On Oct. 22, the University of Texas at Austin's Center for Identity presented “The Internet of Things,” a webcast focused on providing actionable tips for navigating an increasingly connected world. John Danaher, President of TransUnion Interactive, discussed the latest advances in connected technology, the challenges they pose to our personally identifiable information (PII), and ways we can safeguard our PII while remaining connected.

1. Center for Identity!
The University of Texas at Austin!

2. Protecting Your Identity in a More Connected World….!
THE INTERNET OF THINGS!

3. A bit about myself….!
• President of TransUnion Interactive,
the consumer subsidiary of
TransUnion since 2004
• Chief Operating Officer of TrueLink
from 2001-2004 before helping to
manage the merger of TrueLink, Inc.
with TransUnion.
• 25+ years of experience in the
financial services industry, including
mortgage and home equity
originations and servicing.

4. Who is TransUnion?!

5. Objectives !
In today’s webinar, we will answer the following
questions:
! How can we expect the Internet of Things to impact
our lives in the near future?
! Where and how is our personally identifiable
information (PII) shared on the Internet of Things?
! What new challenges to identity management,
privacy, and security can we expect?
! What are some tips and resources we can use to
keep safe while actively engaging?

6. “The Internet of Things” – What is it?!
Companies of all kinds – not just technology and telecommunications firms
– are linking “things” as diverse as smartphones, cars and household
appliances to industrial-strength sensors, each other and the Internet.
Research shows by 2015, not only will 75 percent of the world’s population
have access to the internet. So will some six billion devices.
But … with great opportunity comes great responsibility.
Along with its conveniences, the movement will unveil
unprecedented security challenges: in data privacy,
safety, governance and trust.

7. “The Internet of Things” – How it Works!

8. What are Sensors?!
Many Internet devices have
sensors that can register changes
in temperature, light, pressure,
sound and motion.
Nearly everything we do with one
of our connected devices, sends
out personal identifiable
information – from our retail
shopping habits, to social media
presence to even how we control
the temperature in our homes.

9. An Example: The Nest,
Other Appliances and Sensors !

10. The Pros and Cons
Pros
• More efficient, saves time.
• Saves money
• Enhances daily living
• Can reduce stress
Cons
• Information shared can reveal
intimate, personal details about
their lives, such as their
medical needs, interactions
with others, and personal
habits
• The more information
available, the more likely
personal information can be
compromised

11. Biggest Challenges of the Internet of Things!
Data storage investments
• With all the billions of devices coming online, more and more
data needs to be stored.
• To facilitate all of this data storage, new and bigger data centers
need to be built in the coming years.
Security management & privacy
• While the number of connected devices is growing, the Internet
of Things will collect and store more and more personal
information.
• All this data is attractive for hackers and we will see more
security breaches in the future.
• Analysts already warned that most new gadgets lack the most
basic protection against hackers.

12. PII and Online Retailers!

13. Breaches Becoming Too Much the Norm!
* As of August 2014

14. How Data Breaches Occur!

15. For Example: Target!

18. Consumers Worried About
Identity Theft and Stolen PII!

19. Yet, Fail to Take Action!
• TransUnion survey results show that nearly half of Americans (49
percent) do not have a password protection set up on their phones,
leaving personal information stored in mobile applications easily
accessible for thieves.
• Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they conduct personal
business, like emailing, shopping, checking bank accounts, and
applying for a loan while connected to a public Wi-Fi network.
• These types of activities make consumers more susceptible to Wi-
Fi “sniffing,” where cyber criminals can intercept data as it travels
through the air between the device and the Wi-Fi access point.

20. Institutions Partner with Organizations
Like TransUnion to Minimize Breach!

21. What Can Consumers Do To Minimize
Exposure to their PII at Retailers?!

22. 1. Emerging Trend: Some cyber
criminals are now using more advanced
techniques, creating what is known as
"ransomware," which actually installs an
application (typically occurring on
Android phones) and steals personal
information from photos, personal calls
and banking applications on the device.
2. Emerging Trend: Identity thieves
don’t necessarily need direct access to
a consumer’s phone to steal confidential
information. Many will pose as bank or
credit card agents to gain sensitive data
such as birth date, address and/or
social security numbers.
!
!
TransUnion Tip: Use caution when
downloading smartphone
applications. Many criminals have
abandoned spam and antivirus
frauds for fraudulent mobile
applications. Be cautious when
downloading third-party
applications.
TransUnion Tip: Don’t reply to text
messages or voicemails from
unknown numbers. Only respond to
people you know, or banking and
credit institutions after verifying the
contact information is correct.
!
!

23. 3. Emerging Trend: Phishing
techniques have expanded to
mobile devices. Now malicious links
can not only come from email, but
also from social networks and SMS-based
spam.
4. Emerging Trend: It is now
common for most businesses to have
a public WiFi network customers can
access, but many customers may not
know about WiFi sniffing, which
intercepts data as it is traveling
through the air between the device
and the WiFi access point.
!
"
TransUnion Tip: Don’t click on links
you’re not familiar with, whether via a
mobile site, email or text message. Also
be aware of emails and text messages
that look suspicious, especially those that
ask for private information or ask if you’d
like to download a new application.
TransUnion Tip: Avoid public WiFi
networks. Many applications and web
pages do not use proper security
measures, sending unencrypted data
across the network that can be easily
read by someone who is grabbing data
as it travels. Save yourself the risk and
avoid public WiFi networks. If you must
use a public WiFi network, do not send
any confidential information.
!
!

24. 5. Emerging Trend:
Manufacturers of Apple,
Android and Blackberry
devices have found flaws
that affect how everything
from network connections
to user identities are
managed, which enables
attackers to remotely wipe
devices, install malicious
software and access all
kinds of personal data. !
!
TransUnion Tip: Be aware of
software flaws in your
smartphone device. Popular
manufacturers of smartphones,
including Apple, Android and
Blackberry, have found flaws
which give thieves a loophole
to installing malicious software
to steal your data. Watch for
warnings from your
smartphone manufacturer and
immediately install any
updates which are related to
improved security.
!

25. Even When You Take Caution, Identity
Theft Can Still Happen!

26. PII and Social Media!

27. Identity Thieves Targeting Social Media!
With a significantly high success rate….

28. What Information Do We
Share On Social Media?!
Enough to Lead to Identity Theft…"

29. How Thieves Get Our PII!

30. Weak Passwords = No Passwords!

31. What Can We Do to Minimize
Exposure to Our PII on the Web?!

32. Less is More: Avoid giving out personal information on social media sites,
such as address, phone number or your birth date. Identity thieves can
open accounts and commit a number of financial crimes with just this
information.
Do Not Leave a Trail of Cookies: Do not save your password when you are
on a public or work computer. Some social media sites automatically check
this box under your sign in, so make sure it is never saved. If it saves, it may
automatically bring up your account the next time someone else goes to
that social media site.
Lock It Up: Change your privacy settings on all your social media
accounts, so that you have control of all the information that is posted. Set
your profile to private, and make sure you have to approve any friend
requests, comments, photo tags, links or posts that appear on your page.
Get Creative: Create intricate passwords when you sign up for social
media accounts. Change your passwords to social media accounts every
one to three months.

33. Do Not Over-Share: Never give out your travel plans over social media
sites. In many instances, social media thieves have become actual
thieves, taking this data and using it to rob people when they are out of
town.
Home School Kids on Social Media: Go through these social media
guidelines with your children. Although many young people are more
adept at navigating the Internet, they may not fully understand the
implications of posting private information, photos or potentially
offensive material on the Internet.
Monitor Your Credit: Make sure you periodically your credit reports for
accuracy and consider signing up for a credit monitoring service, which
can alert you by email to changes in your credit report -- a helpful way to
prevent identity theft.

34. Summary!
• As technology advances for our personal benefit, it also means more
personal identifiable information (PII) is being shared.
• With the benefits that the Internet of Things provides for us, it also provides
identity thieves more access to our personal information.
• From retailers to our own personal social media presence, we must take
steps to minimize the exposure of our PII.
• While there are many precautions we can take to minimize the risk of
identity theft, monitoring products such as TransUnion, can alert you to
identity theft and minimize the damage done by thieves.

35. IDWise and the Internet of Things!
The Center for Identity’s IDWise resource center provides information and
guidance to help you safely navigate the Internet of Things.
• An Identity Theft and Management FAQ
• Guidelines for using mobile devices safely
• A downloadable toolkit with steps for protecting your identity
• A downloadable toolkit with steps for recovering your stolen identity
• And many, many more!

36. Want more great information like this?!
Follow the Center for Identity. !
CenterforID!
@UTCenterforID!
The Center for Identity!