Identity, Security, Payments, Biometrics, Smart Cards and Authentication News

McAfee questions security of NFC payments

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

McAfee security specialists say contactless payments technology pose a threat to consumers’ financial information, according to Reuters UK.

Mobile devices have little or not security, says Greg Day, an analyst at security specialist McAfee. At least 79% of consumers are using unprotected mobile phone handsets, while 15% are don’t know the security levels, according to a recent poll of 2,000 mobile users in the UK, U.S. and Japan.

“The mobile space is fraudsters’ biggest opportunity for the future, largely because many people still see their phone as a communication device, rather than something that they have to keep secure,” says Day.

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First Data Corporation has partnered up with the Krakow Transportation and Infrastructure Authority and City Parking Group for the introduction of parking meters equipped with contactless payments functionality in the city of Krakow, Poland.

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Albron, an independent caterer in the Netherlands, will offer biometric- and contactless-based payments in its restaurants thanks to a newly signed agreement with pan-European payment processor Equens.

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South Africa’s First National Bank (FNB) has added a new feature to its mobile app that enables users to make peer-to-peer payments via GPS technology.

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There have been a lot of questions circulating around regarding the recent news of Barclays contactless cards and how customers could have their data potentially stolen without even knowing it, according to SC Magazine UK.

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NFC-enabled mobile payments may not have the kind of immediate impact the likes of Google and Isis are hoping for, according to Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) fellow Jack Winters.

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Denizbank, a private bank with 588 branches in Turkey, has joined Turkcell’s Cep-T Cuzdan platform, enabling its customers to make contactless payments with their NFC-enabled handsets.

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