You Have All Been Unanimously Found Guilty of "Innocence"

The lifetime "sentence" handed down for your crime?...

"Don't Type...Swipe!"

Featured Post

Statistics show that the number of unique undetected malicious programs used to steal money from Internet users has been rising exponentially.  What follows is a post I wrote for another day...



April 30,2012: Scottsdale, AZ PIN Debit Blog - Remember back in the "old days" when people used think it was safe to type their credit or debit card numbers into boxes at a website retailers checkout page? I used to laugh (or at least shake my head in disbelief during those days)



I used to remember thinking..."Isn't that the equivalent of writing your credit or debit card number down on a piece of paper and leaving it at the Point of Sale?" (so the cashier could enter it when he/she came back from where he/she was)





Or worse yet, do you remember "the daze" when people were told by their financial institution to "type" their username and password into boxes at said financial institution's online banking site?



What were they thinking? Or were they?



Could you imagine driving or walking up to an ATM to pull out $200 cash and being asked to type in a username and password as opposed to swiping your card and entering your PIN in order to authenticate oneself?  No?   Then why on earth did they ever initially think it would work for online banking authentication?

Meanwhile, statistics such as the ones above (from 2010) graphically illustrated that the jury was no longer out, and we had all been unanimously found guilty of "innocence" (isn't that a nicer word than "naivety")

Remember all those reports we read (red) where consumers believed that it was either the retailers or the banks who were responsible for securing their cardholder data?



Who "earns" your money?  You do right?  So why do you think you are not responsible for keeping it safe?  Put another way, when you "type" your account numbers into browsers amidst all the reports that it is not safe to do so, why did you think you were not responsible for security?



Again, I always laughed (or at least shook my head in disbelief) at those reports.  I remember thinking that if I drove 150 mph without my seat belt on, do I really think the airbag is responsible for my safety and security?  Even though airbags can save lives, the chances of it doing so are reduced the more reckless we are.



Alas, now we know better... (don't we?) There's a new school of thought out there...

At the end of the day, common sense prevailed and we realized that it doesn't make sense to hand over our cardholder data on a silver platter (browser) to the bad guys.



Now we know (don't we?) that a separate machine which encrypts the cardholder data at the maghead so that it never reaches the browser is not an option, but a requirement.  (if we want to keep our money in our pockets)



What's that you say? We haven't quite learned that yet? Your living in the past dude. Remember, it's 2012 now.



The writing was on the wall as far back as 2009 and with statistics like the one's represented above, we will most certainly get there.



Now I am aware of the old saying that "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", but swiping your card and entering your PIN is not a new trick.



Swipe Ubu...Swipe!

Good Dawg!

Remember when people used to Type their Card Numbers Into Boxes on Websites?  What were we Thinking?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Retailers Take a Swipe at 'Swipe Fees' While Internet Retailers Only Wish They Could Pay Them (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• Fraudsters Take Aim at Mobile Banking (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• Chase Urges Customers To Use Less-Secure Type Of Debit Transaction (huffingtonpost.com)


• More on HomeATM's iPhone POS Card Reader: CircleSwipe (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• A PIN for All Reasons - GreenSheet (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• Feature Story: Is Online PIN Debit More Secure? (pindebit.blogspot.com)

You Have All Been Unanimously Found Guilty of "Innocence"

The lifetime "sentence" handed down for your crime?...

"Don't Type...Swipe!"

Featured Post

Statistics show that the number of unique undetected malicious programs used to steal money from Internet users has been rising exponentially.  What follows is a post I wrote for another day...



April 30,2012: Scottsdale, AZ PIN Debit Blog - Remember back in the "old days" when people used think it was safe to type their credit or debit card numbers into boxes at a website retailers checkout page? I used to laugh (or at least shake my head in disbelief during those days)



I used to remember thinking..."Isn't that the equivalent of writing your credit or debit card number down on a piece of paper and leaving it at the Point of Sale?" (so the cashier could enter it when he/she came back from where he/she was)





Or worse yet, do you remember "the daze" when people were told by their financial institution to "type" their username and password into boxes at said financial institution's online banking site?



What were they thinking? Or were they?



Could you imagine driving or walking up to an ATM to pull out $200 cash and being asked to type in a username and password as opposed to swiping your card and entering your PIN in order to authenticate oneself?  No?   Then why on earth did they ever initially think it would work for online banking authentication?

Meanwhile, statistics such as the ones above (from 2010) graphically illustrated that the jury was no longer out, and we had all been unanimously found guilty of "innocence" (isn't that a nicer word than "naivety")

Remember all those reports we read (red) where consumers believed that it was either the retailers or the banks who were responsible for securing their cardholder data?



Who "earns" your money?  You do right?  So why do you think you are not responsible for keeping it safe?  Put another way, when you "type" your account numbers into browsers amidst all the reports that it is not safe to do so, why did you think you were not responsible for security?



Again, I always laughed (or at least shook my head in disbelief) at those reports.  I remember thinking that if I drove 150 mph without my seat belt on, do I really think the airbag is responsible for my safety and security?  Even though airbags can save lives, the chances of it doing so are reduced the more reckless we are.



Alas, now we know better... (don't we?) There's a new school of thought out there...

At the end of the day, common sense prevailed and we realized that it doesn't make sense to hand over our cardholder data on a silver platter (browser) to the bad guys.



Now we know (don't we?) that a separate machine which encrypts the cardholder data at the maghead so that it never reaches the browser is not an option, but a requirement.  (if we want to keep our money in our pockets)



What's that you say? We haven't quite learned that yet? Your living in the past dude. Remember, it's 2012 now.



The writing was on the wall as far back as 2009 and with statistics like the one's represented above, we will most certainly get there.



Now I am aware of the old saying that "You can't teach an old dog new tricks", but swiping your card and entering your PIN is not a new trick.



Swipe Ubu...Swipe!

Good Dawg!

Remember when people used to Type their Card Numbers Into Boxes on Websites?  What were we Thinking?

Related articles by Zemanta

• Retailers Take a Swipe at 'Swipe Fees' While Internet Retailers Only Wish They Could Pay Them (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• Fraudsters Take Aim at Mobile Banking (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• Chase Urges Customers To Use Less-Secure Type Of Debit Transaction (huffingtonpost.com)


• More on HomeATM's iPhone POS Card Reader: CircleSwipe (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• A PIN for All Reasons - GreenSheet (pindebit.blogspot.com)


• Feature Story: Is Online PIN Debit More Secure? (pindebit.blogspot.com)

9th Annual Merchant Survey from e-tailing group

the e-tailing group 9th Annual Merchant Survey: eCommerce is Mission Critical for Retail Today with Investments and Strategies Aligned

An impressive 59% vs. 36% in 2009 are planning to invest somewhat more in e-commerce than they did in 2009 given its essential role for today’s retailers

With a recovering economy and shifting channel priorities, 92% anticipate 2010 Internet revenues to increase over ’09 with significant growth in the 6-15% range; just 8% report a flat or downward trend in their e-commerce business vs. 34% last year.

Merchants are mastering the ropes

In early 2010 e-commerce dynamics put forth a favorable climate for cross-channel optimization. Marketing plans are performing at or above plan for 47% of merchants up from 37% in the prior year while merchandising is moving beyond redesigns towards industry standards and category-centric differentiators.

“Seasoned sellers, emerging retailers and manufacturers are all positioning themselves for growth as the economy rebounds,” observes Lauren Freedman, President of the e-tailing group. “Results of our 9^th Annual Merchant Survey find retailers taking a laser-like focus on performance where results dictate category-centric demands and solid execution sets the tone for incremental revenue.”

The Internet is a proven channel

Merchants must now step up to the plate given the anticipated growth of e-commerce, coupled with retail economic forecasts. Keeping ROI top-of-mind, merchandising and marketing that embraces existing customers while simultaneously wooing prospects will be a pre-requisite for success.

However, conversion remains a proverbial challenge as 56% of respondents report that the conversion rate sweet spot is still 3% or lower, even more than the 48% in that range last year although increased online researching and value pricing may be contributing factors.

Analytics dictate strategic direction

With an emphasis on margin and profitability, where both impact tactical feature selection, the top three impact points where analytics have successfully been leveraged are conversion (52%), search marketing(44%) and cart abandonment (38%) all providing ample opportunities for revenue generation.

Top initiatives for website improvement gain ground

To improve website performance 79% report planning more targeted email, 72% will refine onsite search and 70% will be enhancing onsite merchandising. Beyond these top initiatives the following will also be contributing factors:

• Cross-sells/Up-sells rise 66% vs. 55% with AOV focus


• Merchants move beyond redesign/upgrades (60% vs. 67%) to embrace strategic merchandising


• More than one-half are planning to invest in usability or A/B testing (58%) and/or web analytics (53%) to better guide decision-making


• Customer service (53%) remains an important initiative for over half of the merchants


• Personalization/Customization sees long-awaited attention for 52% vs. 41%


• Outreach efforts gain ground with social networking strategies being planned by 58% and blogs (32%)


• 39% vs. 19% last year are planning expenditures on mobile initiatives


• Added to the list this year – videos (48%) see strong adoption

Retention tactics support key trends

Examining the “top-2” rankings of merchandising and navigational tactics for retaining customers, promotional strategies, site redesigns, onsite search, and email tactics show strong performance and head an expanded list with several new options added this year:

The right stock assortment	48%
A/B, multi-variate or other usability testing	40%
Elevated brand differentiation	36%
Personalized strategies	31%
Editorial content, expert reviews; user-generated content	26%
Rich media	21%

Nuts and bolts merchandising is in place with growth seen in richer tools and testing of social strategies

Ranking of features “very to somewhat valuable” ’10 vs. ’09 shows equal or higher value on most metrics benchmarked as merchants focus on driving conversion and improving their site experiences.

The most valuable features ranking 90%+ are: Keyword Search (98%),Cross-Sells (95%), Seasonal Promotions (95%), Sales or Specials(94%), and Email as a Merchandising Vehicle (94%).

This group of “rich” features in particular continues to gain substantially in value ranking and presence across the board as they truly bridge the virtual nature of online shopping.

• Alternative Views both value ranking (83% vs. 73%) and presence (92% vs. 79%) take major strides supporting customer confidence building


• Zoom also gains in value (74% vs. 69%) and presence (80% vs. 76%) as a universal selling tool


• Video continues to rise in importance (68% vs. 58%) and presence (80% vs. 71%) enhancing experiential selling


• Recently Viewed Personalization rises in value (64% vs. 57%) along with its site presence (74% vs. 61%) in response to consumer and merchant adoption


• Both Color Change and 3D Visualization also show gains with category-centricity the biggest influencer

Although they have yet to significantly impact the bottom-line for e-commerce, social marketing tools are rapidly changing how we gather information, embrace brands and communicate online – and therefore merchants are testing how to utilize these tools for their brand’s best interest.

• Sharing via Social Networking exploded this year with a presence on 87% of sites vs. 45% just one year ago and a value ranking leaping to 63% from 46%


• Blogs and Community Features ride the wave with notable increases in value ranking and presence


• Mobile Applications, a new metric in this year’s survey is already garnering a value rating of 41% with a 56% site presence and we foresee fast-track growth next year

Today or within the next 12 months 91% plan to employ Facebook fan pages, 85% customer reviews and 80% publishing via Twitter making social tools essential for online deployment. Despite early stages of social technology many of these penetration rates or plans to employ are relatively significant.

Merchants are in varied stages of involvement with “mobile” as 23% are evaluating use this year vs. 14% last year with market projections expecting escalated usage in the near term. Limited revenue success to date is reported by 15% vs. 8% last year as early adopter status is seen for mobile pioneers.

Preparing for future success

In conclusion Freedman states, “Merchants must ensure that their e-commerce roadmap is clearly defined yet fluid enough to embrace new opportunities throughout the year. All investments will need to pay off because being proactive in securing the necessary funds to fuel future demands, in hopes of exceeding customer expectations, keeps merchants on the fast track.”

Complete report available to purchase

A comprehensive report that summarizes aggregated findings from this survey is available for purchase.

It is $595 via PayPal or credit card. Those interested may contact Lauren Freedman, by clicking here, emailing LF@e-tailing.com or by phone 773-975-7280.

About the e-tailing group

the e-tailing group, inc. serves as the multi-channel merchant’s eye, bringing a merchant’s sensibility to evolving the multi-channel shopping experience. A Chicago-based consultancy, they provide practical strategic perspectives and actionable merchandising solutions to merchants selling online as well as to enabling technology firms.

Survey Methodology

In the first quarter of 2010, 152 merchants responded to 45 questions related to trends in strategy, merchandising and marketing online. For more background about this research study or for additional information on the e-tailing group, inc. please contact Lauren Freedman at LF@e-tailing.com or visit the e-tailing group website www.e-tailing.com.

9th Annual Merchant Survey from e-tailing group

the e-tailing group 9th Annual Merchant Survey: eCommerce is Mission Critical for Retail Today with Investments and Strategies Aligned

An impressive 59% vs. 36% in 2009 are planning to invest somewhat more in e-commerce than they did in 2009 given its essential role for today’s retailers

With a recovering economy and shifting channel priorities, 92% anticipate 2010 Internet revenues to increase over ’09 with significant growth in the 6-15% range; just 8% report a flat or downward trend in their e-commerce business vs. 34% last year.

Merchants are mastering the ropes

In early 2010 e-commerce dynamics put forth a favorable climate for cross-channel optimization. Marketing plans are performing at or above plan for 47% of merchants up from 37% in the prior year while merchandising is moving beyond redesigns towards industry standards and category-centric differentiators.

“Seasoned sellers, emerging retailers and manufacturers are all positioning themselves for growth as the economy rebounds,” observes Lauren Freedman, President of the e-tailing group. “Results of our 9^th Annual Merchant Survey find retailers taking a laser-like focus on performance where results dictate category-centric demands and solid execution sets the tone for incremental revenue.”

The Internet is a proven channel

Merchants must now step up to the plate given the anticipated growth of e-commerce, coupled with retail economic forecasts. Keeping ROI top-of-mind, merchandising and marketing that embraces existing customers while simultaneously wooing prospects will be a pre-requisite for success.

However, conversion remains a proverbial challenge as 56% of respondents report that the conversion rate sweet spot is still 3% or lower, even more than the 48% in that range last year although increased online researching and value pricing may be contributing factors.

Analytics dictate strategic direction

With an emphasis on margin and profitability, where both impact tactical feature selection, the top three impact points where analytics have successfully been leveraged are conversion (52%), search marketing(44%) and cart abandonment (38%) all providing ample opportunities for revenue generation.

Top initiatives for website improvement gain ground

To improve website performance 79% report planning more targeted email, 72% will refine onsite search and 70% will be enhancing onsite merchandising. Beyond these top initiatives the following will also be contributing factors:

• Cross-sells/Up-sells rise 66% vs. 55% with AOV focus


• Merchants move beyond redesign/upgrades (60% vs. 67%) to embrace strategic merchandising


• More than one-half are planning to invest in usability or A/B testing (58%) and/or web analytics (53%) to better guide decision-making


• Customer service (53%) remains an important initiative for over half of the merchants


• Personalization/Customization sees long-awaited attention for 52% vs. 41%


• Outreach efforts gain ground with social networking strategies being planned by 58% and blogs (32%)


• 39% vs. 19% last year are planning expenditures on mobile initiatives


• Added to the list this year – videos (48%) see strong adoption

Retention tactics support key trends

Examining the “top-2” rankings of merchandising and navigational tactics for retaining customers, promotional strategies, site redesigns, onsite search, and email tactics show strong performance and head an expanded list with several new options added this year:

The right stock assortment	48%
A/B, multi-variate or other usability testing	40%
Elevated brand differentiation	36%
Personalized strategies	31%
Editorial content, expert reviews; user-generated content	26%
Rich media	21%

Nuts and bolts merchandising is in place with growth seen in richer tools and testing of social strategies

Ranking of features “very to somewhat valuable” ’10 vs. ’09 shows equal or higher value on most metrics benchmarked as merchants focus on driving conversion and improving their site experiences.

The most valuable features ranking 90%+ are: Keyword Search (98%),Cross-Sells (95%), Seasonal Promotions (95%), Sales or Specials(94%), and Email as a Merchandising Vehicle (94%).

This group of “rich” features in particular continues to gain substantially in value ranking and presence across the board as they truly bridge the virtual nature of online shopping.

• Alternative Views both value ranking (83% vs. 73%) and presence (92% vs. 79%) take major strides supporting customer confidence building


• Zoom also gains in value (74% vs. 69%) and presence (80% vs. 76%) as a universal selling tool


• Video continues to rise in importance (68% vs. 58%) and presence (80% vs. 71%) enhancing experiential selling


• Recently Viewed Personalization rises in value (64% vs. 57%) along with its site presence (74% vs. 61%) in response to consumer and merchant adoption


• Both Color Change and 3D Visualization also show gains with category-centricity the biggest influencer

Although they have yet to significantly impact the bottom-line for e-commerce, social marketing tools are rapidly changing how we gather information, embrace brands and communicate online – and therefore merchants are testing how to utilize these tools for their brand’s best interest.

• Sharing via Social Networking exploded this year with a presence on 87% of sites vs. 45% just one year ago and a value ranking leaping to 63% from 46%


• Blogs and Community Features ride the wave with notable increases in value ranking and presence


• Mobile Applications, a new metric in this year’s survey is already garnering a value rating of 41% with a 56% site presence and we foresee fast-track growth next year

Today or within the next 12 months 91% plan to employ Facebook fan pages, 85% customer reviews and 80% publishing via Twitter making social tools essential for online deployment. Despite early stages of social technology many of these penetration rates or plans to employ are relatively significant.

Merchants are in varied stages of involvement with “mobile” as 23% are evaluating use this year vs. 14% last year with market projections expecting escalated usage in the near term. Limited revenue success to date is reported by 15% vs. 8% last year as early adopter status is seen for mobile pioneers.

Preparing for future success

In conclusion Freedman states, “Merchants must ensure that their e-commerce roadmap is clearly defined yet fluid enough to embrace new opportunities throughout the year. All investments will need to pay off because being proactive in securing the necessary funds to fuel future demands, in hopes of exceeding customer expectations, keeps merchants on the fast track.”

Complete report available to purchase

A comprehensive report that summarizes aggregated findings from this survey is available for purchase.

It is $595 via PayPal or credit card. Those interested may contact Lauren Freedman, by clicking here, emailing LF@e-tailing.com or by phone 773-975-7280.

About the e-tailing group

the e-tailing group, inc. serves as the multi-channel merchant’s eye, bringing a merchant’s sensibility to evolving the multi-channel shopping experience. A Chicago-based consultancy, they provide practical strategic perspectives and actionable merchandising solutions to merchants selling online as well as to enabling technology firms.

Survey Methodology

In the first quarter of 2010, 152 merchants responded to 45 questions related to trends in strategy, merchandising and marketing online. For more background about this research study or for additional information on the e-tailing group, inc. please contact Lauren Freedman at LF@e-tailing.com or visit the e-tailing group website www.e-tailing.com.

Microsoft's Malware Threat Assessment by Country

Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) is a comprehensive and wide-ranging study of the evolving threat landscape, and addresses such topics as software vulnerability disclosures and exploits, malicious software (malware), and potentially unwanted software.  Volume 8 of the Security Intelligence Report (SIR v8) covers July 2009 through December 2009. It includes data derived from more than 500 million computers worldwide, each running Windows. It also draws data from some of the busiest services on the Internet, such as Windows Live Hotmail and Bing. In this volume, the analysis is from the perspective of the three Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Security Centers in addition to several Microsoft product groups.

Download Volume 8 of the: Security Intelligence Report Key findings summary *Available in 11 languages Threat Assessment by Country ArgentinaAustraliaBrazilCanadaChinaEgyptFranceGermanyIndiaIsraelItalyJapanKoreaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNorwayPeruRussiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSpainTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States Editor's Note: This is an example of Argentina only, to see the threat assessment by county, please follow this link:  http://www.microsoft.com/security/about/sir.aspx The MSRT detected malware on 4.7 out of every 1,000 computers scanned in Argentina during 2H09 (a CCM score of 4.7—up slightly from 4.5 in 1H09 but significantly lower than the average worldwide CCM of 7.0). Figure 102 and Figure 103 list the malware and potentially unwanted software categories and families detected by all Microsoft desktop anti-malware products in Argentina in 2H09. Notes and observations: The threat landscape in Argentina was dominated by malware, which accounted for79.7 percent of all threats detected on infected computers in 2H09. The most common category in Argentina was Worms. It was detected on 26.7 percent of all infected computers in 2H09 and accounted for 6 of the top 25 families. The second-most common category in Argentina was Miscellaneous Trojans, which includes all trojan families that are not classified as downloaders/droppers or backdoors, and accounted for 16.2 percent of all infected computers. Together, Miscellaneous Trojans and Trojan Downloaders & Droppers made up almost a third of all families detected on infected computers in Argentina in 2H09.

Microsoft's Malware Threat Assessment by Country

Microsoft Security Intelligence Report (SIR) is a comprehensive and wide-ranging study of the evolving threat landscape, and addresses such topics as software vulnerability disclosures and exploits, malicious software (malware), and potentially unwanted software.  Volume 8 of the Security Intelligence Report (SIR v8) covers July 2009 through December 2009. It includes data derived from more than 500 million computers worldwide, each running Windows. It also draws data from some of the busiest services on the Internet, such as Windows Live Hotmail and Bing. In this volume, the analysis is from the perspective of the three Microsoft Trustworthy Computing Security Centers in addition to several Microsoft product groups.

Download Volume 8 of the: Security Intelligence Report Key findings summary *Available in 11 languages Threat Assessment by Country ArgentinaAustraliaBrazilCanadaChinaEgyptFranceGermanyIndiaIsraelItalyJapanKoreaMalaysiaMexicoNetherlandsNorwayPeruRussiaSingaporeSouth AfricaSpainTurkeyUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States Editor's Note: This is an example of Argentina only, to see the threat assessment by county, please follow this link:  http://www.microsoft.com/security/about/sir.aspx The MSRT detected malware on 4.7 out of every 1,000 computers scanned in Argentina during 2H09 (a CCM score of 4.7—up slightly from 4.5 in 1H09 but significantly lower than the average worldwide CCM of 7.0). Figure 102 and Figure 103 list the malware and potentially unwanted software categories and families detected by all Microsoft desktop anti-malware products in Argentina in 2H09. Notes and observations: The threat landscape in Argentina was dominated by malware, which accounted for79.7 percent of all threats detected on infected computers in 2H09. The most common category in Argentina was Worms. It was detected on 26.7 percent of all infected computers in 2H09 and accounted for 6 of the top 25 families. The second-most common category in Argentina was Miscellaneous Trojans, which includes all trojan families that are not classified as downloaders/droppers or backdoors, and accounted for 16.2 percent of all infected computers. Together, Miscellaneous Trojans and Trojan Downloaders & Droppers made up almost a third of all families detected on infected computers in Argentina in 2H09.