I'm tempted to lead off this column with my PlayStation Networkpassword. After all, it's hardly a secret anymore. It's been stolen,along with 77 million others from around the world. Data thievesalso grabbed our names, street and e-mail addresses, and even ourcredit card numbers. It might just be the biggest, most destructivetheft of personal data yet.
The PlayStation Network is an Internet-based service for ownersof Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 video game console. Hook up the PS3 toa wired or wireless broadband connection, and you can compete onlineagainst other gamers. You can also download new games, rent or buyTV show episodes or full-length features, or stream movies throughthe Netflix online video service.
The company confused and outraged its users by shutting down thenetwork without explanation, but it wasn't until last Friday thatSony admitted the problem had been caused by a hacker attack. AndSony didn't reveal the full scale of the disaster until Tuesday.
That gave the bad guys ample time to run up illicit credit cardcharges or rifle through victims' e-mails in search of SocialSecurity numbers or other sensitive data. A Birmingham, Ala., manyesterday filed a class-action lawsuit against Sony - what could bethe first of many.
"This particular breach is the worst kind of breach that canoccur," said Robert Sicil iano, a Boston-based identity theftconsultant for the digital security firm McAfee Inc. Siciliano saidthe thieves may have obtained enough data to apply for new creditcards under the victims' names.
That's because millions of us use the same user names andpasswords for many different online accounts. So there's a goodchance that the stolen PlayStation passwords will also open thevictims' accounts on, say, Google Inc.'s Gmail service.
If you have ever e-mailed your Social Security number, the thiefcould now have it, as well as access to your Google address book,your Google appointment calendar, any files you have created inGoogle Docs - you get the idea.
This is why we're supposed to use different, very complexpasswords for every single online account.
PlayStation Network users can start by changing their otherpasswords, and fast. And consider getting a password managerprogram, such as RoboForm or the one I use, LastPass. Theseprograms automatically generate a new, tough password for everysite, then save the passwords in encrypted files on your computer orsmartphone, and on the Internet.
Some identity thieves use stolen e-mail addresses to launchphishing attacks. They send you e-mails aimed at tricking you intorevealing more sensitive information or scamming you out of money.
To protect yourself, don't sign up for online services with yourprimary e-mail account. Instead, set up throwaway e-mail addressesat Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or Gmail, and use these only for sign-ups.
You can forward any incoming mail to your main account, so youdon't miss anything important, and if the throwaway address startsbringing you scam messages, just close the account.
While each site should have a different password, you might wantto use the same credit card each time you shop online.
I didn't, and now I don't know which of my cards I used for myPlayStation account. The service is down, and I can't log in to findout. Next time, I will stick to a single card or write a note tomyself listing the cards I have used at various online services.
Meanwhile, I will be keeping an eye on all my bank and creditcard accounts. Siciliano said that all consumers should check theirstatements online at least once a week, as a matter of routine. Butwe PlayStation users should now check every day, and contact thebank or card issuer the moment something seems amiss.
Federal regulations give credit card holders 60 days to complainabout possibly fraudulent charges, but the time limit for debit cardusers is just two days.
However, John Hall, a spokesman for the American BankersAssociation, said that virtually all banks go further than the lawrequires, reimbursing victims under nearly all circumstances.
"You are protected," said Hall. "They're going to make sure thatthey're going to make everyone whole." A Bank of America spokeswomansaid the company's zero-liability policy would fully protect itscustomers, whether they used credit or debit cards.
But thieves could still attempt to get new credit accounts underyour name.
You can keep an eye on them by getting your free annual creditreport from the nation's three major credit-reporting bureaus:Equifax Inc., Experian Information Solutions Inc., and TransUnionLLC. Forget the silly TV ads for other sources and go to the FederalTrade Commission's website, AnnualCreditReport.com, to get them.Every American is entitled to one free report each year.
But what about the other 11 months? You can protect yourself byputting a "security freeze" on your report. This bars lenders fromviewing your reports, which usually leads them to refuse morecredit.
Under a 2008 state law, all Massachusetts residents are entitledto have their accounts frozen whenever they like, for a fee of $5 toeach credit bureau. It costs the same amount to have the freezelifted.
The freeze applies to you, so forget about applying for amortgage or credit card while it's in place. But if you're notplanning to borrow money any time soon, it's a good idea. Find outhow to do it at defendyourdollars.org.
Who knew that owning a video game console would lead to so muchhard work? And this is just the beginning. Our life stories arefiled away at many other online businesses, and government agencies,too. And every one of them could be a looming privacy disaster. Fornow, the only simple, push-button solution is the one none of uswant to use: the off switch.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.
NOTABLE BREACHES
Read about the recent instances of data mishandling and theft atwww.boston.com/business.
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