By Eduard Goodman, Identity Theft 911

Whether you’re a Facebook user, a privacy wonk, or both, you’re likely aware of the social network’s settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, announced Tuesday.

Under terms of the settlement, Facebook must now get users’ permission before it changes the way their personal information is shared. The social network also agreed to submit to privacy audits every two years for the next 20 years. Read The New York Times’ coverage of the settlement for a more in-depth explanation of the agreement.

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By Matt Cullina, Identity Theft 911

Kids practically live online these days, and they spend a lot of their time playing games on Facebook and their smartphones.

So I’m heartened to see the Federal Trade Commission send a clear message that mobile applications must conform to federal children’s privacy regulations.

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True. Cyber crime now impacts more than 50,000 people an hour. That’s three times more than the 15,300 babies born hourly.

Buyer Beware

It’s a scary statistic, and one worth noting as the holiday shopping season approaches. As more shoppers turn to their laptop, iPads and mobile phones to get items crossed off their list, thieves are on the prowl to hack into systems to obtain customer information – email addresses, passwords, credit card data, PayPal account info, etc.

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A massive cyber attack on American infrastructure is the 21st-century equivalent of the neutron bomb. All buildings remain standing but systems inside them are rendered useless. Human beings aren’t killed on a large scale, but few, if any, are left standing either. And while this sounds pretty dire, it’s quite likely some segment of this nation will at some time be shut down by cyber terrorists.

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By Ondrej Krehel, Identity Theft 911

In an earlier post we talked about how malware is built to morph or change to avoid detection. This time we’ll look at what security firms are doing about it.

The short answer is heuristics or self-educating computer programs.
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By Matt Cullina, Identity Theft 911

Parents of gamers have likely caught wind of the hype surrounding two fall arrivals: Battlefield 3 (released Oct. 25) and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (out Nov. 8). These so-called shooter games are the latest installments to two established and—in the case of Call of Duty, wildly successful—video game series. One analyst for Forbes forecast that MW3 would sell 16 million copies and Battlefield 8 million copies by year-end.
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If you’re a senior citizen who suspects you’ve been scammed in a financial fraud, or if you are the adult child of a senior facing a possible financial scam, a new hotline may help you report the problem and get help.

But you’ll have to act fast. The hotline will only be open for one day: Nov. 10. And the hours will be limited, too. The hotline will only operate between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

[Featured Tool: Get your free Credit Report Card from Credit.com]

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