December 31, 2009
Update covering December 24 - 30, 2009
Welcome to Tech Talk! In this final edition for 2009, Tech Talk Editors Andy Zavoina and John Burnett write about downtime for mobile banking, security prognostications for the coming year, forecasts for cloud computing, and more.
Our selections from this week's tech news:
- Mobile banking outages
- Security concerns for next year
- E-statements may lure malware
- Fraud to get more social
- Win 7 may be worth the effort
- Browser updates delayed
- Which way go the clouds?
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- Cloud hosts to merge
- Hacker admits guilt in breaches
- Malware network defeated
- Hack risks call security
- Air travel: security v. privacy
- News at the cellular level
- and on the lighter side...
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Get the details below.
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Join
John Burnett
in a 2-hour
LIVE Webinar
Wednesday,
January 6th
Overdrafts - New ATM and Debit Card Rules
Even as bankers were finalizing their procedures and testing for compliance with the new January 1 overdraft fees rules, the Fed issued a new Regulation E amendment limiting overdraft fees on ATM and debit card transactions. These new rules, with a July 1, 2010 compliance date, will have a profound effect on the overdraft services of many banks and could require operational and programming changes to ensure compliance with a new opt-in requirement. Join BOL Guru John Burnett as he analyzes the new rule and the steps you will need to take by July 1.
Can't attend?
Order the CD ROM of the program now.
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Payment Card Industry Data Security Policy Template
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On the lighter side ...
We know banks can't participate in a lottery. But that doesn't mean a teller won't take advantage of a lottery winner. See what we mean at YouTube.
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Is your m-banking service reliable?
Last week we reported on two BlackBerry service outages that crippled many of the services that BlackBerry users have come to depend upon. Each of the interruptions was several hours long. What are the implications of those outages for your bank's mobile banking service? Consider this article at MyBankTracker.
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2010 security concerns
As we wrap up 2009, there are, of course, predictions on the security issues we will face in 2010. What do we have to prepare our banks and bank customers for? What can we do to prevent problems? Start by getting more insight into the smartphone, antivirus and cloud concerns in this NetworkWorld article.
Will e-statements invite attacks?
Banks are heavy users of PDF-formatted documents, particularly as electronic delivery of statements and other bank documents becomes more widespread. Adobe Reader is ubiquitous free software that can be used to read and print PDF files. McAfee predicts that Adobe software products will become the criminal hacker's preferred targets in 2010. Adobe Reader and Flash (used on many websites in video applications) are likely to be attacked more often than Microsoft's products because of the latter's improved security in recent OS releases. Those and others of McAfee's predictions are discussed in a Networkworld article.
Social nets will lure fraudsters
In the "so what else is new?" department, McAfee also predicts that social networks -- particularly Facebook and Twitter -- will attract more criminal activity next year. David Marcus, McAfee's director of security research and communications, expects heavy attacks on Facebook and other social sites, via both malware and rogue Facebook applications. For details on Marcus's fraud forecast, check out CNET News.
Win 7 impresses IT pros
ChangeWave polled 1,700 corporate IT buyers in the U.S. in November and found that 93 percent are satisfied with Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system. As a result, many companies are actually accelerating their transition to the new OS. If you are still considering Windows 7 or just want more information, read this Computerworld article.
Firefox upgrades delayed
Mozilla had set December 2009 as a target for delivering Firefox 3.6 and forecasted a 2010 release for its planned major face lift (version 4.0). Those dates have slipped a bit. Mozilla is now shooting for a release of version 3.6 in the first quarter of 2010 and the big upgrade to 4.0 in late 2010 or early 2011. CNet News has more on this story.
Cloud watching in 2010
From price cuts to service level agreements (SLAs), security to open standards, what are the developments to be watching for in cloud computing? Networkworld has an article listing "10 big cloud trends for 2010" that will help keep the cloud from raining on your bank's computing needs.
Fewer clouds in this forecast
In spite of the developments forecast in the Networkworld article, cloud computing is still far from maturity. Because initial injections of venture capital will expire while the economy is still recovering in 2010, some experts predict mergers and bankruptcies will reshape the fledgling industry in the coming year. For information on those forecasts, click over to CNET News.
Hacker Gonzalez pleads guilty again
In one of the largest data breach cases ever investigated and prosecuted in the U.S., Albert Gonzalez, a 28-year-old hacker from Miami, pled guilty this week to conspiracy charges in a Boston federal court. The hacker had earlier admitted to similar federal charges in New Jersey. The list of companies hit by Gonzalez and his cohorts includes Heartland Payment Systems, 7-Eleven, Target, Hannaford, TJX, BJ's and Barnes & Noble, and tens of millions of debit and credit card numbers were compromised in their exploits. How much jail time does Gonzalez face? Read Computerworld for the details.
Counterattack brings down botnet
After two years of observing the 250,000 PC-strong Mega-D botnet and working to keep its malware from infecting clients' networks, security firm FireEye went on the offensive in November. Within three days, Mega-D's share of measured email spam levels plummeted from 11.8 percent to less than 0.1 percent. PCWorld has a blow-by-blow description of the FireEye assault on the notorious botnet.
Mobile phone security hacked
Four fifths of the world's mobile phones are a little less secure this week, after German computer scientist Karsten Nohl announced that he and a team of experts had broken the security algorithm used to protect GSM (Global System for Mobile) cellphone communications. The GSM standard is used by mobile phone networks in most of the world, claiming about 80% of all subscribers, including those using the AT&T and T-Mobile networks. A GSM industry spokesperson said it is "a long way from being a practical attack on GSM." For details, go to InformationWeek.
Will flying require full disclosure?
Whether your treks to the airport are for business or pleasure, you are likely to be subjected to more intensive security procedures in the wake of the Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Northwest flight arriving in Detroit. One of the high-tech devices getting a lot of attention from both security experts and civil libertarians is the body scanner, currently in use on an optional basis at only 19 of the 560 U.S. airports with scheduled service. Reuters has an article discussing some of the pros and cons of these revealing devices.
Cellular snippets
Are you tired of hearing about attacks on smartphones, and afraid you could be victimized or lose data? "Lookout" is a new company offering protection and CNet News has the details about them. For the record, we haven't tried it out ourselves.
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