Recent news reports indicate a computer containing confidential information about the helicopter that transports President Barack Obama was breached by a computer in Iran. In January, Heartland Payment Systems, a company that provides credit and debit card, payroll and related processing services to more than 250,000 business locations nationwide, announced it had a data breach that potentially exposed credit card numbers, expiration dates and other data. The Heartland breach includes about 700 Penn State purchasing cards, which are in the process of being replaced. As the nationwide problem of identity theft continues to evolve and grow, Penn State is not immune. Malicious software, downloaded by unsuspecting employees who click on messages containing links to fake greeting cards or other seemingly harmless sites, has compromised computer networks at University Park and other campuses. "We cannot stress enough the importance of not clicking on links in e-mail if you do not know for sure who sent the e-mail to you," said Kathy Kimball, senior director of ITS Security Operations and Services. "The most common of these e-mails state that a friend sent you an e-card, and you need to click on the link to view it. When you click on the link, you're redirected to a Web site that downloads malicious software onto your computer without your knowledge, opening up security breaches that can affect every computer on the network to which your computer is connected."