Everyone has heard of hacking. It's in the news all the time, often related to large corporations being hacked for their data. Since the reports are about corporations, as individuals it can seem like someone else's problem. But the information being stolen could be yours. Your Social Security number, credit card information, medical information--and pretty much any other personal data you can think of--can be hacked. If it does, your identity could be used to rack-up thousands of dollars of debt that you only find out about months later. On average, restoring your good name can take as much as 6,000 hours as well.
One of the most devastating and potentially deadly forms of data breaches involves stolen electronic medical records and the resulting medical identity theft. Hackers can wreak havoc by stealing your personal health information to either sell or use themselves to impersonate you when they need medical treatment. If an identity thief gets medical treatment using your name, the thief's medical information--such as test results, allergies, blood type, or illnesses--will become part of your medical file. Certain conditions or procedures performed using your good name can prevent you from being able to get health insurance or even receive the medical help you need.
Here are a few of the many medical data breaches where hackers have left their indelible mark: A December 2011 report by the Privacy Right Clearinghouse Sensitive estimated that three of the six largest data breaches in 2011 compromised 11 million patient records and healthcare organizations.
According to the Ponemon Institute, healthcare data breaches alone were up 32 percent and the average data breach loss cost $7.2 million in 2010. The Identity Theft Resource Center stated that the theft of medical data increased by 50 percent in 2011.
For those who would like to take extra measures to ensure that their child's identity remains a blank-slate, third-party monitoring companies offer a variety of services that allow parents to keep an eye on it. Steve Schwartz, executive vice president of consumer services, for Intersections Inc., a provider of corporate and consumer identity risk management services, says his company will offer existing customers a chance to safeguard their children's identities when it rolls out its newest product, kIDSure, this fall.
One of the most devastating and potentially deadly forms of data breaches involves stolen electronic medical records and the resulting medical identity theft. Hackers can wreak havoc by stealing your personal health information to either sell or use themselves to impersonate you when they need medical treatment. If an identity thief gets medical treatment using your name, the thief's medical information--such as test results, allergies, blood type, or illnesses--will become part of your medical file. Certain conditions or procedures performed using your good name can prevent you from being able to get health insurance or even receive the medical help you need.
Here are a few of the many medical data breaches where hackers have left their indelible mark: A December 2011 report by the Privacy Right Clearinghouse Sensitive estimated that three of the six largest data breaches in 2011 compromised 11 million patient records and healthcare organizations.
According to the Ponemon Institute, healthcare data breaches alone were up 32 percent and the average data breach loss cost $7.2 million in 2010. The Identity Theft Resource Center stated that the theft of medical data increased by 50 percent in 2011.
For those who would like to take extra measures to ensure that their child's identity remains a blank-slate, third-party monitoring companies offer a variety of services that allow parents to keep an eye on it. Steve Schwartz, executive vice president of consumer services, for Intersections Inc., a provider of corporate and consumer identity risk management services, says his company will offer existing customers a chance to safeguard their children's identities when it rolls out its newest product, kIDSure, this fall.
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