I know your mother’s maiden name…

While wandering around the interwebs this morning, I came across an interesting link to a relative’s family history. Actually, the facts were nothing new to me, as it was simply a list of the members of one branch of my family tree. But one thing was interesting: they listed my relatives’ mother’s maiden name.

I suppose that this information has been publicly available for quite some time. If you spent the afternoon digging around a courthouse or a public library, you could find court records, birth announcements, death announcements, and other blurbs in the local paper which often list a woman’s maiden name. But now, this information is instantly, easily accessible on a global scale. And it’s also the first time that any with less-than-scrupulous goals can perform web searches to find out your address, phone number, personal habits, and the uniqueness your name is – so that they know how many potential victims they’ll have to weed out before they can steal someone’s identity.

Although it appears to have been waning in popularity, some businesses and other institutions still use mother’s maiden name, birthdate, the road you grew up on, the as a means of verifying your identity, all of which are easily accessible to identity thieves or those trying to get your information for other reasons.

The more we share, the more at risk we are. I hesitate to post a link to one of many blogs containing the “100 Random Facts About Me,” where the author gives away the goat. Instead, here is a small sampling of what’s included: he was in the navy, where he received an extra paycheck that they never caught; married at 18, divorced at 21; owned a ’68 Firebird; cheated on his girlfriend when he was 22; he’s a Sagittarius; amongst other facts, he lists 5 states in which he’s lived, and his “About” page lists where he lives now. This information on this page alone is enough to figure out who he is, what he does, and about 25 different ways one might be able to steal his identity. Posting lists like these on publicly-accessible sites – not the best idea.

Still, unfortunately, we aren’t always the ones controlling which information gets shared. Government databases, phone books, schools and company websites are just the beginning. And I’ve come across a site in the past week or two which scavenges the interwebs for information about you, teasing you with some info – at the time, it even appeared to be able to pull information from someone’s private Facebook profile – then asking for $19.99 to view the full profile. I won’t post the link, as I do not wish to give them any publicity (and don’t remember it offhand anyway)… no need to make it any easier for I.D. thieves and stalkers to track their victims.

So what can you do about it? When someone asks for a piece of information to verify your identity, try to think if it’s something anyone with devious intentions might be able to find. And whenever someone asks you for your mother’s maiden name, let them know that it’s a security risk. Tell them you need to substitute a password which isn’t a matter of public record. They may not allow you to do make the change over the phone – that’s great! Wait for the paperwork and send it in, and then verify that they’ve implemented the changes.

If they won’t let you change it, try telling them you spelled it wrong the first time – it’s really “Screiueiu”. And take your business elsewhere. Because if someone refuses to take appropriate security measures to protect your identity and safety, they don’t deserve your time, let alone whatever financial gain they may derive from having you as a customer.

And as an aside to my fellow designers – or to anyone registering an account on  a new web service: when you’re putting together (or answering) security questions, think about what information might be out there that would allow someone to hack in to a user’s account. Favorite book? Look at Amazon. First pet’s name? Look at MySpace. Kindergarten teacher? Class rosters, lists of teachers, even class photos are all online. You can even find out someone’s shoe size, your childhood best friend’s name, or even if someone has been attacked by a shark online.

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