Demonetisation: Micro-ATMs, POS asked to guard against cyber attacks
With the usage of micro-ATMs and POS counters witnessing a sharp surge post demonetisation, the country's premier cyber security agency CERT-In has cautioned customers, bankers and traders against skimming and malware attacks on these systems and asked them to adopt high-end encryption to plug possible breaches.
The CERT-In, nodal agency to combat hacking, phishing attacks and to fortify security-related defences of the Indian Internet domain, has issued two specific advisories for micro-Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and Point of Sale (POS) terminals.
The advisory states that as micro-ATMs work with minimal power and connect to central banking servers through a GPRS network, their security features need to be strong and updated to check attempts by hackers who stealthily plan to steal private customer and bank data which leads to loss of their hard earned money by way of hacking or electronic stealing.
"Traditionally, data input into the POS system is in memory in clear text which allows attackers, memory scrapers to be very successful. The way to minimise this risk is by encrypting the card data as soon as possible and keeping it encrypted to the maximum extent throughout its life within the system. Point to Point Encryption (P2PE) could be used to address the issue of encrypting data in memory," the advisory, accessed by PTI, said.
It explains that skimming is the theft of classified credit/debit card data.
ALSO READ: Demonetisation aftermath: No charges on ATM transactions till December 30
"A thief can obtain the victim's credit card number using a small electronic device near the card acceptance slot and store hundreds of victims' credit card numbers," it said.
A social engineering attack can be engineered at these facilities, it added, by gaining trust of the owner as the fraudster poses as a member of staff.
"The fraudster would then ask the customer to check the card for damages. The fraudster would have gained confidence from his prey using various tactics such as offering assistance to the customer who perhaps would have tried to use the ATM without success or perhaps the customer who is not familiar with use of micro ATM machine and requires assistance," it said.
A micro ATM enables the un-banked rural population to access banking services in their villages or towns in a convenient manner and it offers facilities of deposit, withdrawal, funds transfer, balance enquiry and issuance of mini-statement.
The agency has asked the banks and micro ATM operators to exercise some counter-measures to thwart such attacks.
"The micro ATM must not transmit any confidential data unencrypted on the network; it must automatically log out the operator and lock itself after a period of inactivity; keep all the micro ATM software, application, anti-virus regularly updated and educate the customer about basic functionalities and security best practises," the advisory by Computer Emergency Response Team-India (CERT-In) said.
ALSO READ: Demonetisation: RBI to set up task force for recalibration of ATMs
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.
RECOMMENDED STORIES
EPFO Pension Schemes: Early pension, retirement pension, nominee pension and 4 other pension schemes that every private sector employee should know
Gratuity Calculator: Rs 38,000 as last-drawn basic salary, 5 years and 5 months of service; what will be gratuity amount?
SBI 5-Year FD vs MIS: Which can offer higher returns on a Rs 2,00,000 investment over 5 years? See calculations
Senior Citizen Latest FD Rates: Know what major banks like SBI, PNB, Canara Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank are providing on fixed deposits
03:25 PM IST