banking
Latest
IBM develops ZTIC USB stick for secure online banking
Among the goodies making their debut at CeBIT this week, ZTIC (Zone Trusted Information Channel) is a USB stick designed for secure online banking, even on your horribly malware-infected machine. Developed in Zurich by IBM, this guy opens an SSL connection with the bank's servers, keeping the data safely on its side of things (this guy has no storage of its own) and displaying the transaction on the hardware itself. Even if your connection is breached by a "man-in-the-middle" attack, the hacker's funny business will be exposed on the device's display, which comes equipped with a big red "panic" button -- just in case. Pricing and availability for banking institutions has yet to be determined, but we do have a boss video for you after the break.[Via PC World]
The Daily Grind: On MMOs and Alts
Sign in on the auction house mule in World of Warcraft, check mail, and then scan the AH. Log in to EVE Online, pull up the markets, check what's up in Jita. Figure out if you need to make something to sell or use then log in the alts to do the dirty work. For some people, an alt is as simple as having a bank character that you send everything to for selling, or as involved as having a string of alts who can do every single production/tradeskill in your favorite MMO. Personally, I'm one of those folks who has a bank alt on pretty well every MMO account possible and a couple of profession alts purely for the professions I think are fun or interesting. This morning we thought we'd ask you - do you have any of those alts floating around, and if so, what are your alts for?
First Look: Mobile Banking on AT&T
While a lot of us have had internet banking for years, who would have thought that AT&T would have come up with a mobile banking app that lets you check accounts and pay bills for a number of banks through a single iPhone app?Mobile Banking on AT&T (click opens iTunes) from Firethorn Holdings, LLC is exactly that -- an iPhone app that gives you full control over your money at 50 different banks nationwide. While the majority of the banks listed appear to be in the southeast USA, several nationwide banks including Wachovia, SunTrust, and USAA are participating in the program.I was pleased to see that my business bank, FirstBank, with brick and mortar banks in Colorado, Arizona, and California, was one of the companies on the AT&T list. You need to sign up through your bank's secure website, enter your iPhone number, pick a six-digit PIN, then perform an authorization from the device using a code displayed on the website. Once activated, you can see balances, make transfers, and pay ebills.What's your favorite iPhone banking app? Or have you moved all of your funds to a coffee can buried in the back yard? Leave a comment!
CEO of CCP Games addresses EVE's continuity through turbulent times
Recent world events and their impact on global finance threaten to have dramatic consequences on the game industry. While an economic downturn isn't something to be taken lightly, it is unique in comparison with similar problems in the past -- now real world economic issues can potentially ripple into virtual economies, just as they certainly impact the companies who create MMOs and virtual worlds. CCP Games, founded in Reykjavik, Iceland, is a case-in-point. There has been commentary and speculation among EVE Online's playerbase and in the media about how Iceland's economic woes may impact the game. The CEO of CCP Games, Hilmar V. Pétursson, (aka CCP Hellmar) addresses these concerns in his dev blog, "Born Global."
ATM skimmers: now with SMS notification built right in
Aw, how convenient! Now, when you purchase your next ATM skimmer, you don't even have to risk being arrested when you wander out to retrieve it. For those outside of the know, an ATM skimmer sits on credit / debit card machines and swipes information as unsuspecting civilians pass their cards through. In the days of old, scammers would have to physically retrieve the skimmer in order to acquire all that precious information; now, models with built-in SMS notification are becoming available, meaning that numbers, expiration dates and that easy-to-forget three digit code on the back can be shot out instantly after the data is snatched. Word on the street has these devices going for $8,500 a pop, and they can dish out around 2,000 texts. Just another zany hack to be aware of in the wide world of ATM shenanigans.[Via Hack-A-Day]
Making/Money: Conservation of Mass - Part 3
Once more with feeling! Welcome to the third and final (planned) installment of our series on closed-resource economies in MMOs. So far, we've laid the foundation of the system and discussed how starting out, leveling up, and gaining loot could work. Today we will be exploring how crafting professions could still be possible even when the law of Conservation of Mass applies and how banking might function. There's been a lot covered so far so if you haven't already, i recommend reading the first two posts. But since I know that gets into the TLDR length, here's a very quick recap. In order to maintain a constant level of stuff in the game, new items could only generate once old items leave the game. Money would function in the same way, except that it would flow from NPCs to monsters (meaning any monies collected by NPCs would spawn as loot) in order to recirculate. There would need to be additional gold sinks (some of which we will get to in just a minute) and limits on the number of characters per server. Each server would then "age" as the average level of characters on it increased.
Doin' the Moneydance 2008r2
Keeping track of personal finances isn't usually something to dance about, but with the newly released Moneydance 2008r2 for Mac, you might at least do a little happy dance whenever your checking account balance is in the black.Moneydance is a full-featured personal finance manager with online banking and bill payment, budget tracking, scheduling of transactions, and investment management tools. It's perfect for older Macs, requiring only 4.8 MB of hard disk space and a thrifty 128 MB of RAM. The US$39.99 Mac app (upgrade free for existing users) includes a ton of bug fixes and improvements. There's a new popup display of transaction information and splits when you hold down the alt key when hovering over a transaction, plus improved graphs, the ability to store online passwords in the data file (encryption must be enabled), and more. A free trial is available for those who are curious.
Should Blizzard allow us to deposit money in a personal bank?
Ok, I'll be honest. I'm pretty fine with how we handle money now. Sure, back in Everquest, I needed to go deposit my money in my bank, because due to the encumbrance system, if I had kept all my platinum coins on me, I would have been glued to the spot, unable to walk. But in WoW, there's no encumbrance, and our coins take up no inventory space. Still, I've seen a lot of people ask to be able to deposit money in the bank, so, being an equal time type of guy, I thought I'd sit back and try to figure out what the advantages would be.
Canadian bank hands out free Eee PCs
It used to be if you signed up for a new checking account, a bank might throw off a toaster, alarm clock, or in extreme modern cases, a 1GB iPod shuffle. Well times, they are a'changing, and boy do we wish we lived in Canada right now. Up north, RBC Royal Bank is offering a free ASUS Eee PC when you switch to their checking account service. That's right, you get an actual computer after completing the move (and dealing with a lot of red tape). Sure, it's only the 7-inch, 2GB version, but it still runs Xandros way better than this solar calculator we got from our bank.[Thanks, Matt]
Making/Money: The Wisdom of MMO Banking
Does it seem strange to save up to buy a house in a game? We are in an era where the real world economies of some nations are paralyzed by debts incurred from home purchases. Yet in games where there is player housing there is a surprising lack of player debt. MMOGs offer a simplified financial system seemingly impervious to the ills of modern society. What could we as a gaming society learn about real-world finance and money management from the way we act in game?
[1.Local]: A look at WoW Insider comments this week
WoW Insider serves up a smattering of reader comments from the past week, from the sublime to the ridiculous.Readers picked some fairly off-beat topics to wax loquacious about this week. Join [1.Local] as we chew the fat over those conspiratorial, Horde-centric folks at Blizzard ... the controversy (or non-controversy?) of Arena point selling ... the virtues of dedicated banker characters ... and what we thought was a really interesting idea for PvP-oriented crafting.As always, be sure to dive into the comments area and add your own thoughts – unlike your mama, we like us some hot, fresh backtalk. Employee-only bronze orc and wolf statue on eBayWe thought we were the only ones constantly accused of being Horde-centric – but it looks like Blizzard gets their fair share of finger-pointing, too, from readers like Gror: "Anyone else think that this is more proof that Blizz favours the Horde? They got a 12-foot statue made of an Orc and give all their employees Orc statues. Sickens me! This game for a long time has been Horde-biased! So hordeinsider.com, your mission will soon be completed." Bwahahaha.
Bank declines Blizzard charges
It seems that keyloggers and phishers are not the only fraudsters infiltrating World of Warcraft. Halifax, a bank in the United Kingdom has ceased processing most transactions with Blizzard Entertainment. This measure was taken in response to increasing numbers of reports fraudulent transactions for WoW services. I had a similar issue with another bank based in the United States. That institution saw my recurring Blizzard charge as suspicious. Once I contacted them to verify my subscriptions my credit card was quickly returned to an active status. In this case, the only fault on Blizzard's is making an astoundingly popular, subscription-based RPG. Do be on the lookout for unexpected transactions from Blizzard Entertainment and be sure to report them to your bank as soon as possible. Representatives from Blizzard Entertainment declined interviews with the Register, which investigated this phenomenon. Do not be surprised if the transaction for your WoW subscription is refused in the near future. Halifax customers can use their credit cards to pay for their WoW subscriptions by making special arrangements with their account services department. If you would like to continue to use your Halifx Visa or Master card, be sure to contact customer support for authentication.
Blinger portable ATM isn't at all relevant, handy
Every so often, a gizmo crosses our path that truly makes us question the thought process of its creator(s). This particular Friday, that gizmo is the Blinger. This so-called "portable ATM" apparently enables users to whip out an oversized, one-trick-pony of a device and instantly send cash for wares, check your current level of fundage, calculate currency conversions and wonder why on earth they haven't invented this thing called "online banking." Oh, wait.[Via InventorSpot]
Economic woes extend to Second Life
Everywhere you look, it seems there's news of some real life business jumping into the virtual world of Second Life. Car companies, HR firms, clothing makers; you name it, it was being sold on the virtual frontier. But, as PRI's Marketplace reported earlier this week, many businesses are having trouble turning their virtual storefronts into real money.Despite the relatively low overhead costs of operating a Second Life business, companies like Starwood Hotels, AOL and Wells Fargo have been leaving their digital outposts in recent months. The problem of marketing to avatars was effectively summarized by reporter Janet Babin as "too many 7-foot-tall winged creatures flying around with no need for American Apparel's cotton T-shirts."Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal is covering a Second Life banking scandal that could rival the sub-prime mortgage crisis for SL citizens. It seems some questionable banking schemes has led Linden Labs to shut down over a dozen virtual banks, causing a run on funds over the past few weeks. Makes us glad we kept our Linden Dollars under the virtual mattress.Read - Business exodus on MarketplaceRead - Banking scandal on Wall Street Journal
Wells Fargo's Stagecoach Island
I'm not kidding when I say this: there is now a banking MMO. Or, at least, a banking virtual world. Stagecoach Island is Wells Fargo's newest attempt at riding the wave of interest in virtual worlds, having once before tried exactly the same thing with a Stagecoach Island in Second Life first, then later in Active Worlds. Apparently they have learned some lessons from the aborted SL build and have made a new go of it.Intriguingly, it's all about learning how to manage your money, which is something no other MMO can boast. From the site: "You can earn virtual money by visiting the Learning Lounge - a virtual Wells Fargo ATM - and answering questions about money management. Money in your savings account earns 5% daily interest when you are logged in and 3% when you are logged off. Shopping, building (coming soon) and some of the activities require you to spend Stagecoach Island dollars and these can only be used while playing the game."I'm gonna give this a shot, even though I know I'll be completely bored with my avatar -- any game where I can't be a lycanthrope/shapeshifter has at least one strike against it. I'll send along reports once I've earned enough scratch to start my own genetic engineering company.[Via product-reviews.net]
VeriSign set to offer one-time use passwords on bank cards
VeriSign has already teamed up with PayPal to offer one-time use passwords on key fobs, but it looks like it's now found a way to make that additional layer of protection even more portable, partnering with Innovative Card Technologies Inc. to squeeze the disposable digits onto standard size bank cards. Apparently, you'll get a new password after each transaction you make online (displayed by pushing a button on the back of the card), making it theoretically impossible for anyone without the card to access your account, even if they somehow manage to get a hold of your regular password. While it's not clear when the cards will actually be put into use, VeriSign is promising to make an announcement about a "major bank" set to use the cards sometime this month.
London hit by malware-infected USB ruse
Joining the infamous Chip & PIN terminal hacks as yet another way to siphon banking details from unlucky Londoners, a group of "malware purveyors" reportedly dropped off tempting Trojan-infused USB drives in a UK parking lot in hopes that unsuspecting individuals would take the bait and subsequently hand over their banking credentials. Supposedly, Check Point regional director Nick Lowe mentioned the wile at the Infosec trade show, but couldn't elaborate due to the ongoing investigation. Another insight suggested that such chicanery was becoming "the new phishing email," but hey, where's the love for those oh-so-vulnerable ATMs? Take note, dear Brits, that the free storage you're eying on the park bench could end up costing you quite a bit in the long run.
Gemalto intros USB smart card to curb phishing
The long, long list of uber-secure USB flash drives continues to grow as paranoid data carriers attempt to protect their lab reports and award-winning recipe books, but Gemalto has a slightly different kind of security in mind with its latest USB smart cards. The forthcoming keys will function much like the Mighty Key already does, as it offers up phishing protection by requiring that users have the USB stick plugged into their computer before being able to access files, online banking accounts, or your secret stash of 90's anime. While the company already provides such security measures for governmental / enterprise agencies, the Network Identity Manager is purportedly tailored for the average joe, won't require "any specialized software," and will play nice with standard browsers. Additionally, the system will utilize a token management system and support Verisign's VIP Network Identity federation framework, but won't require users to carry around a perpetually changing key fob as does PayPal. Gemalto hopes to "simplify" user security and curb the growing phishing problems in America, but there's currently no word on when we'll see these protection measures available for sale here in the States.
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.
ATM PINs vulnerable to cracking, Israeli researchers say
Everyone relies on their ATM cards pretty frequently -- after all, there's no better (or, often, more necessary) way to start your evening than with a $40 quickdraw from your favorite local money machine. Well, you may want to think twice (that is, if you're among the paranoid security-minded types) next time you whip out that thin piece of plastic. A group of researchers at Algorithmic Research (ARX), an Israeli security firm, published a paper two weeks ago describing a very serious flaw inherent in most ATMs. Apparently, between the time that you input your PIN and the time that the machine spits out your cash, a dataset containing your PIN and account number is encrypted and decrypted a few times while being routed along the banking network -- and somewhere along that point, it's conceivable that those numbers could be intercepted. MSNBC reports that while no attacks using this method have been detected, the US Secret Service is already on the case, and that while Visa and the American Bankers Association are acknowledging the problem, both are dismissing the hacking scenario as being unlikely. Still, we might consider busting out that money belt sometime soon, getting the USSS on the job means it could be big. [Warning: PDF link][Via MSNBC]
