PwC Director Kimberly Kiefer Peretti Authors Chapter on the Underground World of Online Identity Theft in the American Bar Association's 'Data Breach and Encryption Handbook'

Book to Launch at RSA Conference 2011

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Feb 10, 2011, 01:40 ET

NEW YORK, Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- PwC US today announced that Kimberly Kiefer Peretti, director in PwC's Forensic Services practice, has authored a chapter on the "Underground World of Online Identity Theft" in the American Bar Association's Data Breach and Encryption Handbook.

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The Data Breach and Encryption Handbook¸ which will be launched at the RSA Conference 2011 in San Francisco (February 14-February 18, 2011), takes an in-depth look at the problem of escalating data breaches and its legal ramifications.

Ms. Peretti's chapter, "The Underground World of Online Identity Theft: An Overview," takes a close look at how the Information Age has changed the method by which identity thieves can access and exploit the personal information of others. The chapter discusses three of the larger, highly-publicized data breach cases of recent years. Often, these large-scale data breaches involve the compromise of personal financial information, such as credit or debit card account information.

"As companies continue to rely on computer systems and the Internet in the Information Age, it has become increasingly clear that criminals have the tools to access and exploit for financial gain large volumes of personal information," said Kimberly Peretti, director at PwC. "The chapter will help readers become aware of the dangers of the underground world of identity theft, which is enabled more and more by emerging technology."

Formerly with the Department of Justice (DOJ), Ms. Peretti is currently a director at PwC, where she assists clients responding to significant cyber attacks and breaches, as well as advises clients on how to reduce risks related to cybersecurity.

At the DOJ, Ms. Peretti was the lead prosecutor in U.S. v. Gonzalez, et al., the largest hacking and identity theft case ever prosecuted by the DOJ, in which over 170 million credit and debit card numbers were stolen or at risk of being stolen from over fourteen major U.S. retailers by an international hacking ring. She and her colleagues successfully convicted the ringleader and several foreign defendants in several different districts. Recognition for this case included the United States Attorney General Distinguished Service Award and the United States Secret Service Director's Award for Outstanding Assistance and Support.

For more information please visit www.pwc.com/us/forensic-services.

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