One Step Ahead: Almanac Security Tips - 2013

Table of Contents (view all)

Spring Cleaning Your Office? Know What to Do with E-Waste
Keep Your Identity Safe When Filing Taxes This Year
Why use Penn+Box when Storing Data in the Cloud
Mobile Device Security - 3 Recommendations for Cloud Users (Hint: That's You!)
Be Aware of QR Code Risks
It’s Data Privacy Month: Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings and More
How Are You Celebrating Data Privacy Month?
Stay Secure while Working on Public Wi-Fi Networks
Protecting Your Finances During This Year's Holiday Shopping Season
Cloud and You
Security and Privacy Online Training & Tools
October: Free Secure Disposal of Paper and Electronics at Employee Resource Fair; NCSAM
Student Privacy - What Do I Need To Know? A FERPA Reminder
Top 10 Tips for Securing Your Smartphone or Tablet
Working Off Campus? Some Tips to Consider

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Tagged with identity theft , filesharing , software

Tuesday, September 11, 2007 - Almanac Vol. 54, No. 3

Peer-to-Peer File-Sharing Software and Identity Theft

Peer-to-peer file-sharing software ("file-sharing software") is often used illegally to download music or movies for free from other computers running the software. Are you running file-sharing software on your work or home computer? Or, has someone in your household installed it on your computer? If so, there is even more to be concerned about than the possibility of illegally downloading or sharing copyrighted audio and video files.

Increasingly, criminals are using peer-to-peer file-sharing networks to expose sensitive data and commit identity theft. If you participate in such networks any files on your computer that contain sensitive information can potentially be accessed by these individuals.

A former employee of a pharmaceutical firm learned about the dangers of file-sharing software the hard way. A family member installed peer-to-peer file-sharing software on her work laptop, inadvertently leaking Social Security Numbers of over 17,000 employees to the Internet.

What can you do to protect yourself?

• Do not install or run file-sharing software on any computer that you own or use.
• Do not store sensitive information on your machine. If you need sensitive files, copy them to a CD or other external media and store the media in a safe place.
• If you do need to run file-sharing software, speak to someone in your IT department who can help you choose and install file-sharing software appropriately.
• Be aware that uninstalling file-sharing software may not completely rid your computer of the problem; most of these programs install spyware that will stay on your machine long after you uninstall the program. You should, at a minimum, also periodically run a spyware removal tool such as Ad-Aware or Spybot. To ensure complete removal, rebuilding your machine is the most reliable solution; consult your local computing support provider (LSP) to discuss the advisability of this step in your particular situation.