Comments on: Researchers Guess Social Security Numbers From Public Data http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/ 80beats is DISCOVER's news aggregator, weaving together the choicest tidbits from the best articles covering the day\'s most compelling topics. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 03:44:10 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Samantha http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/comment-page-1/#comment-52366 Samantha Sun, 27 Sep 2009 00:57:00 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/#comment-52366 Awesome post! Awesome post!

]]> By: Brian http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/comment-page-1/#comment-37588 Brian Tue, 07 Jul 2009 23:42:19 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/#comment-37588 How did we ever get to this place? A SSN should just be a string of digits. Yes it identifies you, but so does your name (don't bother posting how the SSN is more unique. I already know that). We don't try to keep our names a big secret do we? The whole problem here is that the SSN needs to be kept secret, when it never should have been a secret. Neither is it something that you'd want to share out willy-nilly, but it should not have to be guarded like the KFC recipe, or the alien spacecraft they have at Groom Lake (aka Area-51). Just kidding about that last one. Seriously, what have you heard? Anyhow the SSN should not be like some magic password for identity. How did we ever get to this place? A SSN should just be a string of digits. Yes it identifies you, but so does your name (don’t bother posting how the SSN is more unique. I already know that). We don’t try to keep our names a big secret do we?

The whole problem here is that the SSN needs to be kept secret, when it never should have been a secret. Neither is it something that you’d want to share out willy-nilly, but it should not have to be guarded like the KFC recipe, or the alien spacecraft they have at Groom Lake (aka Area-51). Just kidding about that last one. Seriously, what have you heard?

Anyhow the SSN should not be like some magic password for identity.

]]> By: Nick http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/comment-page-1/#comment-37572 Nick Tue, 07 Jul 2009 19:40:54 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/#comment-37572 We should really be more worried about the fact that Hollywood Video asks (illegal for them te require it) you to hand your SSN to a teenager when you sign up for your account. Seriously, how many people ignorant of the fact it's illegal for it to be required for anything other than bank/credit have willingly handed over the keys to ID theft to places like that? We should really be more worried about the fact that Hollywood Video asks (illegal for them te require it) you to hand your SSN to a teenager when you sign up for your account. Seriously, how many people ignorant of the fact it’s illegal for it to be required for anything other than bank/credit have willingly handed over the keys to ID theft to places like that?

]]> By: James E. http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/comment-page-1/#comment-37565 James E. Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:08:23 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/#comment-37565 That is 8.5% in fewer than a 1000 tries. A computer can process a 1000 tries in a very short time. If they had a list of sites that would do credit authentication biased on SSN, so they could rotate the site tried to prevent lockout, and had several computers, to prevent a single IP from being registered continuously, that can be a long list that a single indivgual generates. If this becomes widely know in the hacker community, higher level coders will write scripts that less experienced hackers can run to do this. Then you could have several thousand people running multiple computers matching 8.5% of their list. And let us not forget that 8.5% in 1000, according to the article, is the average. If someone is smart then they can focuses on smaller stated and get 8.5% of their list matched in as few as 10 tries. That can be a very fast growing list. Now with the new random system that is being implemented, that helps protect newly issued SSN but not the rest of us that are in the target range. That is 8.5% in fewer than a 1000 tries. A computer can process a 1000 tries in a very short time. If they had a list of sites that would do credit authentication biased on SSN, so they could rotate the site tried to prevent lockout, and had several computers, to prevent a single IP from being registered continuously, that can be a long list that a single indivgual generates. If this becomes widely know in the hacker community, higher level coders will write scripts that less experienced hackers can run to do this. Then you could have several thousand people running multiple computers matching 8.5% of their list. And let us not forget that 8.5% in 1000, according to the article, is the average. If someone is smart then they can focuses on smaller stated and get 8.5% of their list matched in as few as 10 tries. That can be a very fast growing list. Now with the new random system that is being implemented, that helps protect newly issued SSN but not the rest of us that are in the target range.

]]> By: Gadfly http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/comment-page-1/#comment-37536 Gadfly Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:25:31 +0000 http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2009/07/07/researchers-guess-social-security-numbers-from-public-data/#comment-37536 Fortunately for me, I'm old. Missed me by a few decades but you young pups will need to watch out. Seriously, they nailed it 8.5% of the time? Like, wow. 8.5%. So the other 91.5% of the time they were dead wrong? How will I ever sleep tonight? Fortunately for me, I’m old. Missed me by a few decades but you young pups will need to watch out.
Seriously, they nailed it 8.5% of the time? Like, wow. 8.5%. So the other 91.5% of the time they were dead wrong?
How will I ever sleep tonight?

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