Two-factor authentication -- used to protect online bank accounts with both a password and a computer-generated one-time passcode -- is supposed to be more secure than relying on a single password. But Gartner Research VP Avivah Litan warns that cyber criminals have had success defeating two-factor authentication systems in Web browsing sessions using Trojan-based man-in-the-middle attacks.
Confidential information is everywhere, so it must be protected Typo Squatting and Cross Site Scripting are just a couple of the recent threats facing the presidential candidate web sites, according to researcher Oliver Friedrichs. Confidential information is everywhere, so it must be protected A Gartner Research note written by Litan explains that in the past few months, Gartner has heard from many banks around the world that rely on one-time-password authentication systems. Accounts at these banks have been compromised by man-in-the-middle attacks -- the report uses the term "man-in-the-browser" -- despite the use of two-factor security.

One technique that the fraudsters have been using to bypass security controls is call forwarding.

"[B]anks that rely on voice telephony for user transaction verification have seen those systems and processes compromised by thieves who persuade telecom carriers to forward legitimate user phone calls to the thief's cell phone," the report says. "These targeted attacks have resulted in theft of money and/or information, if the bank has no other defenses sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to their applications and customer accounts."

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