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LifeLock ID theft protection leak could have aided identity thieves
LifeLock's identity theft protection service suffered from a security flaw that put users' identities in jeopardy. The event forced its parent company, Symantec, to pull part of its website* down to fix the issue after it was notified by KrebsOnSecurity. According to Krebs, Atlanta-based security researcher Nathan Reese discovered the vulnerability through a newsletter email he received from the service. Upon clicking "unsubscribe," a page that clearly showed his subscriber key popped up. That allowed Reese to write a script that sequences numbers, which was able to pull keys and their corresponding email addresses from the service.
Symantec to buy identity protection firm with checkered past
Symantec is acquiring identity-theft protection firm LifeLock for $2.3 billion. It's the company's latest move to branch out from malware protection into cybersecurity, following its purchase of Blue Coat, a company that safeguards web transactions. "With the combination of Norton and LifeLock, we will be able to deliver comprehensive cyber defense for consumers," Symantec CEO Greg Clark said in a statement.
LifeLock forced to pay $100 million FTC fine
LifeLock is a company that purports to provide protection for people at risk of identity theft in exchange for a monthly fee of $10. The FTC doesn't feel that the firm does enough to justify that fee, which is why it's slapped the business with a $100 million fine. Officials believe that LifeLock has been exaggerating the extent of its services, saying that it hasn't done enough -- or anything -- to protect personal data like social security, credit card and bank account numbers. It's not the first time that LifeLock has been told off by the FTC after being found guilty of exaggerating its services in 2012 and failing to protect its customers in 2012.
FTC slams LifeLock for false advertising, again
Worried about identity theft? If you listen to talk radio you've probably heard of one potential answer: LifeLock, an identity protection service that promises to stop identity theft before it happens. It's a nice thought, but the company doesn't actually have that good of a track record: back in 2010, the FTC hit the company with a $12 million penalty settlement for false advertising. Now LifeLock is in trouble again -- the FTC is charging the company with violating its 2010 settlement order for the exact same reasons.
LifeLock pulls its wallet apps, deletes data in light of security worries
Wallet apps are typically more convenient than trying to keep tabs on a slew of identity and payment information yourself. However, that assumes that the apps are secure in the first place -- and unfortunately, LifeLock is learning this the hard way. The ID protection firm has both pulled the LifeLock Wallet mobile app and deleted user data after learning that its tool (based on recent acquisition Lemon Wallet) "may not be fully compliant" with payment card security standards. While there's no sign of a breach, the company says that it would rather play it safe and only restore the apps once people can trust them "without question."
Talking Sony and identity protection with LifeLock
As Sony continues to struggle to restore service to both the PlayStation Network and Sony Online Entertainment's MMOs following a hacking intrusion that resulted in millions of customer identities being compromised, players are understandably concerned about how secure their information is with similar companies. Even though Sony promised to provide a year's worth of identity theft protection for affected customers, part of the responsibility for safeguarding against such theft lies with us. As such, we spoke with Mike Prusinski, the Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications for LifeLock, an identity theft protection service. We asked him about what we should be doing to protect our identities online -- and what Sony could have done better in the first place. Massively: What are the most common ways that people have their identities stolen? Mike Prusinski: Though there are no statistics that point to one way over another, consumers get their personal information lost through stolen laptops, hackers, stolen mail, trash, skimming devices, scams (email, phone calls and personal visits), peer-to-peer networks and public websites.
