Security

Trust is the foundation of any good relationship. And this has never been truer, or more vital, than with the relationship between financial services providers (FSP) and their customers. Without the confidence that their financial information is protected, consumers will be less likely to use online services. This will directly impact banks initiatives toward cost reduction and efficiency, a key goal around online services. While the consumer must exercise good judgment in how they dispense their personal information, the onus is on the FSP to provide a secure environment in which the customer can conduct their financial transactions.

The success of multi-factor authentication implementations in addressing security threats and attacks, such as eavesdropping, password guessing, phishing, social engineering, Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) and the like, is well known. This has also challenged hackers and cybercriminals to continue developing new kinds of attacks in their ongoing quest to steal data and identities, and commit fraud. SafeNet is currently experiencing increasing interest from the market for Man-in-the-Browser (MitB) solutions, not only in the European and American online banking markets, but worldwide. Today, the most common type of attack is the Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attack. Basically, a MitM attack takes place when an attacker intercepts communications between two parties, such as a customer and a financial organization, without their knowledge. By doing so, the attacker becomes “the man in the middle.” As a proxy, the MitM can both capture and manipulate the contents of the messages relaying between the two parties without their knowledge.

The losses attributed to financial fraud are alarming. The financial services industry has become a primary target of cyber attacks on a global scale and, in 2009 alone, suffered losses totaling $54 billion - an increase from $48 billion in 2008. Of equally grave concern to financial services institutions is the damage cybercrime can cause to reputation, along with customer churn, both of which can have a significant impact, and possibly devastating, effect to revenue. While all types of cybercrime have been on the rise, there has been a sharp increase in financial fraud resulting from computers infected with malware. Malware typically targets desktop computers and relies on social engineering to induce unsuspecting home users to download and install malicious code on their computers. One of the most dangerous types of malware for online banking and financial services are Man-in-the-Browser attacks. A Man-in-the-Browser attack occurs when malicious code infects an Internet browser. The code modifies actions performed by the computer user and, in some cases, is able to initiate actions independently of the user. When a user logs onto their bank account, using an infected Internet browser is enough to trigger illicit transactions that result in online theft.

Forrester evaluated 10 leading Web content management (WCM) vendors across approximately 115 criteria and found that SDL Tridion continues its leadership in enabling organizations to deliver persuasive customer experiences on publicly facing Web sites. SDL Tridion and fellow Leaders Interwoven and FatWire provide business-user-oriented tools that enable not only the management of content, but targeted delivery, analysis, and optimization of content consumption as well. Strong Performers Open Text and Oracle provide solid WCM solutions that nicely complement (and integrate with) other products in their respective enterprise content management (ECM) suites. Strong Performers Vignette and Day Software offer functionality mostly on par with the Leaders, but fall short in strategy relative to the Leaders. Microsoft ekes in to the Strong Performer category with enhanced WCM functionality in SharePoint. Contenders include IBM, whose basic WCM integrates with its WebSphere Portal, and EMC, which is pursuing a unified content strategy.

Different needs, different technologies The choice ? and therefore debate ? between 'suite' versus 'best of breed' software is as old as enterprise software. Enterprise Content Management (ECM) technologies claim to fulfill all of the content management needs an enterprise may have. In reality, organizations typically need specific technologies for specific business requirements. SDL is a best of breed vendor that provides persuasive Web content management solutions that enable effective communication and interaction with multiple target audiences.