Adobe code signing infrastructure hacked by 'sophisticated threat actors'

Adobe has warned that an internal server with access to its digital certificate code signing infrastructure was hacked by "sophisticated threat actors" engaged in "highly targeted attacks."

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The compromise, which dates back to early July, led to the creation of at least two malicious files that were digitally signed using a valid Adobe certificate, according to Adobe security chief Brad Arkin.

Although only two files were signed, the hack effectively gave the attackers the ability to create malware masquerading as legitimate Adobe software and signals a raising of the stakes in the world of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). Guardtime keyless signatures were not in use, thereby allowing the tampering to go undetected.

Are your adobe products at risk? Read the article to learn more.

Bank of America tests technology to pay with phones

Bank of America Corp is testing a technology that allows a customer to pay at a store register by simply scanning an image with a smartphone, such as Apple Inc's iPhone or Google Inc's Android devices.

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The pilot program is being tested in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the second-largest U.S. bank is headquartered, and marks the latest effort by a financial institution to come out on top in the race to determine how people will pay for things in the future.

In the trial, Bank of America has partnered with Paydiant, a startup that has developed a technology to allow such mobile payments. It doesn't require new phones or hardware for merchants.

Read the article to see how your members can scan QR codes with their phones to make payments.

Mobile tellers take banking by storm

Since taking the reins as chief information officer for Westpac, Clive Whincup has presided over the launch of the bank’s first iPad application; a trial to turn Android smartphones into contactless payment devices; the introduction of an iPad app to replace printed board papers; a 1000 iPad pilot for bank executives; and a St George innovation that allows payments to be made from a smartphone using only the recipient’s mobile number.

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It’s a fast-moving area: Whincup has been in the role for only nine months.

Payments analyst Edgar Dunn & Co predicts there could be 250 million mobile banking transactions each year in Australia by 2015.

Is your CU ready for the mobile teller phenomenom? Read the article to find out.

eSignatures go Keyless in the Cloud

It has been 12 years since the United States passed a law to facilitate the use of electronic records and electronic signatures.

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Called the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN), its general intent in black and white is quoted in the very first section of the legislation; that a contract or signature “may not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form.”

eSignatures save a lot of waste. No need to get into a car and drive paper documents to your attorney’s office for a real estate contract or to a bank to settle a mortgage application.

Does your CU use online digital signatures? Read the article to see how Avanza Bank asked Scrive to produce a bullet-proof e-signing service, whereby many stringent conditions would be met.

Why No NFC in the iPhone Hurts Banks More Than Apple

It took almost two decades for credit card payments (followed by debit cards) to become globally ubiquitous, so it might be reasonable to think that a paradigm shift at the POS will take years to become mainstream.

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Why would you spend money deploying expensive NFC-enabled (Near Field Communication) POS terminals unless consumers were going to use them, right? Is this why Apple chose to snub NFC technology in its latest iPhone?

In normal circumstances, if there were no competition, this would make good business sense.

Read the article to see how this could affect your CU.

Cybercrooks target credit union, bank employees

Local credit unions and small banks are being warned by the FBI that their employees may be the latest targets of cybercrooks.

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A new FBI fraud alert warns that these crooks are aggressively trying to steal login details of these employees with the goal of illegally wiring themselves hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Fraudsters obtain the logins through phishing and spam e-mails before installing keystroke loggers and remote access Trojans on their computer, gaining complete access to internal networks and logins to third party systems.

Read the article to see if your CU is at risk to these types of threats.

Firewall vs. IPS: Will next-generation firewalls nix stand-alone IPS?

Firewall vendors are in the business of providing network security, and as network security challenges evolve, so must firewalls.

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As a part of this natural evolution, the firewall security engine has integrated intrusion prevention system (IPS) and other deep-packet inspection capabilities.

Many experts expect this general trend to continue as firewall vendors pack more security intelligence features into their devices, taking advantage of the strategic positioning that firewalls hold in customers' networks. The end result of this development could be a security gateway that is capable of monitoring the entire network.

What will your next perimeter protection invoice include? Read the article to see how IPS technologies stack up against traditional firewall technologies - in a single NextGen Firewall offering.

How Credit Unions Can Safely Embrace Bring-Your-Own-Device

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) programs, which allow employees to use their own smartphones and tablets in the work environment, are significantly changing information technology.

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Credit unions and other financial service firms are among the organizations embracing BYOD, as it allows senior executives and employees to use for work and pleasure the mobile devices, service providers and operating platforms of their choice.

IT research firm Gartner Inc. predicts that by 2013, 80% of businesses will support a workforce using tablets, and by 2014, 90% of organizations will support corporate applications on personal devices.

To learn more about BYOD considerations, prohibitions, and partnering, read the full article.

Good Technology debuts new BYOD services for speedier migrations

Good Technology is rolling out two new services designed to deal with the prevalent BYOD (bring your own device) issue, but the motivation behind the solutions might be more telling.

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Essentially, Good learned that customers such as Nationwide Insurance, UBS and Franklin Templeton wanted help accelerating their moves from BlackBerry to devices like iPhones, iPad and Android.

According to Good, many were originally planning for 3-year transitions, but later speeded that up to six months given the rocky future of Research In Motion.

What's your CU's mobile strategy? Are you migrating more quickly than originally planned? Read the article to see how Good could help with your migration.

Gartner: Cloud to grow 20% this year to $109B market

The cloud computing market will grow almost 20% this year to become a $109 billion industry, research firm Gartner predicts.

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Gartner predicts business process as a service (BPaaS) and software as a service (SaaS) will dominate the market, with infrastructure as a service (IaaS) quickly gaining momentum.

n 2011, the market stood at $91.4 billion and the research firm expects it to grow to $206.6 billion by 2016. Cloud is still only a very small part of the overall IT spending market though. In July, Gartner predicted total IT spending would be $3.6 trillion in 2012.

How much Cloud does your CU use?

The 10 best IT certifications: 2012

When it comes to IT skills and expertise, there are all kinds of “best certification” lists. Pundits are quick to add the safe bets: Cisco’s CCIE (Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert), Red Hat’s RHCE (Red Hat Certified Engineer), and other popular choices.

This isn’t that list.

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Based on years of experience meeting with clients and organizations too numerous to count, this list was built with the idea of cataloging the IT industry’s 10 most practical, in-demand certifications. That’s why I think these are the best; these are the skills clients repeatedly demonstrate they need most. In this list, I justify each selection and the order in which these accreditations are ranked.

MCITP: Enterprise Administrator on Windows Server 2008 tops the list.

Read the article to see the other 9 certifications listed.

For Banks, Digital Currency Poses Threat — and Opportunity

While the digital currency known as Bitcoin does have its obstacles, it can also mean business opportunities for financial institutions.

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The Bitcoin, which is a highly encrypted digital file based on open-source code and is distributed through peer-to-peer networks, lacks centralized issuing authority; thus any savvy techie with the right hardware can "mine" this algorithm-based currency.

On the other hand, it could be a an alternative to currencies being printed at whim and guarded irresponsibly. The software was programmed to create a finite supply to preserve the currency's long-term value, and cryptography would eliminate the need for trusted third parties to store and transfer money.

In any case, as new innovations for managing Bitcoin transactions emerge, financial institutions could have a big role in the movement as well, including payment processing, providing escrow services, facilitating international cash transactions, helping customers exchange their money for Bitcoins, and even issuing Bitcoin loans.

Read up on the Bitcoin system here.