Monday, May 1, 2017

Swipe That! Credit/Debit Card Hack, The Communists Always Want It All!

Credit/Debit Card Hack, The Communists Always Want It All!
By Nicholas Ashton, CEO/CIO, CommSmart Global Group

Do not just blame the Russians and a Ukrainian for hacking into databases containing credit/debit card information. It was there for the taking, as the
banks and data silos had open doors to let them walk right in!

For over seven years they penetrated computer networks of more than a dozen major American and international corporations, stealing and selling at least 160 million credit and debit card numbers, resulting in losses of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The individuals who purchased the credit and debit card numbers and associated data from the hacking organization resold them through online forums or directly to others known as "cashers," the indictment said. According to the indictment, U.S. credit card numbers sold for about $10 each; Canadian
numbers were $15 and European ones $50.

The credit/debit cards used in the USA are outdated, obsolete and downright open invitation to the hacker!

Yes, we have changed to a chip solution, sadly not all retailers have the correct credit/debit card machines to cope.  If you get hacked through their failure to upgrade, it is a nightmare to get your money back.

4 digit pin numbers are the easiest to crack! If you visit the web, you find a YouTube video to assist you in achieving the end result of theft.

The rest of the world does use Smart credit/debit cards, which are far harder to break into and have so many more security options.

Smart Chip is a credit card technology where cards are embedded with chips and a cardholder must put in their pin or sign for each transaction to be approved. 


With “chip & pin” especially, this is an ultra-secure method that makes it much harder for credit card hackers and fraudsters to steal from consumers since, rather than just stealing the information contained in a card’s magnetic strip, they’d have to know the carrier’s pin number as well. 

The other type of chip card, “chip & signature,” function more like US swipe cards, only they can be used with portable electronic readers that require you to insert the card rather than swipe it, and then sign for it as you would with a regular old swipe card. Although chip & pins are prevalent in Europe, the cards issued in the US with chips tend to be overwhelmingly chip & signature, so you might still have some issues using them at certain merchants, but having a chip at all can be a big help when using cards at ticket machines or other vendors that require a chip of some sort.

Most US cards are just “swipe and sign” cards with a simple magnetic strip
and the verification of signature standing between you and credit card fraud. From time to time, US swipe cards also make it more difficult to charge things while abroad where many merchants use mobile credit card portals where you stick your card into a slot and enter your pin into a keyboard rather than swiping it through a reader. While many merchants, hotels, and restaurants let you use your swipe cards, many, especially in Europe, do not, including some restaurants, hotels and even public transport.

The banks say it is too expensive to change over to the newer technology, say what? Look how much it is costing in money loss, time for the hacked consumer to report and obtain new cards. Millions!

Challenge your bank, as the new technology is smarter than your bankers!


WE are in the NOW and
KEEP YOU; in the KNOW…

www.commsmartglobalgroup.com

Call: +1 (515) 330.6130




Copyright 2017

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