Tech Talk: ATM malware, debit card fraud, next-gen banking, and more!

• ATM attack alert
• Not-so-merry ATM malware
• Abominable banking malware
• Debit card fraud prevention
• Next-generation banking
• Calling with the gift of cash
• Test driving bank tech
• A Cyber Carol
• Financial services network
• Spam, Scams & Breaches
• Updates, Patches and Alerts
• and on the lighter side...

ATM attack alert
Malware that was deployed via an employee email phishing scam was instrumental in an Eastern European bank ATM hack that resulted in the theft of 28,000 pounds ($34,727) in one night from six ATMs. Cybersecurity firm Positive Technologies details the hack and warns banks that the criminal group behind the attack could be branching out. ATM Marketplace has the details.

Not-so-merry ATM malware
During this busiest shopping season of the year, consumers are frequenting ATMs for quick access to cash. They aren't the only ones. Security firm Trend Micro has discovered a new strain of ATM malware being deployed by criminals that is designed to empty the targeted ATM's safe. PYMNTS.com has the details.

Abominable banking malware
Much like the Abominable Snowman – the Bigfoot-type creature with jagged teeth who wanted to eat Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer – there are mobile banking monsters lurking in the wild, waiting to prey on innocent victims. Researchers at Kaspersky Lab have discovered two such menacing malware creatures targeting mobile banking users with enhanced ransomware features. Computerworld has the details.

Debit card fraud prevention
Addressing fire safety, Benjamin Franklin said "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." The same can be said for protecting our networks from cyber threats and our consumers from card fraud. New York-based technology firm Boloro Global Limited has launched a debit card authentication tool in South Africa designed to prevent fraud before it occurs. PR Newswire has the details.

Next-generation banking
Banking has evolved from traditional branch banking to online and mobile banking to satisfy tech-savvy Millennial consumers. Today, fintech is targeting Generation Z – those born in the mid-1990s to mid-2000s who have never known life without technology and fast, convenient apps like Uber and Snapchat. By 2020, Gen Z, who are already opening banking accounts, getting their first credit cards and taking out loans for college, will account for approximately one-third of the U.S. population. A Russian fintech company has launched a next-generation banking chatbot that will appeal to this next-generation demographic. PYMNTS.com has the details.

Calling with the gift of cash
Today, many families are spread out as careers and other life events prompt friends and relatives to relocate. This holiday season, fintech startup Moneymailme has launched a video calling app to connect with loved ones far away, and it comes with a built-in gift-giving feature. Finextra has the details.

Test driving bank tech
It's the most wonderful time of the year when the latest tech gadgets are at the top of most everyone's wish list. Customers of Lloyds Banking Group will have the opportunity to benefit from the latest technology as the British financial group offers high-tech payments and virtual assistant technology in the coming year. Finextra has the details.

A Cyber Carol
In the timeless Charles Dickens classic "A Christmas Carol," miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by three spirits – the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come – who show him the error of his ways and motivate him to change. Security Week presents a look at the past, present and future of cybersecurity.

Financial services network
Author Dan Simmons wrote "our survival may depend upon our talking to one another." Networking within any industry can provide valuable resources and access to shared data that can be used in myriad ways to cut costs and increase efficiency. Nordic fintech provider FA Solutions has launched a ledger-free Roboblock network to help financial services companies connect and share data. Finextra has the details.

Spams, Scams and Breaches

• Sophos: Businesses paying big for ransomed data
• Finextra: Fraudsters gets five years for online banking fraud
• Security Week: WordPress sites targeted by brute force attacks
• Krebs on Security: Video ad bot nets $3-$5 million for fraudsters
• Security Week: The gift of ransomware protection

Updates, Patches and Alerts...

• US-CERT: Current activity

See what other current hot cyber and technology topics affecting financial institutions BOL users are discussing in the Technology Forum.

On the lighter side...

If the holiday snuck up on you and some last-minute gift ideas are needed, check out these affordable and very cool gifts. Once your holiday shopping is complete, tune into our very own Andy Zavoina's annual tutorial on compliant gift wrapping...and have yourself a Merry Little Christmas.