Digital Identity , Fraud Management & Cybercrime , Governance & Risk Management

Sound Off: What Gaps Must ID Theft Executive Order Address?

"Sound Off" is a new video series that explores one topical question, in depth, with information security and privacy leaders.

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In the coming weeks, U.S. President Joe Biden will announce a new executive order that builds on steps taken in 2021 to prevent and detect identity theft involving public benefits. On this week's "Sound Off," Jeremy Grant, the coordinator of the Better Identity Coalition, discusses the challenges ahead for the government in combating criminal and identity fraud.

Grants says we need to shift "away from knowledge-based approaches to identity proofing to ones that are more focused on things like possession." He offers as an example the new mobile driver's license apps that are starting to roll out in some states in the U.S. "This would set a much higher bar that would make it much more difficult for criminals and other adversaries to actually steal money from these sorts of (benefit) programs," he says.

As part of efforts to fulfil the federal initiative, the Department of Justice has announced that it will appoint a chief prosecutor to lead teams of specialized prosecutors and agents focusing on major targets of pandemic fraud.

Grant says that one of the biggest challenges ahead for the new chief prosecutor is obtaining adequate resources: "The worst position you can find yourself in is where you've got a title and don't have the ability to go get things done."

In a video interview with Information Security Media Group, Grant discusses:

• Gaps that still need to be addressed to build on existing efforts to crack down on fraud and serious identity theft of public benefits;
• Challenges ahead for the soon-to-be-appointed chief prosecutor and their team;
• Developments we are likely to see over the next few months with the upcoming executive order.

Grant was the founding leader of the National Program Office for the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace and senior executive adviser for identity management at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. He led the White House’s initiative to catalyze a marketplace of secure, easy-to-use, privacy-enhancing identity solutions for online services through government and private sector partnerships.

Don't miss our previous installments of "Sound Off," including the Feb. 25 edition with former CISO of PNC Bank David Pollino, who considers how banks can prepare for the Russia-Ukraine crisis, and the Mar. 14 edition with former federal CISO Grant Schneider, who shares an overview of the latest OMB cybersecurity guidance.