BANKERSONLINE.COM MAIN PAGE
 Print Friendly Version!  Email This Article!  Discuss NOW!
|
May 9, 2008
Update covering May 2 - May 8, 2008
Welcome to Tech Talk! In this edition, BOL Gurus John Burnett and Andy Zavoina write about e-banking, a data drop, an unhappy birthday and more.
|
You'll read about:
- the relative security of mobile banking
- dealing with real-world disasters
- the status of XP and Vista upgrades
- reasons to avoid moving to Vista
- enlisting customers in the war on fraud
- a partnership for web use safety
- four updates scheduled for Patch Tuesday
- Wi-Fi security training from the FBI
- short money for a long list of IDs
- a trove of stolen data in Malaysia
- thirty years of spam
- today's biggest spammer
- an alert for music file-sharers
- tricking out your BlackBerry
- US-CERT's latest vulnerabilities list
Get the details below.
|
Join Susan Orr to learn about the tools used by today's ID thieves and the controls that should be considered as your institution designs its ID Theft Prevention Program.
With new requirements for implementing a written ID Theft Prevention Program looming, and the threat landscape changing so rapidly, it's essential to stay current.
|
Change Your Game with AT&T
Change critical apps at the office to power tools at your fingertips. Change your game. With mobility solutions from AT&T.
For more information please visit att.com/business.
|
What is the safest way to e-bank?
If you read this article you might agree that for now, the safest way to bank online is with your cell phone. Why? There's minimal malware for one. For the pros and cons of e-banking with a cell phone, read what PCWorld has to say.
Is mobile banking for you? Sybase 365 completed a survey and found that 53 percent of U.S. banks plan to launch mobile banking services by 2010. MSN Money has this story.
27% had disaster in last 5 years
Forrester Research Inc. conducted a survey of 250 companies, 27 percent of which reported experiencing a disaster in the last five years. Their disasters weren't just hurricanes or floods. Most were non-natural disasters like power failures. For more on the survey, and how IT can "sell" disaster preparedness to corporate executives, read this story in Networkworld.
Latest on XP and Vista updates
Last week we reported a problem in the Microsoft updates for both Windows XP and Vista. Data loss could have occurred in some circumstances. This week, Microsoft is again making XP SP3 available for download, and Vista automatic updates are also being resumed. CNet News.com has the story. Brian Krebs discusses the pros and cons of installing the XP SP3 update in his Security Fix blog.
Are you unsure if you want SP3? Gregg Keizer wrote an SP3 FAQ that includes information on where to get the stand-alone installer for multiple machines, for Computerworld.
Do you even need Vista?
Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols wrote last week, before Windows XP SP3 and Vista SP1 were re-released, about the two upgrades. He details his experience and says that the XP SP3 upgrade can take hours to finish, but is well worth the time. In fact, the upgrade could mean you won't need to think about going to Vista. Read Steven's comparison of the two operating systems in CIO.
Convincing customers to monitor own accounts
Javelin Strategy and Research conducted a survey and found that bank customers have a real incentive to monitor their accounts and help fight identity theft. On average, it takes 65 days to clear up accounts after identity theft has occurred when the customer discovers the problem. When the bank or another party notifies the customer, it takes 104 days. Read PCWorld for more facts that may help you get your customers online and involved in their own monitoring.
On youthful hackers
“Armed with broadband and lots of unsupervised free time in front of the computer, shielded by the relative anonymity of the Web, they've managed to transform themselves from Those Neighborhood Kids Who Set Fires and Torture Small Animals into international menaces who destroy online communities, damage the reputation and utility of online services, and steal anything worth taking from the Net -- all while mangling the English language as thoroughly as possible.”
-- Andrew Brandt,
"Stupid Hacker Tricks,
Part Two: The Folly of Youth," ComputerWorld
|
Partners for safer surfing
McAfee and Yahoo have partnered to make Yahoo search results safer. Using McAfee's SiteAdvisor technology, Yahoo will flag risky sites. Want to know how it will work? Read the CNet NewsBlog.
Four updates set for Patch Tuesday
Microsoft's monthly advance notice of scheduled updates announced that three of the four patches set for next week are considered "critical." One of the fixes is aimed at problems that have existed since 2005 in Microsoft's Jet Database Engine. Also on this month's target list are weaknesses in MS Word and Publisher. "Important" glitches in the company's anti-malware products will be patched in the fourth update. Get the details in a Computerworld article.
Wi-Fi security training help
If you have been looking for a reproducible article on data security for your road-warrior bankers, we have found it. If your audience's eyes glaze over when you preach Wi-Fi data security problems, here is a non-technical article from the FBI on public network security, along with excellent examples to drive your points home.
Data for sale -- cheap!
Randall Craig, a former U.S. military contractor from Houston, TX, pleaded guilty last week to identity theft. Craig had names and Social Security numbers on 17,000 Marine Reservists. The buyer that he thought was from a foreign government was really an undercover FBI agent. The price of the transaction? A mere $500. Read more at Computerworld.
Server with stolen data uncovered
Security firm Finjan has reportedly uncovered a "drop site" server for stolen and sensitive data. In its report, Finjan said that the server, located in Malaysia, had over 1.4 gigabytes of business and personal data, including patient, bank, and business e-mails, from compromised systems all over the world. Get details of this story in SCMagazineUS.
Spam -- 30 years later
Spam marked its 30th birthday last weekend. Two respected cyber-security firms disagree over whether e-mail is now 95% spam or only 80% to 85%. Our "close enough" estimate is that there's a lot of it, and we are thankful for any filter that strives to protect our in-boxes from the spam that is sent our way. An Information Week article discusses the odds that anything will change.
Serving 60 billion a day
Heard of the Srizbi botnet? It may know about you. It's the largest spammer currently known and is blamed for 50 percent of the spam being sent. There are reportedly 300,000 zombie computers supporting it. Read InfoWorld for more.
Music files strike sour note
Security vendor McAfee reported a surge of phony MP3 files appearing this week on peer-to-peer networks. Instead of music, these bogus files entice users to download adware. McAfee said that it has found the malware on over 300,000 machines. InfoWorld has the story.
Sweet fruit of the BlackBerry
Many of you have BlackBerry smart phones. CIO has an article on how to use a BlackBerry as a modem and the costs of doing so on various carriers (T-Mobile can be the cheapest). There are also links to several stories on using a BlackBerry more efficiently, including tips about keyboard shortcuts, free software, advanced user tricks, extending battery life, and effective Bluetooth use.
Only 12 make latest US-CERT list
The US-CERT Vulnerability Summary for the Week of April 28, 2008, lists 5 High and 7 Medium weaknesses, and no Low security gaps. High severity security faults were listed for IBM DB2, Motorola Surfboard and WordPress 2.5, among others.
Subscribe to Tech Talk and BOL Tech Advisories
|
| In the Banker Store |
 CD ROM Training
Implementing the Red Flag Guidelines |
 Video Training
FACTA: Responding to Identity Theft |
 CD ROM Training
e-Disclosures, ESIGN, UETA and Regulatory Changes |
|
| Archived Articles on Technology and eBanking |
You have access to archived Tech Talk pages and Tech Alerts on BankersOnline's Technology & eBanking Archive page. Plus, you'll find the latest technology and eBanking articles and guru Q&As there, too. You'll find many more related articles in our InfoVault.
|
|
|
