Identity Finder
About Identity Finder
Identity Finder is a software tool that helps prevent identity theft by locating files containing PII (personally identifiable information) or DCL3 (Class A Protected) data. Examples of DCL3 data are: Social Security numbers, bank or credit card numbers, driver’s license, etc. on your computer, network share drives, and external media. The Identity Finder tools allow you to take actions on files such as shredding the files, moving them to a quarantine location, or scrubbing the PII data from them. If you do not have Identity Finder on your WCSU-owned computer, please call the IT Help Desk (x78467) while on campus to have it installed.
What is Personally-Identifiable Information?
Personally-identifiable information (PII) is any piece of information which can potentially be used to uniquely identify, contact or locate a single person. PII is generally kept private and often used for financial, medical or research identification. Examples of PII include Social Security numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers, driver’s license numbers and account passwords.
Why Clean Up PII?
If your computer or external media contracts a computer virus, is lost, stolen or broken into over the network, files containing PII are at risk for theft. A surprising amount of PII may be stored on your computer, external media, or network share drives from daily use. This information can be used to steal not only your money and identity, but also the money and identities of anyone else who either shares your computer or whose sensitive PII you store for WCSU work. And if you do store sensitive PII for WCSU work, the University would be obligated under state law to notify everyone affected by the breach and could potentially be legally liable.
What You Should Do to Clean Up PII:
- Review the Identity Finder Introduction Presentation.
- Review the Identity Finder Client Instructions (Windows Instructions | Mac Instructions)
- Follow the Identity Finder Client Instructions to run an Identity Finder scan on the hard drive of any WCSU-owned computer you log in to, your email, and your H: & K: drives.
Secure staging area for Storing Files Containing PII:
Please review the document retention standards located here to determine if you must keep a file containing PII. If you have files containing PII that must be kept, then the “secure” folder on your H: drive or the “secure” folder you/your department has created within your folder should be used to quarantine the files for future migration to a special DCL3 storage location.
Resources
WCSU Idenity Finder Client Training Presentation
State of CT Records Retention Schedules for State Agencies
Identity Finder for Home/Personal Use
For more information about Identity Finder software in education:
http://www.identityfinder.com/us/Business/Solutions/Industry/Education
Questions
If you have any questions about running Identity Finder, please contact the IT Help Desk at x78467.
If you have any questions regarding records retention, please refer to the State of CT Records Retention Schedules for State Agencies web site or contact WCSU’s Records Management Liason Officer: Mark Case at x78657.
