3. Digital Payments & Cybersecurity: What You Need To Know?

By Author: K SAMBIT
Total Articles: 10
Comment this article

Businesses have completely changed how they collect payments from customers, thanks to the internet. Not far behind, however, are hackers and other criminals who have increased fraud and security lapses, making the internet a dangerous place.

Current Risks to Cybers ecurity

As technology develops, the threats that digital banks face change constantly. Banks can safeguard their clients and sustain the expansion of digital payments by tackling these issues head-on.

Digital payment systems can be disrupted by a variety of cyber threats:
Phishing attacks trick victims into disclosing personal information, including login credentials and financial information, by using phony emails, phone calls, or texts. Other kinds of cyber threats may result from the scam.

Malware is malicious software that compromises systems in order to lock accounts, monitor activity, or steal data. Different types of malware, including Trojan horses, worms, and spyware, serve distinct purposes.

Man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks allow hackers to obtain private data or money by intercepting user-bank communications. ...
...

Sensitive information, including financial and personal data, is exposed in large quantities when digital bank databases are accessed without authorization.

Ransomware uses malicious software to compromise computer systems in order to steal information, track user activity, or lock accounts. After requesting payment, the attackers continue to interfere with the devices and websites until they are paid.

Credential stuffing obtains unauthorized access to accounts, attackers utilize password combinations and usernames that have been stolen from previous breaches.

Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks overwhelm the bank's servers, preventing customers from accessing online services. DDoS attacks use multiple sources of compromised devices (botnets), as opposed to a single source that floods the target in a Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack.

Workers or contractors who have access to private data may purposefully or inadvertently result in security incidents or data breaches.

Social engineering is the practice of psychologically coercing people into disclosing private information.

Zero-day exploits are attacks that take advantage of undiscovered flaws in hardware or software before fixes are made available.

For online payments, why is cyber security important?
Whether you are a consumer or a business, protecting your data is essential. However, the following explains why online payment cyber security is even more crucial:
To safeguard private data
An employee in the financial services industry typically has access to 11 million files. Regrettably, hackers can compromise online transactions. Money is a powerful motivator for them to gather data, particularly private banking information. Vulnerable systems are extremely dangerous and can have catastrophic effects on both individuals and companies. Cyber security in digital payments becomes essential to safeguarding sensitive data.

To stop fraud
Concerns about fraud, identity theft, and money laundering are frequent in online transactions. Cyber security programs are able to analyse transaction patterns for suspicious activity through the use of machine learning and fraud detection mechanisms. This aids in the immediate prevention of fraud and theft.

To avoid significant fines and legal consequences
Customers trust businesses to protect their data (bank/card details) when they transact online. To protect customers, all merchants must adhere to the rules set forth by the payment industry. Multi-factor authentication lessens the likelihood of fraud or theft. If your company doesn't follow these legal requirements, you run the risk of:

If required, compensating victims for their losses
Costs associated with litigation
High fines imposed by regulatory bodies

Cut down on chargebacks

The majority of chargebacks happen when a cardholder contests a transaction or charge made to their account. They might demand a refund from their bank because they don't recognize the charge and think it's fraudulent. This is particularly prevalent in transactions conducted online.

By confirming the cardholder's identity, secure payment gateways can help lower fraudulent chargebacks and protect you from chargeback fees and other financial losses.

Establishing a worldwide company image
One issue is that cross-border regulations are not consistent. It is necessary to accommodate the various legal systems and security standards and regulations of various nations. Businesses can reach a global audience by putting in place secure payment gateways that are compliant with several nations.

Keep your reputation safe.
Customer mistrust and bad press result from data breaches. The most important factor for any business is brand reputation. Millions of dollars are occasionally spent by large corporations to enhance their brand image. You start to understand the significance of cyber security for all payment infrastructure when you consider that a single data breach could ruin all of that work.

Measures for Cyber security
To transform personal data into a secure format, encryption is necessary. The right key or description is required to unlock this encrypted data. This guarantees that after being intercepted, the data will stay safe and unintelligible.
By requiring some sort of verification before allowing access to the platform, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) adds an extra degree of security. Tokenization substitutes a random or unique token that is impenetrable once intercepted for important payment information.

By using distinctive physical traits, biometric verification—such as fingerprint and facial recognition—offers an extra layer of security. These include the face's shape and a fingerprint's outline, which are both challenging to mimic.

By using artificial intelligence (AI), financial institutions have also innovated to enhance cybersecurity. Real-time transaction activity monitoring is done with this application. Additionally, it can use the data analytics tool to identify fraudulent transactions or possible threats.

Techniques for Mitigation and Prevention
Enhancing KYC protocols can aid in limiting unauthorised access to UPI accounts. The risk of fraud can be reduced by ensuring that every user is thoroughly vetted and verified.

To strengthen the UPI ecosystem, it is essential to implement sophisticated fraud detection algorithms and fortify authentication systems. Frequent patching and software updates can help eliminate potential weaknesses that hackers could take advantage of.

Fighting UPI fraud requires efficient cooperation from regulators, financial institutions, and law enforcement. Cybercriminal networks can be found and disrupted with the aid of information sharing and coordination.

Quick identification of suspicious activity can be facilitated by real-time transaction monitoring. Financial institutions can avert serious damage by looking at transaction patterns and spotting anomalies.

By increasing user awareness through educational campaigns and training programs, people can be better equipped to spot and steer clear of phishing attempts and other fraudulent schemes. Cyber criminals are less likely to target knowledgeable users.

Financial stability in the face of cyber crime can be obtained with a comprehensive cyber insurance policy. The costs of recovering from a cyber attack, such as legal fees, data recovery costs, and monetary losses, may be covered by these policies. A strong cyber security strategy requires cyber insurance, which provides businesses and individuals with peace of mind.

Final Thoughts
All businesses are becoming increasingly concerned about cyber security. Therefore, selecting an end-to-end payment solution with features and compliances designed for high security is crucial.