Your source for the latest technology information of interest to community banks across America.
Subscribe to our monthly newsletter and stay on top of the latest technology trends in Hardware, Software, ATMs, Biometrics, Wireless, Online Banking, Marketing, Security, Internet Access and Call Centers.
The HGST Ultrastar C15K600 is one the fastest traditional hard disk drives on the market. It is a 12 Gb/s SAS 15K HDD that comes in capacities of 300, 450 and 600GB in the familiar 2.5" form factor. More importantly, the HGST comes with innovative new media caching technology. This technique writes data to a cache area on the platters to provide persistence to the DRAM cache, thus providing an overall speed boost. The company claims that media caching technology provides a 2.5x performance increase when compared to 3.5" 15K drives, along with 14% faster read performance and a 38% boost in sequential speed.
Toshiba and Dell recently revealed new laptop solutions for businesses. Dell announced that it has updated two Vostro 3000 productivity notebooks, the Vostro 14 3000 Series and the Vostro 15 3000 Series - both now support the latest Intel "Broadwell" processors. The Vostro 14 has a battery that lasts up to 9 hours on a single charge, and the Vostro 15's battery promises up to just under 9 hours. The starting price for both the Vostro 14 and 15 is $349. Meanwhile, the Toshiba Portégé R30 includes a fourth-generation Intel processor ranging from the Core i3-4000M to the Core i7-4610M, a built-in DVD drive, up to 16 GB of DDR3L memory and options for a 1 TB hybrid drive or a 512 GB SSD. There is also a fingerprint scanner and a Trusted Platform Model for extra security. This laptop has a starting price of $829.
|
Hardware Section Sponsored by
MVi |
Software Updates
Microsoft announced a new feature called Device Guard that prevents unauthorized or malicious code from executing on a Windows system. It uses technology embedded at the hardware level, combined with virtualization, to separate the decision-making process from the Windows operating system. Device Guard can be configured to simply allow all applications signed by a specific trusted vendor, or IT organizations can authorize each individual signed app. The goal is to configure the system so that only the applications pre-approved to execute will be allowed to run on a system protected with Device Guard.
Qualys has added a new feature, called virtual patching, to their newly released version 2 of their Web Application Firewall. The firewall serves as a proxy, examining all incoming traffic, looking for malicious code that could take advantage of software defects, application framework flaws, Web server bugs, or improper configurations. The virtual patching capability is an additional control measure, one that allows the administrator to set up blocking rules around a specific application. If a potential vulnerability is found, the administrator is notified through a Web-based console. There, an option is presented to apply a virtual patch to the trouble spot, meaning that traffic going to that part of the application will be inspected to ensure that the vulnerability is not being exploited.
SecureAPlus is Application Whitelisting Software combined with an Anti-Virus solution. The company says that with their complimentary system only your trusted applications can run at any time and that they use more than 10 anti-virus engines to scan your files in the cloud.
|
Software Section Sponsored by
Raddon Financial Group (RFG) |
For the eighth consecutive year, costs have risen for ATM users going outside of their FI's ATM network. Bankrate.com says that the average total cost (surcharge fees plus foreign fees) was $4.35 per transaction in 2014. They found both surcharge and foreign (aka out-of-network) fees to be on the rise. Many consumers are frustrated by these fees, so in response some FIs offer a fee reimbursement program. Meanwhile others have chosen to deliver surcharge-free access to their cardholders either via ATM branding partnerships or surcharge-free network customerships.
Datablink is a provider of authentication and transaction signing solutions through their Mobile 200 app. The app is designed to prevent unauthorized access and fraudulent transactions stemming from threats such as pilfered PINs/passwords and social engineering attacks. Datablink Mobile 200 lets consumers use their smartphone to create a secure out-of-band connection with the back end of a financial institution and confirm their identity and transactions. Brazil's Banco24Horas interbank network has implemented the Datablink Management API to allow cardholders to use the Datablink 200 mobile app to enhance security for ATM transactions.
|
ATMs/Kiosks Sponsored by
Heritage Industries |
According to a 451 Research survey, although the mobile payments market is growing overall, Apple Pay is responsible for most of that growth. While interest in mobile payments is up 6 percent from a year ago, only 11 percent of respondents indicated they were very likely to use a service such as Apple Pay and just 14 percent said they were somewhat likely. The survey found 34 percent of iPhone owners were in favor of mobile payments, compared to 16 percent of Android users, 13 percent of Blackberry users, and just 5 percent of Windows Phone users.
Google is placing its consumer funds-on-deposit into FDIC-protected bank accounts, one of several changes Google is making in an attempt to make their wallet into a trusted banking product. In this FDIC insurance example, the funds at issue are monies left within the Wallet Balance, which can be used for person-to-person payments or to make purchases from Google-owned properties. The search giant has also reached an agreement with AT&T, Verizon Wireless, and T-Mobile to pre-install Google Wallet on the Android phones they sell.
WAUSAU Financial Systems has introduced its new Commercial Mobile Remote Deposit Capture (RDC) solution that they say is a configurable platform that allows businesses to capture deposits and payments and associated documentation such as invoices or agreements through their mobile devices. Many commercial mobile RDC implementations currently simply use consumer mobile RDC platforms with higher deposit limits. WAUSAU says that their system is more powerful than consumer RDC platforms in that it allows businesses to efficiently streamline their processes, and integrate to their accounts receivables for easy updating.
Resilient Systems has come out with a new software module dubbed Action Module that is an add-on to the company’s main product called Incident Response Platform that supplies corporate networks with workflows, called run books, for security staff to follow in order to perform the appropriate response technologically and legally. Customers can use canned workflows or create their own, and the platform creates an audit trail of what actions are taken in response to incidents so organizations can demonstrate to regulators what steps they took. Action Module supports scripts, so if for example a policy says that when a machine shows signs of infection and malicious behavior its network access should be shut off, Action Module could direct Active Directory to revoke privileges.
As fraudsters become more sophisticated, some security vendors are moving to behavioral science and big data analytics to detect fraud, as they grow beyond signature-based systems and rules-based systems. Solutions such as ThetaRay, BAE's NetReveal and IBM's Watson analyze a wide range of data including network traffic, mobile app traffic, core banking transactions and look for suspicious behavior that could indicate cybersecurity breaches or fraud, using pattern definition, pattern matching, and anomaly detection.
Invincea has added new threat identification and response capabilities to its Advanced Endpoint Protection 5 package. They say that the addition of new sensor technology, which works in concert with its cloud-based cyber genome analysis technology, called Cynomix, enables security teams to identify compromised devices that previously evaded detection. The software now includes granular escalating controls that help IT workers to isolate suspect processes on endpoints. In action, the solution protects the most targeted and vulnerable applications (Web browsers, Java, Flash, PDF readers, Office applications) by running them in a secure virtual container.
Security:
Meeting the Challenges of Attacks, Breaches & Compliance
 |
|
CatchFire Creative - http://catchfirecreative.com
Read Drew Schulthess' comments: https://www.banktt.com/CatchFire.pdf |
 |
 |
|
Easy Solutions - http://www.easysol.net
Read Daniel Ingevaldson's comments: https://www.banktt.com/EasySolutions.pdf |
 |
|
eScope Solutions - http://www.escope.net
Read Dean Marshall's comments: https://www.banktt.com/eScope.pdf |
 |
|
Horsetail Technologies - http://www.horsetailtech.com
Read Mark Berman's comments: https://www.banktt.com/Horsetail.pdf |
 |
|
HyTrust - http://www.hytrust.com
Read Hemma Prafullchandra's comments: https://www.banktt.com/HyTrust.pdf |
 |
|
|
|
Info@Risk - http://www.infoatrisk.com
Read David Trepp's comments: //www.banktt.com/images/LR/Info@risk_sec15.pdf" target="_blank" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(51, 51, 153); font-weight: bold;">https://www.banktt.com/This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |
 |
|
Ingalls Information Security - http://www.iinfosec.com
Read Russell “Rusty” Wilson's comments: https://www.banktt.com/Ingalls.pdf |
 |
 |
 |
|
Hyland Software - http://www.onbase.com
Read Steve Comer's comments: https://www.banktt.com/OnBase.pdf |
 |
|
PhishLabs - http://www.phishlabs.com
Read Stacy Shelley's comments: https://www.banktt.com/PhishLabs.pdf |
 |
 |
|
SilverSky - http://www.silversky.com
Read Andrew Jaquith's comments: https://www.banktt.com/SilverSky.pdf |
 |
 |
As the hosuing market continues to recover, some FIs are getting more creative with loans that address homebuyers’ needs: zero down payments, no private mortgage insurance premiums, plus, for those who qualify, the standard menu from the Federal Housing Administration (3.5 percent minimum down) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (zero down). Plus for customers who need help on closing costs, some programs can lend them an additional $2,000, pushing the loan-to-value ratio beyond 100 percent. Still other lenders help buyers with their expenses by refunding portions of real estate agents’ commissions.
Online Banking/E-Commerce/Website Design
Early Warning, a fraud prevention and risk management company, will use the Authentic software solution from NCR to build a FI-to-FI good funds network to support faster availability of funds. The solution will allow participating FIs a real-time guarantee for check and ACH transactions in credit push and debit models. For the customer, this means faster availability of funds on deposited items, as well as instant notification of items presented for deposit — all based on real-time activity.
Shoreline has introduced full-service EMV bankcard instant issuance for banks. The company, which is owned by Gemalto, said that the all-in-one solution allows users to upgrade or install an EMV-compatible instant issuance program that includes card personalization, procurement, onsite printing and customer support services.
Around 575 million chip cards will be handed out in the U.S. by the end of the year, accounting for about 75 percent of credit cards and 40 percent of debit cards. However, many merchants are not prepared to meet the October deadline when liability for fraudulent transactions will shift away from card-issuing FIs in certain circumstances. Meanwhile, a trade group representing grocers and pharmacies is pushing Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover to push the deadline to 2016 due to backlogged orders for new equipment and potential delays in checkout lines during the holiday season as consumers learn how to use the new cards.
Google provides a Mobile-Friendly Test to check pages or the status of an entire site through the Mobile Usability report. Mobile friendly sites will become increasingly more important as Google announced that its mobile searches will label sites as mobile-friendly, and also use it as a determining factor in ranking results. For now, the new process only will work on Android devices. Almost one fifth of Americans rely to some degree on a smartphone for accessing online services and information.
Anonymous proxies are increasingly being used to launch DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks. A year ago, fewer than 5 percent of DDOS attacks came through anonymous proxies, while now that number is close to 20 percent, according to researchers at Incapsula. Of those, nearly 45 percent came from the TOR network of anonymous routers, and, of those, 60 percent used the TOR Hammer DoS tool. The attackers configure the anonymous proxies to forward a small amount of traffic which can add up to enough to take down an application.
Convergys and Nexidia have entered into a partnership that combines Convergys' customer experience analytics expertise with Nexidia's speech analytics technology. Convergys Analytics will use Nexidia's Interaction Analytics technology to allow its clients to gain access to unstructured caller feedback found in spoken conversations between contact center agents and callers. Convergys' analysts will use the data to uncover, explore, and recommend corrective action to help resolve callers' underlying business issues impacting their experience.
Info@Risk