- Email: [email protected]
New weapon launched in war against hackers
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news Consumer Council, said: “Our research shows that trust is a serious concern for consumers. [These] problems at Barclays further undermine consumer confidence, and until providers such as Barclays address the problems of security, privacy and customer service, E-commerce will not take off.” Testing the software is the biggest problem for online operations. The reliability and security testing of complex Ecommerce or E-banking systems is mostly done ‘in the wild’, on a live website. As banks rush to get online, they can rarely test for worst-case scenarios, with thousands of customers trying to log on at the same time, and numerous hackers and crackers testing the website’s defences. The exception in the UK is Intelligent Finance, the online banking arm of Halifax, which postponed its July launch with one day to go. The bank said it was worried whether its systems could cope with strong demand, although it was rumoured that its technical team discovered a security hole at the last minute.
Company News
X.com pairs with Retail Decisions to combat online fraud Retail Decisions has signed a three year contract with X.com to provide real-time risk management services to ensure the authenticity of credit card transactions through X.com’s website. 4
X.com provides an instant and secure E-mail payment service, integrated with consumer and business financial services. According to PC Data Online, with a customer base of more than 2.6 million, X.com is the largest web-based payment network and the premier financial transaction site. Retail Decisions has more than 10 years experience in credit card risk management in the UK and US. In 1999, the company checked around 1.1 billion card transactions including 52 million “CardNot-Present” transactions for the US and UK telecoms industry. For further information, contact Nick Caunter, Retail Decisions on tel: +44 1483 728700; fax: +44 01483 727900; website: www.redplc. com
Product News
Protecting online merchants from card fraud Online traders in the UK alone suffered card fraud losses in excess of £4 million in 1999, according to the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS). CommerceFraud from Commerce NTI is designed to help the online merchant or Payment Service Provider (PSP) stop Internet fraud by detecting fraudulent buying patterns. Repeated attempts to purchase on the same card number, delivery addresses that differ from the card billing address and the use of anony-
mous E-mail accounts are the parameters that can be set to detect fraud. Limits on the value of transactions made during certain hours of the day and at the weekend when fraud is more likely to occur can be specified, as can blocks on transactions from countries with which the merchant does not wish to trade. Designed to run along side the CommerceLink network for electronic payment processing, the CommerceFraud module is set to play a role in helping merchants to minimize charge-backs levied by banks who will not guarantee payment in ‘cardholder not present’ situations, despite authorizing card transactions. For further information, contact Peter Wilcox, Commence NTI, on tel: +44 252 720 100; fax: +44 1252 720 199: Email: pwilcox@commercenti. com; website: www.commercenti.com.
New weapon launched in war against hackers ClickNet Security Technologies has launched what it says is the next generation of E-business security software in a bid to win the war against hackers. entercept 2.0 protects from inside the firewall, defending businesses against the increasing sophistication of hackers. The software also claims to prevent attacks from happening, protecting the Operating Systems, networking layers and applications. entercept 2.0 works by identifying and
preventing access to critical server resources before any unauthorized transactions occur. Directly shielding the host by evaluating requests to the OS, the software uses a blend of signature and fingerprint techniques, and has been found to stop common attacks such as GetAdmin, Buffer Overflow. ClickNet says that the web server edition of the software offers additional protection for Microsoft Internet Information Server, by using an application shielding technique that offers protection for a web server and its data. For further information, contact: Nicola Rix, ClickNet Software on tel: +44 208 387 5508; E-mail: [email protected].
Thinner fingerprint sensor chip launched for stronger authentication Veridicom Inc. has launched a new solid-state fingerprint sensor chip that features a thinner package and provides higher sensor efficiency. The PRS110BT chip is specifically engineered for designers of portable computer and communications devices and is said to meet crucial industry needs for rugged fingerprint sensor technology that can be easily integrated into spaceconstrained and battery-operated platforms. Veridicom’s chip offers an ultra-thin 1.4 mm package at least 46% thinner that
8/21/00
12:49 PM
Page 4
(Black plate)
news Consumer Council, said: “Our research shows that trust is a serious concern for consumers. [These] problems at Barclays further undermine consumer confidence, and until providers such as Barclays address the problems of security, privacy and customer service, E-commerce will not take off.” Testing the software is the biggest problem for online operations. The reliability and security testing of complex Ecommerce or E-banking systems is mostly done ‘in the wild’, on a live website. As banks rush to get online, they can rarely test for worst-case scenarios, with thousands of customers trying to log on at the same time, and numerous hackers and crackers testing the website’s defences. The exception in the UK is Intelligent Finance, the online banking arm of Halifax, which postponed its July launch with one day to go. The bank said it was worried whether its systems could cope with strong demand, although it was rumoured that its technical team discovered a security hole at the last minute.
Company News
X.com pairs with Retail Decisions to combat online fraud Retail Decisions has signed a three year contract with X.com to provide real-time risk management services to ensure the authenticity of credit card transactions through X.com’s website. 4
X.com provides an instant and secure E-mail payment service, integrated with consumer and business financial services. According to PC Data Online, with a customer base of more than 2.6 million, X.com is the largest web-based payment network and the premier financial transaction site. Retail Decisions has more than 10 years experience in credit card risk management in the UK and US. In 1999, the company checked around 1.1 billion card transactions including 52 million “CardNot-Present” transactions for the US and UK telecoms industry. For further information, contact Nick Caunter, Retail Decisions on tel: +44 1483 728700; fax: +44 01483 727900; website: www.redplc. com
Product News
Protecting online merchants from card fraud Online traders in the UK alone suffered card fraud losses in excess of £4 million in 1999, according to the Association of Payment Clearing Services (APACS). CommerceFraud from Commerce NTI is designed to help the online merchant or Payment Service Provider (PSP) stop Internet fraud by detecting fraudulent buying patterns. Repeated attempts to purchase on the same card number, delivery addresses that differ from the card billing address and the use of anony-
mous E-mail accounts are the parameters that can be set to detect fraud. Limits on the value of transactions made during certain hours of the day and at the weekend when fraud is more likely to occur can be specified, as can blocks on transactions from countries with which the merchant does not wish to trade. Designed to run along side the CommerceLink network for electronic payment processing, the CommerceFraud module is set to play a role in helping merchants to minimize charge-backs levied by banks who will not guarantee payment in ‘cardholder not present’ situations, despite authorizing card transactions. For further information, contact Peter Wilcox, Commence NTI, on tel: +44 252 720 100; fax: +44 1252 720 199: Email: pwilcox@commercenti. com; website: www.commercenti.com.
New weapon launched in war against hackers ClickNet Security Technologies has launched what it says is the next generation of E-business security software in a bid to win the war against hackers. entercept 2.0 protects from inside the firewall, defending businesses against the increasing sophistication of hackers. The software also claims to prevent attacks from happening, protecting the Operating Systems, networking layers and applications. entercept 2.0 works by identifying and
preventing access to critical server resources before any unauthorized transactions occur. Directly shielding the host by evaluating requests to the OS, the software uses a blend of signature and fingerprint techniques, and has been found to stop common attacks such as GetAdmin, Buffer Overflow. ClickNet says that the web server edition of the software offers additional protection for Microsoft Internet Information Server, by using an application shielding technique that offers protection for a web server and its data. For further information, contact: Nicola Rix, ClickNet Software on tel: +44 208 387 5508; E-mail: [email protected].
Thinner fingerprint sensor chip launched for stronger authentication Veridicom Inc. has launched a new solid-state fingerprint sensor chip that features a thinner package and provides higher sensor efficiency. The PRS110BT chip is specifically engineered for designers of portable computer and communications devices and is said to meet crucial industry needs for rugged fingerprint sensor technology that can be easily integrated into spaceconstrained and battery-operated platforms. Veridicom’s chip offers an ultra-thin 1.4 mm package at least 46% thinner that