head -> desk

[lehser]

A nice little report on a nice little analysis of SSNs and how to guess them.  I particularly liked the bit at the end:
"She said many businesses have errantly rely [sic] upon or have moved to redact all but the last four digits of a person's SSN, the very digits that are most unique to an individual."

So, of course the first 3 digits are based on

Comments

[doctorhook]

That's what happens when you don't *plan* your data security. If the US had instituted a properly done national ID number....

[doctorhook]

P.S. That's the second person I seen post a headdesk today. Yay, event clustering!

[lehser]

...or when you use something that's patently not designed to be secure as a national ID. And don't put teeth into the "um, that's really not designed to be a national ID" advisories that the SSA has been issuing for decades.

Not 'til it's WAY too late, anyway.

[doctorhook]

And if it's the only ID there is, then of course people (and more to the point, companies) are going to use it. No amount of warning is going to stop that.