What's at Risk
The Internet is home to a thriving criminal community actively
looking for personal and financial information to be used for illegal
gain. The major threats are:
Identity Theft
What Is Identity Theft?
"Identity theft" occurs when an unauthorized person wrongfully
obtains and uses another person's personal information to commit fraud
or deception, often for economic gain. Valuable information includes:
- Name
- Date of birth
- Social Security Number
- Driver's license number
- Credit card number
- Bank account number
How to Prevent
General Tips
- Do not give personal information over the phone, through the mail,
via e-mail or on the Internet unless you are sure that the person or
business you are dealing with is legitimate.
- Keep all your personal and account information (especially
cancelled checks) in a safe place, preferably a locked drawer or
cabinet in your home.
- Do not choose a PIN number that uses digits from a birth date, Social Security Number (SSN), telephone number, or street address.
- Never write passwords on paper kept in a wallet or handbag.
- Use a cross-cut shredder to destroy credit card offers, health
insurance statements, and anything else containing your SSN or other
personally identifiable information before discarding them.
Ground Mail
- Never leave mail in public places, and always use a mailbox.
- Stop mail delivery when you are on vacation.
- Never write your account number on the outside of a payment envelope.
Social Security Number
- Do not carry your Social Security card with you.
- Only give out your SSN when absolutely necessary.
- Request a non-SSN driver's license number.
- Order your Social Security Earnings and Benefits Statement once a year from the Social Security Administration [(800) 772-1213] to verify your reported earnings.
Financial Accounts
- Order new checks that use only your first initial with your last name.
- Check to see if bankruptcy has been declared using your name.
Credit Cards
- Every year, order a copy of your credit report from all three major credit reporting agencies to make sure it is accurate.
- Sign your new or replacement card as soon as you receive it.
- Keep a record of all credit card account and contact information in a secure place at home.
- If a bill does not arrive on time, contact your credit card company.
- Compare receipts and billing statement regularly.
- Carry only the credits cards you think you will need on a given day.
- When using your credit card to make a purchase, keep an eye on the clerk during the transaction.
Computers
- Don't use any automatic log-in with password feature.
- Configure your computer to automatically download and install operating system updates.
- Update virus protection regularly.
- Install a firewall program, especially if you have a high-speed Internet connection.
- Install an anti-spy program that searches and destroys spy software.
- Don't store financial information on your laptop; if you must, use a password to protect it.
- When you make an online purchase, be sure you are in a secure
section of the Web site, with the address "https" and a lock in the
browser.
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Spyware and adware
The best way to avoid spyware and adware is to only visit reputable,
known Web sites, and to avoid installing "helpful" free programs on
your computer (such as screen savers or Tool bars). Be careful when
closing a pop-up window; many of them offer a button for you to click
to cancel or ignore it. In
reality, this installs the unwanted software on your computer. Instead,
always close the entire window that the pop-up opened in by
clicking on the X in the upper right-hand corner, or by right-clicking on the window's tab on the Start Tool bar and selecting Close.
Windows
There are various software packages that can help protect your Windows computer from spyware and adware.
Important note: If you have LANDesk Management Suite (LDMS) or LANDesk Security Suite (LDSS) installed on your computer, you should not
install any of these applications. Spyware detection and removal
systems are built into both LANDesk products. Installing these
applications will interfere with their functionality. If you are unsure
if you have either of these products installed, please contact the IT Service Desk (Help Desk) at 646-2999 and select from the options provided, send e-mail to help@dartmouth.edu, or call your department's IT support office.
Recent packages include:
- Windows Defender is free software offered by Microsoft. To download the software, see Microsoft Windows Defender. For questions about other products, see below.
- Ad-Aware by Lavasoft was previously used at Dartmouth.
However, there were reports of it interfering with registry settings in
Windows and, thus, is no longer recommended. If you have administrative
authority on your computer, remove the software by going to Start- >Control Panel ->Add or Remove Programs.
- Spybot Search & Destroy is free software. Users can
leave it on their computer and run it monthly or when they feel it
necessary to do so. To download the software, see Spybot Search & Destroy. It is important to note that this should not be installed on computers that have LANDesk installed on them.
- HouseCall by TrendMicro is a free, online scanning
application that will inspect your computer for spyware, viruses, and
trojans. To run it, see Trend Micro.
Be aware that this program can take up to three hours to run, so you
may want to run it overnight. If it runs while performing other tasks
on your computer, your response will be slow.
Mac OS X
- No information is currently available.
Linux
- No information is currently available.
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