An identity threat company called 4iQ has recently published a report called "Identities in the Wild: The Tsunami of Breached Identities Continues." Unfortunately, the information in the report contains all bad news. Some of the details are simply confirmations of things we already knew, and some are shocking statistics that will leave you feeling dismayed.
For instance:
- Cybercriminals and hackers are getting increasingly sophisticated - This isn't new, but it's even worse than that. While there are still a few "lone wolf" type hackers, organized syndicates are increasingly coming to the fore. Their collaboration with each other is accelerating the development of ever-more-advanced tactics. New threats are emerging at a much faster pace than data security personnel can respond.
- Personal data breaches are now the second most common cybercrime on the planet, with corporate data breaches not far behind. The reason hackers are increasingly gravitating toward hacks of individuals has everything to do with the fact that most people have little to no security. It's just low-hanging fruit. Corporate hacks are a bit more difficult, but as we've seen via the constant parade of headlines, these tend to be more far-reaching, with a scope and scale that can impact tens of millions of users, or more.
- There has been a shocking 182 percent increase in the number of identities available on the Darknet belonging to children.
This last point is beyond disturbing. Bad enough that your own personal and confidential data is at risk, but now your kids are increasingly at risk too. Hackers are using their information to apply for credit cards, rent cars and hotels, and more.
In addition to the obvious dangers of hackers around the world knowing everything there is to know about your kids, it can also irreparably damage your kids' credit, long before they ever have an opportunity to make use of it. A grim report that bears close reading.
