Identity Protection

Headlines about cybersecurity attacks have become all too common.  The recent Anthem Blue Cross security breach, where tens of millions of people may have had information stolen, including their names, Social Security numbers and birthdates, is just the latest in a series of incidents in which institutions, large and small, have been hacked.  Retailers like Target and Home Depot, even entertainment companies like Sony, have recently reported cyberthefts.

There has been a shift in IT security over the past decades, in response to the growing complexity of systems.  The 1990s were the decade of prevention, with firewalls and antivirus systems.  The early 2000s marked the decade of detection, with intrusion detection systems and managed security monitoring.  We are now in the decade of response.

While we may be powerless against these breaches, there is a way to protect ourselves.  Identity theft protection companies can reduce your worry about having your identity stolen.  The three top-rated companies that we have identified are IdentityForce, Identity Guard, and LifeLock.  All have similar features at similar prices (about $100 a year), including methods to protect your Social Security number, bank account information, credit cards, and so forth.  These services continuously monitor changes of address, opening new lines of credit, and other data to assess the potential exposure level of your personal information.  They will then provide you an alert via email or phone for potential threats before the damage is done.

Call us if you’d like additional information.