# Identity Theft **Domain:** Cybercrime / Financial Crime / Identity Systems **Doc Type:** Canonical Concept Node **Maturity:** Foundational ## Definition **Identity theft** is the unauthorized acquisition or use of another person's identifying information to impersonate them, obtain value, access accounts or commit fraud. ## Continuity Context Identity theft can affect credentials and financial standing without exhausting the broader category of continuity harm described in [[journal/2026-08-21 - Cyber Terrorism Is Terrorism|Cyber Terrorism Is Terrorism]], which also includes archives, relationships, reputation, communications and recovery systems. ## See Also [[wiki/Authentication|Authentication]], [[wiki/Credential Compromise|Credential Compromise]], [[wiki/Information Estate|Information Estate]]