IRS Tax Scams Remained Major Threat in 2015
The most dangerous piece of software installed on any computer is the browser, as it is the key target of the vast majority of online attacks. In the same way, the phone quickly is becoming one of the more dangerous devices you can own. Phone fraud scams, whether they target businesses or individual users, have become highly […]
Payment Card Protocols Wide Open to Fraud
Researchers have discovered serious security vulnerabilities in a pair of protocols used by software in some point-of-sale terminals, bugs that could lead to easy theft of money from customers or retailers. The vulnerabilities lie in two separate protocols that are used in PoS systems, mainly in Germany, but also in some other European countries. Karsten Nohl, a […]
On the Wire Podcast: James Chappell
Dennis Fisher talks with James Chappell of Digital Shadows about the state of the underground economy, how he goes about his research into the economy, and the evolution of fraud and attacks. Music by Chris Gonsalves and Ken Montigny. Image from Flickr stream of Dean Hochman.
Google Testing New Account Authentication System
Authentication is one of the tougher problems in security, and a lot of companies have thrown a lot of money at it for a long time. Google is one of those companies, and the company is testing a new scheme that allows users to access their accounts without using a password. The system relies on […]
On the Wire Podcast: Wendy Nather
In this episode, the guest is Wendy Nather, research director at the Retail Cyber Intelligence Sharing Center (R-CISC). Dennis and Wendy discuss the challenges of fighting fraud, the biggest security threats facing retailers right now, and the effectiveness of information sharing. Music by Chris Gonsalves and Ken Montigny.
The $1.5 Million Phone Call
Law enforcement agencies, politicians, and security experts often cite cybercrime as perhaps the largest threat to consumers and businesses right now. Finding an accurate estimate of the annual losses from cybercrime is more difficult than finding an honest politician, but certainly it’s in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Indeed, the disruption of botnets or […]
Banks Get Two-Year Grace Period on Moving to TLS 1.1
The group that sets security standards for the payment card industry has decided to delay a requirement that will force payment processors to upgrade to a stronger version of TLS, the standard Web transport encryption protocol. Back in April, the PCI Security Standards Council released a new version of the PCI Data Security Standard, which […]
An Interview With Trae McAbee: On the Front Lines of the Fraud Fight
Trae McAbee has been deeply entrenched in the fight against fraud and cybercrime for more than 10 years. As a former special agent in the United States Secret Service, he worked on electronic crimes, data breach investigations, money laundering, and cyber crime. McAbee is now an independent consultant. He spoke with Dennis Fisher about the […]
FTC Hits LifeLock With $100M Penalty
The Federal Trade Commission many times will allow first-time offending companies to get off relatively easily when they run afoul of consumer-protection laws, often settling with non-financial penalties. But that generosity does not extend to companies that later violate those settlements. LifeLock executives found that out the hard way on Thursday when the FTC handed the company […]