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UK Chip and Pin machines headed to the home
Barclays bank is doling out at least 500,000 Chip and Pin machines (the fancy UK term for credit card reader) for use in the home by its customers. The system is similar to the key fob that PayPal offers to its users, which generates six-digit passwords for use in supplement to the traditional username and password to add a layer of security to your PayPal account. The card readers that Barclays is shipping out generate an eight-digit number for logging onto your online banking account, but first you have to swipe your card and enter your pin number. You're also required to perform the same action for money transfers. This should beef up security considerably for users, and guard people from being compromised fully by phishing attacks, but we're fairly certain your money and identity will never be safe until you bury it all deep in the woods somewhere, later to be discovered by three camping buddies who are soon to become mortal enemies... we'll stop now.
Service with a smile in the Bank and AH
Datto asks an awesome question: which banker do you use? Do you have a loyalty to a specific banker, or do you just always hit up the closest one? Whenever I think of banking, I think of Orgrimmar, and walking a few steps in and to the left to see my man Karus (at least I think it's Karus-- is it wrong of me to never get to know the teller all the times I've visited him?).It's not that I won't bank elsewhere-- when in Undercity, I often visit the Montagues, and if I happen to be in TB, I'll go to them (although, truth be told, I can't ever really remember visiting the bank in TB). On Alliance side, I don't have a specific banker that I go to, but I do like the Stormwind Bank-- it seems so much cleaner than Ironforge's bank. IF seems like a dirty pawn shop to me. Plus, Stormwind's bankers are named "Olivia," "Newton," and "John," so there's that.The same could be asked about auctioneers, and again, on Horde I do about 80% of my AH shopping in Orgrimmar, all with the guy on the left (and I have no idea at all what his name is). There is something to be said, as a few players note, for simply going to the auctioneer that's the least busy-- it's nicer not to have to fight the lines to get a click in. And on Alliance side, there is none other: all of my auctioneer business goes through the lovely Redmuse in Ironforge. She's been running my auctions for me ever since the beginning, and I've seen no reason to change. Every once in a while, IF will run laggy, and I'll be a little irked that she's taking so long to get my auction up, but one look in those eyes and that red hair, and everything's OK again.
Lebedev's 'Superbitus' bomb bank proudly displays your love of war and money
You know how sometimes you come across a new product and wonder why no one had ever thought of it before? Well the latest creation from Art Lebedev Studios -- a single-use, bomb-shaped piggy bank -- is definitely not one of those products. Lebedev, best known for the eternally-delayed Optimus keyboard, the petite Mini Three, and the uncomfortable-looking Mus2 "pointer" mouse, must have decided that what the world really needs now is a way to store its change in a ceramic container modeled after World War II era munitions. The idea here is that you use the included marker to write your savings goal on the outside of the so-called "Superbitus" (or a pinup girl, if you want to keep the meme going); then, after you've accumulated the requisite loot (we assume that you need to tabulate that separately), you're supposed to destroy the bank not with a hammer, but by "dropping the bomb." Yeah, we know, this is probably not the best way to store or spend your hard-earned money, but if you're the type who likes to show off "artsy" trinkets to your friends, this product might be right up your bomb bay alley.[Via Chip Chick]
Chip & PIN Tetris hackers can steal credit card info, too
Hacking into sensitive machines and playing brain games on them certainly isn't new -- and a pair of researchers at Cambridge have already done just that on a "tamper-proof chip-and-PIN payment terminal," -- but in a recent (and more serious) development, they've extended the exploit to demonstrate how they can "compromise the system by relaying information between a genuine card and a fake one." Saar Drimer and Steven Murdoch, members of the Cambridge University Computer Laboratory, have not only played Tetris on a banking machine, but have devised a scenario where a terminal is actually connected to a thief's laptop (instead of a bank, for instance), thus passing through crucial information without throwing a red flag to the now-screwed customer. Through a series of RFID, WiFi, and SMS connections, the duo even explains how something so simple could be used to steal thousands of dollars in diamonds and jewelry if working with a trained crew. Still, it's noted that this kind of stunt would be "difficult to execute in practice," and of course, whoever tries it runs the risk of being imprisoned for quite some time, but if you're interested in an eerily detailed description of just how beautiful you life can become if you actually pull this off, the read link demands your attention.
Biometric ATMs coming to rural India
Considering all the ATM hacking that's been going on of late, it's not all that surprising to see those "uber-secure" fingerprint readers hitting mini-banks in Japan and Columbia, and now a pilot program is getting set to install 15 biometric ATMs at "village kiosks in five districts across southern India." The fingerprint-reading machines are expected to serve around 100,000 workers, primarily farmers and other laborers, who will finally be able to withdraw funds directly from a machine rather than suffering through the corrupt hand-me-down process that often steals money away from already poor workers. AGS Infotech, who is supplying the first batch of systems for the trial, is interested in seeing if the system actually works out, as many villagers have trouble interacting with any type of computing interface, and because many villages have their own dialects, making a UI that can communicate to everyone is difficult. Of course, there are individuals who suggest that these systems will only incite crime, as thieves look to new methods (read: hacking a thumb or two) to extract funds, but proponents of the system say that this is no different than armed criminals forcing someone to give up their PIN number at gunpoint. Nevertheless, the trial is slated to start soon, and there's quite a few outsiders watching intently to gauge its eventual success or failure, as analysts predict that "over 100,000 ATMs" could be necessary to handle India's booming economy in the next few years.
Cingular readying mobile banking for '07
Cingular would like its customers to manage what little money they don't give their carrier every month with their phones. That's the latest coming out of Cingular's Atlanta HQ, announcing that it's in talks with several unnamed banks to allow customers to "view account balances, transfer funds and pay bills" on its handsets. The system will make use of a downloadable app under development by a third party; whether this all has anything to do with a Citibank-run trial in New York City to make payments using Cingular phones, we're not sure -- but either way, we figure carriers are looking for novel ways into your wallet here.[Thanks, Arun J.]Read - ReutersRead - Citibank trial
ATM hack uncovered, financial freedom abounds?
You're probably familiar with the Virginia Beach trickster who reprogrammed an ATM to shoot out 300% more money than was debited from his account, but now it seems his "discovery" might have been widely available all along. Dave Goldsmith, a computer security researcher at Matasano Security, began to dig a little deeper once the news broke, and thanks to the oh-so-disclosing CNN video, secured the machine's model and maker: a Tranax Mini Bank 1500 series. Reportedly, he then acquired a (legal) copy of the ATM's user's manual, which conveniently spelled out "how to enter the diagnostic mode, default passwords, and default combinations for the safe." Once the cash-spewing gizmo is in "Operator" mode, the only thing standing between you and illegitimate funding (aside from your conscience) is a password, and since default passwords are plainly listed in the manual, it's up to the installation crew to actually insert a more secretive alternative. While we assume Tranax has been hastily sending memos to stores who (currently, at least) use its machines, you'll probably notice the unmodified machines by the insanely long lines preceding them (or a mysterious lack of cash available to disperse).Update: It looks like Tranax Technologies is stepping to the plate and planning a "software update" that forces installers to change the default password before it goes into service. The company has stated that the patch should be ready "in a matter of weeks," but it can't "force operators of currently installed ATMs to install it". [Via Wired Blogs]
WTB: Bag space
In WoW, as with real life, I'm a bit of a hoarder. Give me space and I will fill it with things that might be useful, or perhaps were useful (you never know when you'll need them again). After one or two ill-advised disenchantments, I've started keeping non-replaceable gear around in my bank, and as a druid I have multiple sets of equipment anyway.Of course, I'm also an enchanter and engineer, so I have to store materials and equipment for those professions -- not to mention a vast number of quest items that are collecting dust waiting for me to finish the quest. Non-combat pets, items useful in certain instances, items useful for PvP, Darkmoon Faire tickets... my bank just isn't big enough to hold it all.There are a couple of solutions. Firstly, I can try culling the trash and actually getting rid of some of my quest items, disenchanting equipment I haven't used in weeks, and choosing which of my non-combat pets is my favourite. Secondly, as I have multiple characters (including a bank-only character), I can send the majority of my non-soulbound items to an alt, who can hold on to them or return them in the mail for easier access. I always lose track of who has which items; I used to use the BankItems mod, but I haven't found one that tracks mailboxes yet.The final option is, of course, to get more bagspace. Not easy when all your bags are 16-slotters already; I've recently finished the grind for an Argent Dawn Supply Bag, and I'm also hoping I'll come across an Onyxia Hide Backpack or Panther Hide Sack at some point. The materials for Bottomless Bag are offputting, though -- twelve mooncloth for two bag slots? I think I'll have to manage.
iPod used to steal $100 million (in a movie)
The iPod is being turned into everything from Halloween costumes to stethoscope training tools, and now it apparently is being used to help steal hundreds of millions of dollars - in Hollywood movies, that is (don't worry, this won't be a spoiler).Apparently Harrison Ford uses an iPod to permanently borrow $100 million from his bank in the new Firewall flick. Rick Warner, over at Bloomberg, already critiqued it quite nicely: "I don't doubt that computerized banking is ripe for theft, but the way Ford does it [sic] seems as far-fetched as James Frey's resume."While I think it's great that the iPod and Apple are receiving all this fantastic buzz, I'm having a hard time understanding how silly product placement like this benefits anyone, let alone who instigated it. How far is stuff like this going to go? Are we going to see exploding iPods hurled down hallways to destroy genetically modified monsters in a forthcoming sequel to Doom? Here's hoping Harrison doesn't have to decode an ancient culture's chant with nothing more than his 'trusty' iPod in Indiana Jones 4.[via iLounge]http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000088&sid=a4uL2l7YM5G8&refer=culture
