The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reported that identity theft costs the United States $50 billion to $60 billion a year, and it is widely considered to be the fastest growing crime in the United States.
Consumers and businesses rely on electronic information systems to store, transmit, and manage their most important, private data. The Forrester quote above underscores that a primary threat to this data is introduced because of security vulnerabilities in the software on which it resides. As ecommerce, online banking, and other Web transactions increase in size and frequency, criminals are finding more incentive in targeting identity-related information for theft. The threat is clearly extending beyond isolated inconveniences.
