Corporate Identity Theft: Understanding And Preventing It

Since the beginning of the Information Age, personal identity theft has flourished. Fraudulent transactions concerning large amounts of money are reported by thousands of people because unauthorized people have accessed accounts illegally.

Corporations are not immune to this type of crime. Corporate identity theft is the misuse of a company's identity for personal use.

Corporate identity theft comes in several forms: using a business name on an online merchant account, finding sensitive information in trash bins, hacking into a corporation's website to steal or corrupt date, or designing a website with a similar domain name to steal traffic that would have gone to the legitimate company.

Taking Preventive Measures

Corporate identity theft is preventable through various precautions.

Careful maintenance and security of your website is most critical. Most identity theft takes place online. Have IT staff monitor website access regularly, and include an email address on the home page for end users to report any unusual occurrences. For example, there have been cases in which a company website was hacked and pornographic material distributed through it. This company's professional image was tarnished by this act. Also, regularly check for domain names that are similar to yours, or be proactive and purchase commonly misspelled variations of your URL.

Misplaced hard documents are another cause of rising corporate identity theft. Investing in a paper shredder to dispose of all documents after use is the most prudent way to prevent sensitive data from being leaked.

Finally, secure your computer networks by regularly updating virus protection software, strengthening firewalls, adware and spyware blockers and changing passwords periodically. Develop a policy about Internet use and talk with your employees about it. By surfing the Internet during work hours, your employees may be putting the integrity of the company at risk by accessing sites with spyware or adware.

Consider these guidelines and you will ensure the greatest chance of avoiding corporate identity theft. Criminals are always scheming up ways to infiltrate your organization, no matter how secure you are. Remember that computer software and company policies are fallible. Keep your methods of protecting up to date and be vigilant about protecting sensitive material.

Article Source: http://www.search4allinfo.com

Is your computer secure enough? Find out what you should be doing to keep it safe from viruses, spyware and other online security threats at the Online Security Toolkit website. Visit www.onlinesecuritytoolkit.com for more information.

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