Banks Must Focus More on Cyber-Risk

DARK READING | April 5, 2017

By Dr. Mike Lloyd, RedSeal CTO

In late 2016, just after the distributed denial-of-service attack on the DNS infrastructure, I sat in my hotel room staring at a cryptic URL error on my laptop after attempting to buy a train ticket, wondering what it meant. Was my credit card compromised? Did I have a ticket? Should I do anything to protect my identity and financial security?

Every day, millions of Americans conduct billions of digital financial transactions with the corner grocery store, online retailers, and banks. We buy things and pay for them; we pay rent, credit card, and utility bills; and we scan smartphone screens at payment readers. Online financial interactions are continuous, intertwined, and essential to everyday life. They are also under ever-more threats from cyberattack. What can be done to defend against the constant barrage of successful exploits?