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Friday, June 20, 2008

Would you go any lengths to protect Customer Data?

If no, why NOT?

With widespread reports of data breaches and frequents postal mails from enterprises to users/customers that their data/accounts/secrets may be compromised, it is high time the industry took steps to ensure that all data is encrypted and safe.

Here is a recent story of a Citibank system being hacked to go on an ATM theft spree in New York City. The comments on the post do claim that it is not possible for anyone to hack in to a system and get pins but is it correct? I am unsure.
Citibank Hack Blamed for Alleged ATM Crime Spree

The dust has not yet settled on the massive TJMaxx breach which has been the worst data breach.

Digital certificates/https, SSL, EV Certificates can ensure Identity and safe transport of information over the wire, but are we SURE that controls exists beyond the url for our data/information? Only time will tell. The PCI-DSS standard is a welcome change in this regard.

As architects and stakeholders, I fervently wish that everyone takes this issue of data security a little more seriously and make it part of the design process upfront and not as an after-thought or a reactive fix. :)

I am quite hopeful that the upcoming OASIS EKMI Standard will provide a decent specification to implement Symmetric Key Management for applications. Even though the charter seems ambitious (management at the applications level), it does provide practical all-round security. We are not talking about an infrastructure to encrypt data across multiple enterprises. If we are able to encrypt and properly manage keys within an enterprise, then majority of the job is well done.

A British Law requires the submission of the encryption keys when law enforcement officers demand. It is called the "Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000" It does not help for an enterprise if the keys are dispersed all around the enterprise or embedded within applications.

Here is an alarming report about how SSNs are vulnerable.
Uses of Social Security Numbers in the Private Sector:
Why SSNs Are Not Appropriate for Authentication


Social Security numbers fall into the category of something one knows. The problem is that one’s SSN is widely known. It’s not all that difficult to obtain if you are a criminal engaged in the types of identity-related fraud that I mentioned earlier.


OUCH!

1 comment:

Heiko said...

You see the "fun" part of this is that in court banks just say "it is impossible to calculate the pin - the user must have given it away" and the judge just says "If the bank tells me so, I have no doubts about it". Even as it has been shown in recent years that weak ciphers with short keys can be broken in a short time.