Earlier this week, in what some are calling the “biggest internet heist in history”, Russian hackers amassed over one billion username and password combinations and more than 500 million email addresses.
This comes not even a year after 40 million credit card numbers were stolen from Target and cyber criminals attacked Adobe’s databases – causing experts and consumers alike to wonder if keeping personal information out of the hands of thieves is a losing battle.
What do these thieves want with your usernames and passwords? For the Russians in particular, they were using the logins to spam weight loss ads on social media accounts for, what is believed to be, third party groups. Although some credentials have been sold to the black market, many remain in the hands of the Russian Gang. Should these professional criminals decide to sell the information, it would be very lucrative for the gang.
While a credit cards can be cancelled, things such as an email address or social security number are easy targets for identity theft. Consumers tend to use the same email and passwords for several different websites. Criminals take these credentials and test them on websites that hold valuable information, such as banks or brokerage firms.
“Companies that rely on usernames and passwords have to develop a sense of urgency about changing this,” said Avivah Litan, a security analyst at the research firm Gartner. “Until they do, criminals will just keep stockpiling people’s credentials.
This is where DSS’s AuthentiSite Solution comes in. By implementing AuthentiSite, consumers will know they are on a trusted website, and brand owners will be able to verify it is a customer, not a hacker, on their website.
For example; John Smith will be able to verify he is on his trusted banking website (not a fake, phishing site) and the bank will be able to verify that John Smith is accessing his own account.
It all starts with our patented Prism mark. This mark’s security technology is tied into our secure server making it virtually impossible for criminals to duplicate the mark on illegal or fraudulent websites.
If you are interested in learning more, please sign up for our free, informational webinar on September 8th at 2pm EST. During this webinar, industry experts will discuss AuthentiSite and how the program is being continuously developed to end cyber attacks.
In the meantime, to learn how AuthentiGuard can help protect brand owners and consumers alike, please visit www.AuthentiGuard.com
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