CIMIP works with corporate, government, and academic institutions to research identity management, information sharing, and data protection. Its corporate partners include IBM, LexisNexis, TransUnion; its federal partners include U.S. Secret Service, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Marshals Service; and its academic partners include Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute, Indiana University's Center for Applied Cybersecurity Research, and Syracuse University's CASE Center.
One of the study's most surprising findings is that while the Internet may be helpful for identity thieves, it's not necessary.
"Analysis of the methods employed by the offenders showed that Internet and/or other technological devices were used in approximately half of the cases," the report says. "In some cases, the offenders began with a non-technological act, such as mail theft, to obtain the personal identifying information, but then used devices such as digital cameras, computers, scanners, laminators, and cell phones to produce and distribute fraudulent documents. While the use of the Internet as a criminal tool had a presence, it did not appear to be a necessity for most offenders to reach their goals."
Among the 517 cases analyzed, 102 included the use of the Internet. Nontechnological means of identity theft -- mail theft, mail rerouting, and Dumpster diving -- occurred in 106 cases.
Another unexpected finding is that in half of the identity theft cases analyzed, the crime began in a business. In 274 cases where a point of compromise could be identified, businesses accounted for 50% (137) of the breaches.
Discover the benefits of scalable backbone and network services for application and cloud providers.
Network automation is gaining momentum. Here's how you can drive this powerful technology to its full potential.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
