September 8, 2008 – 4:59 pm
A recent data breach in Louisiana has exposed the identities of over 13,000 licensed real-estate agents. The Louisiana Real Estate Commission was transferring data onto a new server when it inadvertently published files containing personal information on the internet. This information was exposed for public viewing for about two days. During this time it was accessible to anyone online, including any identity thieves that might have stumbled upon it.
The commission is a Louisiana State governmental agency that oversees the licensing of all real-estate agents and brokers registered in Louisiana. The agency once required all real-estate agents to be registered with their social security numbers. While it no longer uses this method for identification, it still has their social security numbers and personal information on file. During the transfer, this file accidentally fell in among other published files and was posted online along with the rest. One of the agents noticed his information on the internet after it was exposed for about two days. He notified the commission and the files were removed immediately. The agency followed up with Google and Yahoo to ensure that the files had been completely taken off the internet. They have notified all affected persons and sent advisories on how to protect themselves from possible identity theft.
One of the best ways to protect yourself from identity theft is to subscribe to LifeLock identity theft protection services. With Life Lock, your identity is protected even after your personal information falls into the hands of identity thieves. Todd Davis, the LifeLock CEO, is so confident in their services that he has published his own name and social security number* in advertisements for the whole world to see. For a discount on their services, use LifeLock Promotion Code Defense.
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Data Breach,
government data breaches,
identity theft protection,
Life Lock,
LifeLock,
LifeLock Promotion Code
