Social Security numbers ripe for fraud

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University reported this week that, in this era of widespread use of computers and sophisticated software, the Social Security numbering system is more vulnerable to privacy breaches than previously known.
 
The researchers said they were able to use statistical techniques to predict Social Security numbers solely from an individual's date and location of birth. Researchers Alessandro Acquisti and Ralph Gross said their work shows it is possible to routinely reconstruct sensitive personal information from online postings frequently found on social networking sites and other public sources.

"This report is a wake-up call," Peter Swire, a law professor at Ohio State University, told The New York Times. "Social Security numbers are an aging technology, and we have to do serious planning for what will come next."

Is this just another headache for federal IT executives, or is it something that could cause a massive faultline in how the federal government uses Social Security numbers to identify U.S. citizens?

For more on the vulnerabilities of Social Security numbers:
- see this New York Times article