Protect Yourself Against ID Theft With the ID Vault

ID theft is one of the most important threats brought about by the proliferation of the Internet and online transactions, causing losses of tens of millions of dollars (and perhaps even more). There are all sorts of solutions designed especially for countering this phenomenon, and the ID Vault, the item we're discussing here, provides a hardware-based approach to the concept.

Initially launched back in the second half of 2006 by GuardID systems, this little dongle proved to be successful enough to deserve a second helping. Hence, the 2008 edition appeared.

The ID Vault 2008 edition provides certain very important advantages over its predecessor. Thus, the ID Vault Trusted Network now includes more than 7,000 financial institutions (banks, credit unions, brokerages, mutual funds) and more than 500 top shopping sites to stop ID theft from phishing and pharming. Moreover, the included ID Vault SecureView feature protects the user against spyware and other Web browser-based threats as he/she conducts financial transitions online.

Although the basic function and concept of the ID Vault have not changed much (namely, we're talking about a a hybrid between a smart card, a password-generating hardware key (or "token") and an USB device), the built-in smart chip has been upgraded for enhanced functionality. Thus, the ID Vault now encrypts and secures usernames and passwords for up to 100 online accounts, which is more than the average user would ever need.

Other improvements include increased operational speeds, the possibility of storing credit card information for up to 25 cards, as well as a smaller size (the 2008 edition is actually 30% smaller than the previous version). Furthermore, the new ID Vault has a more durable, easy-grip rubberized case.

The ID Vault 2008 Edition is also a bit cheaper that its predecessor, since it retails for just around 40 US dollars, a very OK price to pay for a device that will actually save users more money by protecting them against online threats.

We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .