Identity Theft with USB Drives
USB drives' use as identity theft tool is increasing as they become more widely used.USB drives, or Universal Serial Bus drives, are a convenient form of modern technology. After all, they can store a vast amount of information in one small device. While the power and abilities of these tiny contraptions is certainly something to be admired, it is also a source of concern. What would you do if the information on your USB drive was stolen by an identity thief? With so much information available, you could potentially be financially devastated by what a thief can do with your USB drive.
The Widespread Use of USB Drives
Due to their small size, easy portability, durability, and low cost, USB drives are found in a number of different devices. In fact, they are regularly used as storage devices for popular electronic gizmos such as:
Digital audio players
Digital cameras
Game consoles
Laptop computers
Mobile phones
PDAs
Yet, because they are commonly found in so many devices, it is easy to take USB drives and the information they contain for granted.
The Downside to USB Drives
Although the miniscule size of USB drives is one of the many benefits they provide, it is also one of the drawbacks. After all, an item that is as small as a thumbnail is easy to swipe and to conceal. Furthermore, because they are so small, many USB drive owners have a tendency to misplace them. Therefore, when a USB drive is stolen, it may take months before the owner realizes it was not simply misplaced. Yet, according to research, nearly half of USB drive owners have unprotected confidential information stored on their USB drives.
The Case of the Disappearing USB Drives
Many horror stories involving missing USB drives have made headlines around the world. Some of these include:
A USB drive belonging to the Army was found for sale at a bazaar just outside of Afghanistan. According to an email from Lt. Col. Thomas Collins, the Army does not know how the flash drive was lost in the first place.
120,000 patients of Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Lihue, Hawaii are still looking for a USB drive containing sensitive information such as their names, addresses, Social Security numbers and medical record numbers. Since its disappearance, the use of USB drives has been banned in the hospital.
6,500 former and current students at the University of Kentucky are waiting for a professor’s USB drive, which contained Social Security numbers and grades, to be recovered. The university is reportedly "reevaluating" the use of these drives.
These stories are not as unique as you might think. In fact, 20% of companies surveyed admitted that at least one of their drives is lost each month.
Taking Information with Ease
On the flip side, missing USB drives are not the only concern for businesses and individuals. Since they are so simple to use and so easy to hide, USB drives are also the perfect tool for quickly downloading information from a computer. This has become such as concern that some companies have gone so far as to super-glue their USB ports shut. Yet others use special encryption tools, which encrypt any information that is removed and placed on any form of portable storage device.
So, if you use a USB drive to store information – even if you do not consider it to be very "sensitive," you might want to think twice about where you leave it. Remember, a skilled identity thief only needs a few pieces of information to make your life miserable for months or even years to come.
The Widespread Use of USB Drives
Due to their small size, easy portability, durability, and low cost, USB drives are found in a number of different devices. In fact, they are regularly used as storage devices for popular electronic gizmos such as:
Digital audio players
Digital cameras
Game consoles
Laptop computers
Mobile phones
PDAs
Yet, because they are commonly found in so many devices, it is easy to take USB drives and the information they contain for granted.
The Downside to USB Drives
Although the miniscule size of USB drives is one of the many benefits they provide, it is also one of the drawbacks. After all, an item that is as small as a thumbnail is easy to swipe and to conceal. Furthermore, because they are so small, many USB drive owners have a tendency to misplace them. Therefore, when a USB drive is stolen, it may take months before the owner realizes it was not simply misplaced. Yet, according to research, nearly half of USB drive owners have unprotected confidential information stored on their USB drives.
The Case of the Disappearing USB Drives
Many horror stories involving missing USB drives have made headlines around the world. Some of these include:
A USB drive belonging to the Army was found for sale at a bazaar just outside of Afghanistan. According to an email from Lt. Col. Thomas Collins, the Army does not know how the flash drive was lost in the first place.
120,000 patients of Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Lihue, Hawaii are still looking for a USB drive containing sensitive information such as their names, addresses, Social Security numbers and medical record numbers. Since its disappearance, the use of USB drives has been banned in the hospital.
6,500 former and current students at the University of Kentucky are waiting for a professor’s USB drive, which contained Social Security numbers and grades, to be recovered. The university is reportedly "reevaluating" the use of these drives.
These stories are not as unique as you might think. In fact, 20% of companies surveyed admitted that at least one of their drives is lost each month.
Taking Information with Ease
On the flip side, missing USB drives are not the only concern for businesses and individuals. Since they are so simple to use and so easy to hide, USB drives are also the perfect tool for quickly downloading information from a computer. This has become such as concern that some companies have gone so far as to super-glue their USB ports shut. Yet others use special encryption tools, which encrypt any information that is removed and placed on any form of portable storage device.
So, if you use a USB drive to store information – even if you do not consider it to be very "sensitive," you might want to think twice about where you leave it. Remember, a skilled identity thief only needs a few pieces of information to make your life miserable for months or even years to come.
Identity Theft with USB drives
ID Theft, Identity Theft, USB Drives.
ID Theft, Identity Theft, USB Drives.
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