October is Cyber Security Awareness Month, and its goal is to increase awareness about cyber security issues and engage users in implementing additional security measures to protect their computers. You could say the goal of this monthly column is the same: to increase awareness and help the UNM community better secure its information.
A primary focus of these columns is to provide tips and techniques that students, faculty and staff can use in their everyday lives to protect their financial and personal information and reduce the chances of that information being stolen and misused.
Identity Theft Prevention
Since thieves often steal pre-approved credit cards from mailboxes, use them and stick someone else with the bill, one easy way to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of identity theft is to request that marketers stop sending pre-approved credit card applications. If you call 1-888-5-OPTOUT (567-8688) or visit OptOutPrescreen.com, you can stop getting these credit offers for four years.
Free Credit Reports
You can order a free annual credit report by either calling 877-322-8228, visiting AnnualCreditReport.com (not FreeCreditReport.com) or by completing a credit report request form available on the Federal Trade Commission's Web site. Since a credit report evaluates your credit worthiness and includes information on where you live, how you've paid your bills and whether you've been sued, arrested or filed for bankruptcy, it is important to check your report regularly and to take action to close old accounts and make corrections if necessary.
Get content from The Daily Lobo delivered to your inbox
Free Wi-Fi
Just because you can surf the Internet for free from your favorite coffee shop doesn't mean you should do your online banking while you're enjoying your Caramel Macchiato. Identity thieves often "sniff the air" at free Wi-Fi locations, and they often steal user IDs and passwords without actually hacking into a computer. These cyber thieves use wireless software to capture the data others send and receive between laptops and wireless access points. So if you use free Wi-Fi in public places, don't do any kind of banking, shopping or paying of bills while on these open wireless networks.
Shredders
Lastly, consider buying a personal paper shredder. While it might cost you $50, the cost of recovering from identity theft is much higher. Many of the bills that get thrown into the trash contain information that can, in turn, be used by a thief to buy stuff using your account information.
If you have questions about computer security or have ideas for future topics, please feel free to contact Mcarr@unm.edu.
Mike Carr is the director of information assurance for UNM. He is a certified information systems security professional, a certified member of InfraGard, a former information assurance consultant and a frequent lecturer and adjunct faculty in the areas of IT security, privacy and ethics.
