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University professor calls for new ID system to fight major data breaches

Published on: 19 Sep 2017

A new identification system should be introduced in light of the recent high profile data breaches, according to a professor at Lewis University.

Dr Ray Klump, professor and director of the Master of Information Security program at the Illinois-based university, has stressed the importance of protecting personal information, such as social security numbers, driver's licence numbers, birth dates and addresses, following the recent Equifax incident that affected 143 million people including 44 million Brits.

Companies that have been using key fobs or smart card systems for years may need to upgrade their system “to a federal level”, he added.

Dr Klump explained the revised key fob or smart card systems would involve each citizen having their own username and password stored on the federal government’s central authentication system.

To engage in a financial or medical transaction, the person would have to enter both their username and password, as well as the code currently shown on the key fob or smart card.

He believes this would provide a safer nationwide dynamic identification system.