In order to manage cyber and data security risks, organizations assign a qualified person tasked with creating and maintaining a security program which includes policies, standards and guidelines. A security policy is a high level security statement that dictates how a particular security risk should be handled throughout the organization such as “all devices must be encrypted” while standards require the use of acceptable methods and tools for implementing and enforcing the policy such as the use of “Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) 256” while guidelines offer additional information.

Managing information security is one of the highest priorities in many organizations, especially those operating under heavy regulatory mandates and requirements. As we all know, information leakage and data breach is a high risk that can negatively affect organizations’ reputation and financials. Organizations that experience a personal and private data breach can expect to face loss of customers, industry trust and credibility, money, competitive advantage, and increased regulatory scrutiny.

It has been acknowledged that some executives and members of the management team may override information security policies (and let other employees violate the policies) by asking the CISO for a special treatment because the policy is a burden to their productivity and a bunch of other reasons.  

A security policy override may come in a various forms. If the violator feels powerful in the company and knows that his or her wishes can not be rejected, the person will make a formal request to bypass the security policies at will. Other times, the person may just ignore the security mandates and violate the security policies without notifying the CISO as they might feel it’s a waste of time, the policy does not apply to them, or the request may be rejected and that they can get away with it when detected because of their powerful position.

To be fair, some executives may abuse their power and override security controls because either they don’t even know that their actions are in violation of security policies or they are not fully aware of the consequences of their security violations and how their actions may pose a risk to the company. As mentioned, they might just ignore the security policies because they are busy or even worse they might be planning to commit a fraud.

To deal with security violations, strong detection controls must be in place and communicated widely to make sure everyone knows that they are being watched and that there are serious consequences for violating the security policies. That said, detecting security violations can be a daunting job and sometimes impossible as the violators may be highly technical who can clear their tracks after they achieve their goals. Also, when a security violation is detected whether proactively or during unrelated audits, usually nothing happens if there is no Board and executive committee support to deal with such violations. Therefore, it is extremely important that the security program includes provisions for dealing with the violators and that the provisions are approved and supported at the highest levels of the executive board.

Sadly enough, the CEO and other high ranking officials have other business priorities that neglect security until a security breach occurs and it is then and only then when they make decisions within minutes to improve security which they did not make before the breach after dozens of business cases to explain the risk.

In conclusion, executives and management team members like all other employees should not be exempt from following any of the company’s security policies and procedures in order to ensure continued protection of company assets including confidential information.

Stealthy hackers and targeted attacks are making it difficult to detect threats to users’ identities, especially in growing enterprise networks. More users and devices contribute to an increase in data, which must be monitored and analyzed for risks and potential breach activities.

The 79% increase in account takeovers from 2017 to 2018 points to overburdened IT departments lacking the resources to handle the monumental task of combing through data for malicious actions and responding to attacks upon discovery. Machine learning (ML) provides powerful tools to help with threat monitoring and detection and increase protection for all network users.

Learning and Determining Risk Levels

To “learn” what breach activity looks like, ML systems must be taught using either supervised or unsupervised learning methods. In supervised learning, ML tools are presented with known data sets, such as user behaviors, tagged as normal or aberrant. This establishes a statistical model the system later uses to differentiate between standard user activities and signs of network infiltration. The IT teams can adjust ML algorithms to correct false positives and improve future performance.

Unsupervised learning occurs when an ML system draws on known information about a person or group of people performing actions or making access requests on the network. Systems can then determine whether to approve or deny requests based on users’ privilege levels and access requirements. After initial “training,” ML is able to continue to learn new patterns and behaviors. Known as self-learning, this process enables classification of actions according to risk level to detect hacker infiltration without human intervention.

Protecting Users and Devices

The users accessing enterprise networks may be employees, vendors, suppliers or customers and may interact with data using a variety of devices. Businesses must address vulnerabilities and security loopholes to safeguard sensitive data and prevent network infiltration.

By training ML systems to understand and differentiate between varied types of user behaviors, enterprises can implement safeguards to be deployed automatically when malicious activities are detected. This minimizes the risk of fraudulent transactions and saves businesses the hassle and expense of cancellations and refunds.

Machine learning algorithms can also detect threats on devices while devices are in use, which prevents users from unknowingly infecting networks with malware from compromised devices and locks out hackers attempting to use stolen devices to gain access to network data.

Authentication and Fraud Detection in Real Time

The best IT department could spend every waking moment analyzing network activity and still fail to catch subtle attempts at identity theft or hackers operating with stolen credentials. Incorporating ML enables security systems to consistently monitor data sets and behaviors while learning and updating in response to new information.

Because ML operates in real time, problems are flagged at the moment of discovery. Alerts can then be passed on to the appropriate people in the IT department, or a predetermined solution can be deployed to prevent network compromise. Continual assessment of behaviors and risk levels supports smarter approval and denial of access requests, thus minimizing false positives and allowing IT departments to address real threats before user data is compromised.

Building to Scale

Humans can only handle so much data before requiring help, and with the massive scale of information collection and analysis at the enterprise level, it’s not practical to continually expand the IT department in an attempt to keep up with the influx. Even small businesses deal with a significant amount of data and benefit from the assistance of automated systems.

When using ML, more data is a help rather than a hindrance. No matter how many users and devices are introduced into the network, a security system with ML can continue to learn new sets of patterns and behaviors. Increased detail refines the system over time and reduces unnecessary security alerts. Businesses are free to diversify network access without risking compromise or outpacing the system’s ability to monitor network use.

Advancing Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity experts use ML to delve deep into the dark web and gather information to inform businesses of potential breach activities in advance. Just as ML can monitor enterprise network activity, it can also collect data from across the numerous channels hackers use to communicate and do business. Activities can be analyzed for potential threats, such as sales of detailed identity information or transfers of malicious files. Cybersecurity experts either use this information to enable the companies for which they work to protect their networks in advance or provide the results of data analysis to allow enterprises to improve onsite threat detection and response.

Making ML a primary tool in identity theft prevention helps safeguard businesses against inevitable attacks and preserve the identities of all users with network access. In combination with a qualified team of IT professionals trained in identity protection, ML supports a safe network environment and protects sensitive business data from clandestine threats.

As the definition of “identity” expands beyond human identity to include devices, animals, robots, and applications, we need to recognize why identity and access management is important and reassess our identity management practices. Additionally, increasing number of distributed cloud systems, BYOD, remote workforce, IoT, and data breach cases require smarter approach to identity and access management by leveraging new technologies in the areas of authentication, and artificial intelligence with machine learning to address system intrusions and data breach detection.

Many in the cybersecurity industry are recognizing the importance of identity and access management while risks continue to evolve worldwide as new threats, solutions and laws are introduced. Specifically, cyber crime, identity theft,  fraud, and incidents of data breach are on the rise and global governments are scrambling to address privacy of consumers and manage risks through regulations.

Below is a list of reasons why identity and access management is important to the cybersecurity, data protection and privacy industries:

Definition of the Term “User”

As mentioned, the complexity of managing multitude of identities which need to be connected and have access to resources requires advanced IAM capabilities to validate access requests, grant the most appropriate access, and monitor activities to detect anomalies and prevent data breach. The term “user” referred to humans in the past but the definition of the term goes beyond humans to include robots, applications, and Internet of Things (IoT). One of the main objectives of IAM is to make sure authorized users have the appropriate access to the right resources at the right time as quickly as possible. This is why proper onboarding, access provisioning, and offboarding is so important to ensure continued and efficient security without hiccups.

User Offboarding

Offboarding is a high risk area as managers do not have the same incentive to offboard contractors and temps as they do during their onboarding phase. Managing employees and their access may be more straight forward as they are often tied to the payroll system with integration to the central identity directory which has tighter controls than other systems, yet, if some systems are not integrated with the central identity directory, then removing a user from the directory will not trigger the removal of the user from all systems which is why offboarding is much more important.

Offboarding is a “silent” process according to Henry Bagdasarian which means no one complains when a user is not removed form the system until it is discovered during an audit or incident. However, onboarding is not a silent process as users and managers will complain for not having access to desired systems and data.

User Access Risks

Users who have system and data access are often targets of phishing attacks to steal their credentials. More specifically, privileged users who have elevated access are prime targets of cyber-criminals to access high value systems, data, and transactions such as invoicing, procurement, and payments. Stealing existing access is much more easier when targeting naive users than trying to hack into systems. This is because all of our high tech security investments can not prevent a data breach when an authorized user access is stolen and used consistent with the user’s usual activities to evade anomaly detection.

When applied properly, advanced identity and access management tools can help detect suspicious activities quickly whether they are committed by external or internal criminals. In fact, insiders who have highly privileged access pose the greatest risks as they may be disgruntled or have financial problems, therefore have the incentive and opportunity to commit a perfect crime. Highly technical users who have privileged access can also cover their tracks by modifying system logs.

Sometimes, users also make mistakes and errors which can also be mitigated with IAM tools and education. Identity and access risk awareness education is very important to prevent hackers from stealing user credentials.

Compliance

Another reason why identity and access management is important in cyber security is because organizations must comply with increasing, complex and distributed regulations, and they must ensure and demonstrate an effective customer identification process, suspicious activity detection and reporting, and identity theft prevention. Identity and access management solutions can be leveraged to manage various regulatory requirements such as having a Customer Identification Program (CIP), Know Your Customer (KYC), monitoring for Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR), and Red Flags Rule for identity fraud prevention.

Conclusion

Identity and Access Management is extremely complex and critical in managing security risks. Although technology is an important part of identity and access management which can be leveraged to support an organization’s cybersecurity objectives and strategy, effective IAM also requires processes and people for user onboarding and identity verification, granting and removing access, detecting suspicious activities, and keeping unauthorized users out of the systems. IAM can help organizations achieve operating efficiency and optimal security through state of the art technology and automation such as adaptive, multi-factor, and biometric authentication.

As companies become more aware of the urgent need for managing security risks through identity and access management, deploying systems, designing processes, and employing skilled staff also become apparent. 

Please visit our identity management blog for more articles.

Identity theft and ID fraud are issues that most consumers across the globe are worried about. With the growing online population and rising identity theft cases, it is becoming crucial for individuals and firms to consider protecting their identity. In 2017, the U.S. had an estimated 16 million cases of ID theft. The types of ID theft and identity fraud are diverse which are sometimes difficult to detect or resolve, necessitating the need to seek identity theft companies for complete and automated protection against the fraudsters. Identity theft protection is a collective effort and consumers alone are not capable of protecting themselves as they do not have the control to prevent identity theft or the skills to detect and resolve identity fraud.

There are many ways that identity theft criminals can obtain personal information to commit fraud. Whether cyber-criminals hack into systems that store personal data, or tap into data that is sold in the dark web following a data breach resulting from a variety of critical security vulnerabilities, or steal identity information directly from consumers through phishing and social engineering attacks, the criminals use the stolen information to create fake identities and use the information to extract money from a bank account, apply for new credit line, or make illegitimate purchases on various platforms across the web, among numerous other felonies.

How Can Consumers Find the Best Service?

When looking for an identity theft service, consumers must ask themselves a few questions:

• What major services do identity theft companies offer?
• Who are the major identity theft companies?
• What differentiates one company from another?
• What services or ID theft protection do I need?
• How do I know which company is better than the others?
• What are the company’s security, privacy, and data retention practices specially after customers stop doing business with the company?

The best way for consumers to answer the above questions and select the best service is to ask the identity theft company if they offer an independent audit report or an identity theft company certification report issued by Identity Management Institute. This independent report typically validates the company’s assertions about their services and describes in a simple language the company’s privacy and security policies. Most privacy policies are either unclear, incomplete, or too detailed that no one reads. An independent product certification offers the best validated information that consumers can trust for selecting an ID theft product. Sure consumers can go online and review other customer reviews or visit the company’s website, but can they truly trust the consumer reviews some of which may be fake or incomplete? Or can consumers trust the information on the company’s website which has not been validated by an independent third party?

The Cost of Identity Theft Protection

The typical price for a monthly subscription in identity theft companies is between $10 and $35. Basic plans usually just monitor credit reports. The most expensive subscriptions offer advanced services like dark web scans, notifications about any activity on your bank and investment accounts, three bureau credit reports and reports on any fraudulent activity carried out in your name.

Overview of Identity Theft Companies

This article is designed to give consumers limited information about identity theft companies and their services. Identity theft services must be designed to help individuals safeguard their identity while surfing different social media platforms, online banking systems, and data transfer platforms, or detect signs of identity theft, and support the identity theft victims overcome the hurdles of identity theft.

The review of identity theft protection companies in this article is limited and may change at any time after this article is published. Consumers are encouraged to learn from this article and visit the identity theft company website of their choice to get the latest information.

Below is a list of some ID theft companies and their services:

1. IdentityForce

IdentityForce offers one of the most extensive protection services. IdentityForce has a tremendously far-reaching service provision for its clients. Among them are monitoring Social Security Numbers, names, credit card numbers, and street addresses for any signs of unauthorized activities.

The company’s extensive scope allows tracking of loans, public record databases, sex offender registries, and lease records. Various other companies may offer some of these services, but very few monitors all the areas.

As much as IdentityForce is not able to prevent your data from being stolen, it notifies you immediately when it notices any suspicious activity in any of the areas. One of the company’s product features is that the client can set a specific range of transactions to monitor. They will then receive notifications as soon as a transaction exceeding the amount is made on their account. Clients also get notifications if an unidentified alias or address is associated with the account or name. Consumers don’t have to buy a transaction monitoring services as many financial institutions offer account alerts, however, consolidation and automation may be of interest.

Since identity criminals can affect your credit score adversely due to their occasional use of your data, IdentityForce sends regular reports to you from the three bureaus. To top it all off, the company offers you tracking tools to keep you updated on changes in your credit score over time.

There are various tools that the company offers to recover your stolen ID. These tools include a fully managed restoration service. The feature provides support for filling out the paperwork on your behalf.

2. LifeLock

LifeLock offers one of the most comprehensive and thorough identity theft protection services. Its Ultimate Plus plan monitors an extensive range of public records, online databases, and even dark web sites to see if your data is compromised.

The company scans for addresses and names linked to your Social Security Number to safeguard you from any criminals looking to open a fraudulent account using your data. LifeLock’s service monitors most areas that other service providers will not. It scans popular data-sharing sites to see if any of your personal information has been uploaded to any of them. It also monitors sex offender registries that use any of your personal information.

Another powerful tool offered by LifeLock is its Privacy Monitor service. The tool is essential in alerting clients when fraudulent activity has been detected using their details. The alerts are programmed to ask the client if they have made any purchases, or if an address change is legitimate. If fraudulent activity is confirmed to have taken place, LifeLock will act swiftly to resolve the situation. The company has identity restoration specialists who will deal with the situation on a personal level to its remedy.

On top of its identity monitoring services, LifeLock also offers its clients the tools for credit monitoring. Annual reports from the three bureaus are sent to the clients with monthly access to their Equifax score.

One of the cons of using LifeLock is its high prices. It offers one of the priciest services among the companies with a monthly subscription fee of $29.99 but higher prices come with more services.

LifeLock’s protection against identity theft goes beyond credit cards, bank accounts, email addresses, and phone numbers. On top of these protection services, the company also monitors its clients’ medical insurance and public record databases to check for possible fraud.

3. Identity Guard

Identity Guard offers the most appealing balance of cost to service. It is a crucial part to consider prices in your buying decision. However, when choosing an identity protection service, you must keep in mind the scope of the service you require to keep your identity safe. You need a service that not only covers a broad scope but also provides you with timely alerts on activities that use your data.

You can access a complete coverage close to the best services provided in the market for just $16.99 per month. Some service providers offer even lower prices than Identity Guard, but their services may be limited.

The company’s features match the services offered by the companies we have reviewed. Its protection monitors your address, credit card numbers, and Social Security Number. It also provides monitoring services for other aspects of your identity, like driver’s license information and criminal records.

As an additional feature, Identity Guard also offers you tools to gauge the risk of your data theft. The device can become an invaluable feature in helping you safeguard your data by changing behaviors that put your personal information at risk. In case your identity has been compromised, the company also offers immediate recovery services and quick alerts. The recovery services include fraud insurance of up to one million dollars.

4. IdentityProtect by Intellius

IdentityProtect specializes in general searches and background checks. Our research found that the company excels in these areas more than all the companies we reviewed. Intellius’ ID theft protection service, “IdentityProtect,” is one of the most efficient at tracking information matching your data in public record searches.

For instance, the service can track sex offender registries and addresses. Besides free monitoring services, Intellius’ other protection services are mostly basic. The company sends you alerts in case of any suspicious activity in your credit report. If you are a victim of identity fraud, resolution experts are available 24/7 to help you resolve your problem. Its monthly subscription fee is $19.95, and a seven-day trial is available for potential clients who need to understand how the service works.

5. IDFreeze by myFICO

IDFreeze, according to our review, will provide you with the most thorough and efficient credit report monitoring service. The company also sends you regular reports from the three bureaus. Like all the above ID protection services, it sends alerts whenever there is an activity on your credit reports.

IDFreeze also provides dark web monitoring services to its clients. If your personal information has changed hands or has been used to carry out fraud on any of the popular platforms across the web, the service works hand in hand with you to get the issue resolved.

One of the few cons of the service is that it is one of the more expensive options charging $29.95 per month.

Conclusion

Identity theft is an increasingly worrying problem for most people. The best way to protect yourself from fraudsters looking to use your information for personal gain is by using the best identity theft company and protection service. Sometimes, consumers must sign up with multiple service providers to get a complete protection if they are extremely worried and cost is not an issue.

The services listed above are just some examples of identity theft service providers but the best validation tool for consumers to select the best identity theft company in terms of the service quality, scope and coverage; and system security or privacy policies is an independent certification by Identity Management Institute.

As we all know, identity theft continues to affect millions of consumers and there is no shortage of data breach cases which can lead to identity theft and fraud with stolen personal information. Many identity theft companies have leveraged this trend to start successful businesses some of them backed by investment banking entities which are looking to increase their return on investment in a growing and competitive market.

Selecting an Identity Theft Service

When selecting an identity theft service, consumers are faced with many choices of identity theft service providers which offer somewhat similar services in a very competitive market. Comparing their product features, service quality, and prices may be confusing and time consuming to consumers who attempt to select one identity theft company over another one.

When selecting an identity theft company, how do consumers know which identity theft company offers the best and most appropriate identity theft service for them? Often consumers read service reviews written by various blogs and news outlets or read online reviews written by other customers but these reviews are often not based on adequate product testing by experts. They are based on information provided by bloggers or consumers who share their limited experience which may be false and incomplete.

Identity Theft Company Certification

Identity Management Institute offers an identity theft product audit and certification that identity theft companies can undergo in order to receive a certification report and seal to showcase their services and gain a competitive edge. The report typically lists what services the company offers, claims made by the company, and other information such as comparative analysis, quality of customer service, system access and security based on ISO 27002/27001, data retention, and privacy policy. The certification process requires detail testing of the company services and claims regarding their product features, system management, and customer service.

If a company does not have an independent audit report to confirm their claims, then consumers must ask a few questions to themselves and others in order to select the best service and may end up selecting the wrong identity theft company or just another service instead of yours.

Consumers may ask themselves why they plan to buy an identity theft protection service and which company can meet their needs. Often, people decide to buy an ID theft service after they have experienced identity theft. Next, they try to understand what services the companies offer, do these services meet quality standards, and do companies collect the information from reliable sources?

Another important question that consumers may ask themselves is what does the company do after they collect all that personal information in order to analyze and notify their customers about potential signs of identity theft? Where do they store the information? Is the data secure? Do they sell that information? Do they delete the information after consumers stop using their services?

These are not easy questions to answer if the company does not share with consumers through a detailed report which is why it is important that identity theft companies voluntarily undergo a certification of their product by an independent party in order to demonstrate why they are one of the best identity theft companies and answer as many of consumers’ questions as possible upfront in order to gain their trust.

The ID theft product certification report and badge have many benefits including:

• Attempt to answer as many of the consumer questions upfront
• Clearly communicate your services and benefits
• Validate your claims by an independent party
• Use the report as a marketing tool
• Showcase the IMI seal of “Certified Product”

Identity Management Institute is a global independent organizations which offers identity theft training, professional certification, program consulting, and product certification.

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