UMass urges all departments, faculty, and staff using University-owned computers to install and use Identity Finder.

Identity Finder is a program that locates sensitive data (e.g., Social Security Numbers, credit card numbers) on desktops, laptops, servers, and other media. Identity Finder helps you inventory the sensitive data on your devices, making it easier to secure or remove data, and take the appropriate steps in case of a data security incident.

Identity Finder is available for Windows and Macintosh computers.

Yes, but it is not looking for anything other than a very specific set of number sequences formatted in a very specific way.  Identity Finder is not reading your documents to find out anything about you other than if there is sensitive information in the document.

Your computer(s) will have unprotected sensitive data that you may not be aware of. Identity Finder can locate this data, thus ensuring you can take the appropriate steps in case of a security breach and helping you comply with University policy, state and federal legislation.

Protect yourself & your department against security breaches

Security breaches can have serious consequences for you and your department. Your department may be held financially responsible for the cost of the breach and your personal reputation as well as your department’s may be adversely affected.

Comply with University policies, state & federal legislation

University guidelines require that sensitive data be appropriately stored and secured. Identity Finder makes it easy to find, inventory, and secure this data on your University-owned devices.

A custom version of Identity Finder for University-owned computers is currently available at no cost from your Technology Support Group (on-campus downloads only).

Please contact your IT Administrator to discuss the best options for installing Identity Finder in your department.

No, the identity finder team will not be able to see any of the numbers that are found on your computer. The identity finder endpoint will only send back the last four digits of the sensitive information found. These numbers are sent to them to aid in assisting any remediation steps that take place. This ensures that your bank account, social security number, and credit card numbers are not duplicated.

No, Identity Finder is only looking through your documents to find a very specific set of numbers formatted a very specific way. Identity Finder is not looking at the contents of your computer outside of these numbers.

I.F. will present you, the end user; with a list of every item, it thinks is sensitive information at the end of the scan.  It will then be a joint effort with the I.F. team and the user to either confirm that it is sensitive information and should be removed or that it is a false positive and can be left alone.  After you have finished cleaning, the I.F. client will send some of the data collected back to the I.F. team.

1. The location on your computer where the file containing sensitive information was found.
2. The name of the file.
3. The last 4 digits of the number found.
4. The action you took against the sensitive information.
5. The date and time, it was found.
6. The type of sensitive information it was (Credit Card number, Social Security number, etc…)
7. The file format that it was found in.
8. How many instances of sensitive information were found in each file.

Identity Finder can find:

• Social Security Numbers
• Credit Card Numbers
• Bank Account Numbers
• Payment Card Information (e.g., account numbers, electronic statements)
• Passwords and PINs
• Dates of Birth
• Driver License Numbers

Identity Finder will not find:

• UMass-specific sensitive data (e.g., student ID numbers, employee ID numbers)
• More complex, non-numeric sensitive data (e.g., student grades, patient names)

Be aware that sensitive University data may be present on your computer even if an Identity Finder scan does not yield positive results.

Identity Finder only searches files located on your computer. If you are using email software that downloads and stores your emails on your computer (e.g., MS Outlook), Identity Finder will scan your emails. If you use a Web-based interface for email, Identity Finder will not be able to scan your messages for sensitive data.

If your department chose to install Identity Finder centrally, your version of the software may receive automatic updates from your technology support group. If you have any questions regarding changes or updates, contact your department’s IT Administrator or Technology Help Services.

Yes. To comply with University policies, Identity Finder scans should be completed on all University-owned devices, including laptops, desktops, external hard drives, and portable storage media.

Note: Check with your department’s IT Administrator. Identity Finder scans for your primary University-owned computer may already be scheduled for you. You may be responsible for scanning additional University-owned devices.

The duration of an Identity Finder scan will vary depending on the size of the hard drive and the amount of files stored on the machine. Generally, an Identity Finder scan can be completed in the background while you continue to work on your computer. You can also choose to keep your computer on and schedule scans in the off-hours or during the weekend.

Start the initial Identity Finder scan as soon as the software is available in your department.

UMass recommends that scans be scheduled at least quarterly, at a time of your convenience. Some departments may require more frequent scans. In departments where computers are centrally managed, Identity Finder scans will be scheduled automatically for your primary University-owned computer. You may only be responsible for scanning additional University-owned devices.

Yes, you can.  Open Identity Finder by opening the start menu and locating Identity Finder.  Upon starting, there will be a ‘Start’ button on the top left side of the screen.  Clicking this button will scan your computer for any sensitive information and provide you with a report of all items found.

All sensitive data is important. If you have questions about the results of an Identity Finder scan:

1. Using the University’s data classification, classify your results. If you have questions about how to classify individual results, see our Understand Sensitive Data at UMass article or contact your supervisor.
2. Secure or remove the restricted and confidential data first.

If your anti-virus software detects a virus while Identity Finder is running, STOP. Do not attempt to remove the virus or shut down your computer. Because this may constitute a data security incident, contact your department’s IT Administrator or Technology Help Services immediately.

Your department’s business requirements will drive which data needs to be retained. Contact your supervisor to determine what sensitive data needs to be secured and what sensitive data can be destroyed.

A file can be shredded by selecting the check box next to the file name and clicking on the shred button on the top ribbon.  Once a file is shredded, it is permanently erased.

You cannot retrieve a file that has been shredded.  It is deleted to Department of Defense standards and is effectively irrecoverable.

No, there is functionally no difference between these two choices.

No, Identity finder policy is applied universally campus-wide.  If there is something not selected here that you believe should be, please contact your local Information Security Officer who will determine with you whether an exception is necessary.

Identity finder has been restricted to search for only the most sensitive data:

• Bank account numbers
• Social Security numbers
• Credit card numbers
• Driver’s License numbers

If you wish to search for any additional values, please see the entry on searching for information that is more specific.

You will also be unable to adjust where Identity Finder searches.  These restrictions are in place to ensure that the client is able to scan the entire hard drive, yet limit it so it does not scan any network drives or plugged in USB devices.

If a setting is unable to be changed, and you have a valid reason for it to be configured by the user, send an email to your Information Security Officer and the IF team will assess your request and get back to you as soon as possible.