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With the holidays approaching and more use of online shopping, we are forwarding the following communication from OIT regarding preventing online credit card theft. As a side note, the new Mozilla Firefox web browser which we are deploying should provide additional security protection for web access. The Mozilla Firefox browser continues to have a very strong track record on security. According to Secunia, an independent security monitoring organization, Firefox currently has 1 open security issue. For the same period, Secunia lists 16 open security issues for Internet Explorer 6.0, 14% of which are labeled "extremely critical", 34% are "highly critical". Currently, Secunia is reporting no unpatched vulnerabilities within Firefox 1.x, the version under deployment here at Fuqua.
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Technical Support Center
Fuqua School of Business
(919) 660-7878
http://it.fuqua.duke.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, November 15, 2004
CONTACT: David Menzies
(919) 684-2151
david.menzies@duke.edu
Preventing Online Credit Card Theft
DURHAM, N.C. - As the holidays approach and the amount of purchasing shoppers do online grows, online buyers are increasingly at risk of identity theft such as credit card fraud. Unfortunately, there is no way to completely protect credit card information used online from being stolen. However, there are several ways to protect your information and decrease your risk of identity theft.
· *Use only Web sites that encrypt your credit card number.* Usually, your Web browser will have a small picture of a lock that is open at the top of the page. When the company is using encryption the lock picture will show a closed lock to indicate they are providing increased security. Another way to determine if a Web site is using encryption is to check the URL of the current page (often listed near the top of the Web browser). If the page URL starts with "http://" then the page is NOT encrypted. If the URL starts with "https://" then the page is encrypted.
· *Select only one credit card to use for online purchasing*. While this one credit card is still vulnerable, it significantly limits your exposure. Also, use a credit card that has a good policy regarding your liability in the case that the credit card number is stolen. Most major credit cards limit your liability to $50 or less; however, be sure to check on the specifics of each card.
· *If possible, have the online vendor NOT store your credit card number for future use. *While this does not guarantee that they don't have your credit card number stored in a database, it may keep your card number off of their Web server.
· *Find out if your credit card company offers one-time use credit card numbers*. Some companies can provide you with one-time use credit card numbers that are tied to your main account. At the time of purchase you present the one-time use number to the vendor, to whom it looks like a regular credit card number. Any subsequent attempts to use that number will be denied. This service is probably the most effective way you can protect yourself from credit card fraud, and is offered by both American Express and Discover Card.
Credit card fraud is just one type of identity theft of which online users can be victims. Be careful with all personal information that someone could use to assume your identity, especially your Social Security Number. While many educational and governmental groups have a legitimate need to know your SSN, be cautious about giving out your Social Security Number, especially to entities that intend to use it as an account number or identification number.
/Throughout the 2004-2005 academic year, Duke's IT Security Office will be raising awareness of IT security issues facing the greater Duke community through a multi-media educational campaign. More information can be found on the Duke IT Security Office Web site at _www.security.duke.edu_.// /
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