86% of the credit/debit cards advertised for sale on hacker (underground) community were issued by U.S. Banks

As I was traveling on business this week and had  a few minutes to spare while waiting at the airport, I ran across a report by Symantec Corporation, a leading security software company.   

Symantec publishes their "Internet Security Threat Report" twice a year.   Consider this report a summary of Internet threats that Symantec has tracked from July through December 2006.  The data Symantec collects is based on a network of 40,000 computer sensors deployed worldwide in over 180 countries, plus the data seen and sent to Symantec by over 120 million computers that run Symantec's security software.   The data is collected and analyzed for trends in how computer and data security threats are originating and evolving.

Some of the key findings by Symantec are worthy of noting not only by businesses but also by consumers.   

• Home computer users were the most targeted by all attacks (targeted 93% of the time).
• 86% of the credit/debit cards advertised for sale on hacker (underground) community were issued by U.S. Banks.
• Increase in using multiple attack methods to gain access to financial and personal data that could be used for financial fraud (i.e. identity theft).

I've always felt that information and data security is a two way street.  Although the business community has a great responsibility in protecting the personal and financial information of the customers, consumers also have to share in that responsibility.   An educated consumer should also do their part for protecting their personal and financial information.

If you would like to read the Symantec report, please visit:  http://www.symantec.com/threatreport