The October Country: EMV Draws Near; Are You Ready? While time does continue to zip along, we’re not always busy…
Tag: credit card security
A “Freak” Attack That May Not Be So Rare; MasterCard Touts Mobile
In the ever-evolving world of payments, it would seem to always be the best of times and, well, not the worst of times, certainly, but let us say the most aware of times, in terms of needing to stay alert to the security challenges in a rapidly changing electronic environment.
On the Menu: More Security
Recently, the National Restaurant Association co-hosted a chat via its Twitterfeed, dealing with issues of payment security. This is of particular concern to NRA members, since many of the most headline-grabbing hacks have come at eateries, like PF Chang’s, Dairy Queen, and other food establishments.
Samsung Moves Into Payments; “Hackers Never Sleep”
The news and changes in payments keep moving along at a clip — well, at a clip almost as fast as the digits who are changing the ways those payments are made. On the very day of this post, Samsung has announced the purchase of LoopPay, a start-up in the world of mobile and NFC — near field communications — payments. As the Wall Street Journal summarizes, “the deal to buy LoopPay Inc. of Burlington, Mass.
Follow Up: Data Leaks and New Government Agencies
As noted in our previous newsletter, no sooner had we posted on our blog last week about the ease with which ID theft can be perpetrated, than news broke of another massive data breach, this one affecting upwards of 80 million or so Anthem Blue Cross customers.
The Science of Super Bowl Spending — and ID Theft
Economics has been called an imperfect science by some of its critics, and differing conclusions about the benefits of the recent Super Bowl to the local economy may show that the field does still lack the precision regularly used by, say, astrophysicists.
A Credit Card Theory of Everything
Quantum physics is suddenly big in pop culture. Black holes and spacetime, for example, are central to both the plots of current films “Interstellar,” and “The Theory of Everything.” In the latter, cosmologist Stephen Hawking spends his life trying to find a single theory to “explain” all of life. Similarly, those mindful of payment card security in an age of proliferating hacks are looking for a single theory — an unassailable, breach-proof idea — to make payments secure and safe for the foreseeable future.
MasterCard Tips, the Final Chapter (Pt. III)
“First there was Heartbleed, then Shellshock, and now Poodle, yet another serious security vulnerability in yet another widely used piece of software that went unnoticed for years.”
MasterCard Tips on Protecting Yourself — Pt. II
Since we last posted, J.P. Morgan and other banks have joined the “honor roll” of institutions which have been hacked, and had information stolen. According to a recent overview of headline-making hacks in the Washington Post, “J.P. Morgan Chase& Co., America’s largest bank, reassured its customers by saying that there was no evidence that account information, such as passwords and Social Security numbers was compromised.” OK, good. What was compromised? “Names, addresses, phone numbers and e-mail addresses of account holders were accessed.”
