft” report set to air on August 1st, 10pm ET. Check your local listings for all time zones.

The schedule summary for “Gadget Theft” is as follows:

Using the kind of hi-tech wizardry that makes the iPod the phenomenon it is, Chris Hansen and NBC News producers go on a hidden camera investigation to see if it’s possible to track down and confront people who take iPods that don’t belong to them.

Tags: dateline nbc, gadget theft, absolute software, lojack, lojack for laptops

Congress may soon approve legislation to limit the use and collection of Social Security Numbers (SSNs). The use of SSNs will be restricted to those purposes required by federal law - rather than using them as a convenient but unnecessary identifier.

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is trying to educate organizations as to the sensitive nature of SSNs and alternate means to secure identities. Many organizations have been resistant to change due to the cost required to switch identifiers.

The SSA believes that legislation will reduce the display of SSNs, and thus reduce the trafficking in SSNs (and identity theft). Although legislation has been presented before, backers are confident this Bill will get passed this session.

Via fcw ; Tags: ssn, social security number, social security administration, identity theft, id theft

Online summer school classes are on the upswing. Many schools across the country are now allowing students to make up credits online - not only does this free up more time for students to enjoy their summer vacations, but it also reduces the stigma associated with the need for summer school.

The US Department of Education reports that about 6000 public schools - one third across the country - offer online classes. Each class is 90 minutes long and can be “attended” at any time during the day.

Online material can be sent via email, students can talk with teachers via IM, and work with other students in online discussions groups.

For one mother, the online classes have been a blessing. Her daughter, who has ADD, finds the regular classroom setting difficult. Online classes allow her to re-read material and refer back to it when needed.

Teens can also use summer courses to get ahead. Rather than using summer school as a means to make up credits, students use them for extra credit or for courses they may not get during the regular school year or at their regular school. Online classes allow students to explore more scholastic options.

Via seattle pi Tags: summer school, summer courses, summer classes, online education, online school, online courses, extra credit, learning, virtual learning

Government representatives have reported to the Government Accountability Office (GAO) that it is difficult to trace the path of a data breach. The GAO took reports from 24 of the largest data breaches between 2000 and 2005 to investigate the connection between fraud and theft.

The FBI, Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement report that links between data breaches and fraud are difficult to ascertain, so it’s often difficult to find a solid data trail.

“No comprehensive data are available on the consequences of data breaches” from law enforcement agencies, industry and trade associations, consumer groups or privacy advocates, according to GAO, which is Congress’ auditing arm.

In addition to an inability to connect data breaches with fraud, the reverse investigation of identity theft does not always reveal the source of the data used to commit the crime.

Via top tech news ; Tags: data breach, gao, identity theft, fraud, data fraud

Republican representative Elton Gallegly has introduced another bill on identity theft for legislative consideration. The Credit Agencies Identity Theft Responsibilities Act (CAITRA) would require credit agencies to inform the Secret Service of irregularities in different credit reports of consumers.

According to Gallegly, “Identity theft has become an epidemic across the United States, claiming more than 10 million victims last year alone. Victims of identity theft find they are turned down for insurance or have to pay higher rates, they’ve been the subject of a civil suit or judgment, or they’ve been the subject of a criminal investigation because of a crime committed by the thief.”

Under current requirements, credit reporting agencies need only notify consumers of potential fraud when blatant fraudulent activity is detected.

Via identity theft daily ; Tags: id theft, identity theft, id theft bill, caitra, credit agencies, legislation, legislature

According to a recent news story, hackers are using fake job advertisements in order to steal corporate and government data.

The US Department of Transportation and a number of US corporations including Booz Allen, Unisys Corp, Hewlett-Packard and Hughes Network Systems, have been attacked by hackers.

Hackers stole information from these companies by baiting employees with fake job listings on ads and via email. Using malicious software programs that were able to bypass security, hackers targeted a limited number of personal computers to fly under the radar of security systems.

“What is most worrying is that this particular sample of malware wasn’t recognized by existing antivirus software. It was able to slip through enterprise defenses,” said Yankee Group security analyst Andrew Jaquith, who learned of the breach from Morris [CEO of security provider Prevx Ltd.].

As of yet, all companies are declining comment and the Department of Transportation says no security breach has been detected. Security software companies are releasing patches to address the new and very sophisticated threat.

Via FOX News Tags: malware, malicious software, hacker, hacking, data breach, security software

Identity theft was given a platform on the July 19th episode of Dr. Phil, a daytime talk show. The segment began with Dr. Phil’s staff shown snooping through Dr. Phil’s office - grabbing information from his desk as an example of how easy it is to become a victim of identity theft.

The show then brought on two guests, Ricky and Ray, who say their brother Robin has been stealing their identities for years - opening up credit accounts, making purchases and even getting a DUI charge. Ray figured out the fraud because there was a warrant for his arrest issued for the DUI charge that his brother had fraudulently attached to his identity. Both brothers suffer credit issues a result of this fraud.

With the help of the Dr. Phil show and an investigator, Ricky and Ray track down their brother. Robin was flown to the Dr. Phil show, where he denied stealing their identities.

Despite the over-the-top drama that television creates, identity theft is individually traumatic. It is a difficult and frustrating experience to come face-to-face with. Dr. Phil addresses this in his video blog, although he does tend to generalize the problem of identity theft. Identity theft is not always the result of degenerates or drug abusers, nor an unintentional act brought on by desperation. It is much more pervasive than that, which is why it so often goes unnoticed.

Tags: dr phil, identity theft, id theft, id fraud, identity fraud

A report published by the IT Policy Compliance Group has found that 90% of all businesses do not have sufficient policies in place to comply with government regulations or to mitigate the risk of a data breach.

The survey of 475 companies found that the 10% of companies that are well positioned in terms of compliance suffer the fewest security issues. As logical as this sounds, it nevertheless can make a significant difference - leaders experience 2 or fewer security events per year, while the worst of laggards experience 17 or more security events per year. Those companies with poor policies suffer 22 or more data breaches per year.

“When it comes to protecting data, a lot of organizations still find information all over the place that they may not even have control over,” Hurley said. “People are finally discovering this is a difficult problem and that the controls they thought they have in place may not be adequate; that they need to re-think those controls and find out where the data inventory actually is because in most organizations, it’s not under control.”

There is a large upside to investing in compliant security policies. A data breach has significant financial risks: share price, customers and revenue can plummet and there is an additional hard cost in excess of $180/customer record associated with a breach.

Investing in compliance and data protection - a cost ranging from 0.03% to 0.2% of total spending - has returns from 100-1000%. At a cost of less than 1% of annual spending, the crippling losses to revenue, share price, customer loyalty and reporting can be mitigated. The benefits gained from investing in compliance technology is disproportionately great when compared to the costs, risks, security issues and headaches caused by even a minor security breach.

With the current regulatory environment and the increased news coverage of data breaches, the survey indicated that companies are now realizing that they need to spend money to solve their security issues.

You can download the report here.

Via techworld.nl & infoworld ; Tags: security, security policy, compliance, government, regulations, it security, it compliance, security regulations, it regulations, data breach, data security

For the past 3 years, 9 states have been studying technology’s impact on teaching and learning. The full findings come out in the Fall, but the results look encouraging.

Some of the programs and their outcomes include:

• School-based professional development in classroom technology led to wider use of technology & gains in reading and math
• Laptops for teachers and students led to improved school communications, reduced discipline referrals and a level-playing field for low-income students
• One school went from “low-performing” to “adequate” as a result of their projects
• Peer networking and video conferencing of teaching practices led to student achievement gains in math and reading
• Students using technology for real-world problems led to increased rates of graduation and college education

Preliminary results seem to indicate that there are student benefits to be gained from using technology both by teachers and by students. All of the projects undertaken were large-scale technology integrations, drastically changing the face of education.

I very much look forward to reading the full study, as I think that the North American education system needs a firm re-haul to change the curriculum, teaching and learning methods from “industrial” to “post-industrial/information” in order to meet the demands of the future.

Via eschoolnews ; Tags: education, technology, education technology, technology in schools, learning

Security links for the week:

• Microsoft announces 6 security updates, download here ; QuickTime announces update with 8 security fixes, download here
• Sean Martison of LeaderTalk asks “How does technology funding affect technology integration?”
• Rosie Lombardi of InterGovWorld asks “Laptop security: insure, recover or delete?”
• Mark Wagner writes for Educational Technology and Life: “How Virtual Worlds Help Real Students: The River City MUVE”
• Paul Wenske writes for TheState.com “Lax Laptop security spurs privacy worry”

Happy Friday the 13th

Tags: security, security links, business security, education security