Безопасность мобильного банкинга — надежные финансовые операции в пути
Безопасность в пути: как пользоваться мобильным банком без опасений
Узнайте, как безопасно использовать мобильный банк. Советы по безопасности устройства, установке приложений и работе в сети помогут вам без проблем совершать финансовые операции.
Mobile banking is a specialized form of electronic banking that allows customers to conduct banking transactions using mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Despite its great popularity, many users do not trust the security of mobile banking. However, by following a few simple rules of conduct, you can conduct financial transactions on the road without fearing for your safety.
Today, more than half of all financial transactions are carried out via specialized apps on mobile devices, and this trend is constantly growing. Mobile banking apps often offer additional features, such as scanning banknotes with a camera or push notifications about transactions. According to a recent study by the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, the most advanced banking apps in Switzerland contain more than a hundred different functions. Here, too, the trend is growing.
Although few customers use the app’s sometimes vast array of features, traditional banking transactions such as paying bills, checking account balances, or checking incoming payments are used frequently and with pleasure. However, despite their popularity, many users are unsure whether mobile banking is as secure as traditional e-banking. However, a closer look quickly reveals that it is not so much the app but the use of the mobile device itself that can lead to potential security breaches. A few simple steps can make a decisive contribution to the safe and convenient use of mobile banking apps.
Index
Security with a banking app
Mobile devices take up little space, are convenient and are almost always with you. In addition to these obvious advantages, smartphones and tablets also have security advantages over traditional computers. Because mobile banking involves the financial institution installing software on the user’s device – the mobile banking app – and banking through it, important security features are also integrated directly into the app.
For example, the connection to the financial institution is established via an app, so unlike traditional e-banking, the bank address does not need to be typed into the browser. This saves the user from unpopular tasks, such as checking the secure connection. Compared to browser-based remote banking, this is a decisive advantage in terms of security, as it makes phishing attacks much more difficult. This is usually done by using fake bank websites, which bank customers are directed to, for example, via email, SMS or text messages. This is not possible with a mobile banking app, as it is programmed to connect exclusively to the relevant bank.
In addition, the security mechanisms built into the mobile device can be used optimally. For example, logging into a banking application can be done using biometric methods such as fingerprints or facial recognition. This is convenient for end customers and safe if these methods are used correctly. This only requires one device — a smartphone or tablet, while logging in using two-factor authentication in traditional e-banking usually requires a second device (nowadays, this is usually a smartphone) in addition to a computer.
However, these benefits only apply if you use your mobile device safely, that is, if you follow certain rules of conduct.
Protect your mobile device
First and foremost, it is necessary to minimize the general security risks when using a mobile device. This includes enabling automatic screen locking with a PIN, password, fingerprint or facial recognition, timely installation of operating system and application updates, and in the case of Android-based devices, installing an antivirus application.
The rule of caution applies especially to smartphones and tablets: Do not leave the device unattended, do not share your login details with anyone, and always enter them discreetly. As with a PC, the following rule also applies here: do not click on unfamiliar links and immediately delete messages from unknown senders. Keep in mind that links to fake banking sites or malware can also be distributed via text messages such as SMS, WhatsApp or Snapchat. So check first, then print.
Particular attention should be paid to eSIM offers. The electronic alternative to physical SIM cards is considered more susceptible to counterfeiting, so using the latter is usually more advisable.
Banking Apps: It All Depends on the Origin
Once your mobile device has the basic protection, you should pay attention to the apps installed on it. Make sure they are from the appropriate official store, i.e. Apple App Store, Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store. Be wary of apps with a bad reputation and recommendations from strangers. Before installing an app, find out about its provider. All the precautions will be useless if you install an app from a fraudster and not from your bank.
When first launched, a newly installed app often requests certain access rights, such as to the camera, location, or contact list. Many apps grant themselves broad rights for no apparent reason. Therefore, you should carefully check whether these rights are really necessary for the functionality to be implemented, and if possible, disable access rights that are not required.
Also, install only those apps that you really need, and check from time to time what apps you are still using. Remove outdated and no longer needed apps — every additional app is a potential security vulnerability.
Be careful with free wireless LANs and when abroad
Your mobile device can connect to the Internet and, therefore, to your financial institution in a variety of ways. If you use a WiFi or WLAN connection while traveling, you need to ensure its privacy. Unscrupulous providers can, for example, redirect your banking application to the wrong server or intercept the access data you enter.
Free WiFi networks should be used with caution, for example at the airport, in hotel lobbies or in restaurants. When using such networks, critical applications, in particular financial transactions, should be avoided. If necessary, you can protect your connection to the bank with a VPN (VPN = virtual private network) application. Such applications are offered by different manufacturers at different rates.
If you use the data roaming option via your provider’s mobile network abroad instead of a WLAN connection, a VPN app will also provide additional protection. However, keep in mind that this may incur double charges — for roaming and for the VPN.
When a device goes missing…
Smartphones and tablets often have multiple owners during their lifetime. Used devices are sold, given away, and sometimes even lost or stolen. If your mobile device falls into the wrong hands, the files or access data stored on it can be accessed and misused.
Lost or stolen devices can be remotely locked using special apps that will delete personal data on the device. If the device is locked, the SIM card must be blocked by the carrier. The SIM card should also be removed if the device is given away or disposed of, and the data on the device should be erased by resetting it to factory settings.
Conclusion
Mobile banking apps provide convenience and security for financial transactions on the go, provided they are used correctly. This includes protecting your mobile device with a screen lock and security updates, installing the banking app from the official store, and limiting the app’s permissions. When traveling, the device should only connect to trusted networks or be protected with a VPN app. And if the device is transferred, lost, or disposed of, all data on it should be securely erased.
Автор: Бьорн Нэф, преподаватель кибербезопасности и киберпреступности, группа «Электронный банкинг — но безопасный!» (www.ebas.ch), Люцернский университет прикладных наук и искусств — информационные технологии
Комментарии закрыты.