Content by Tracy Kitten

Sizing Up Akamai's Purchase of Prolexic

Tracy Kitten  •  December 3, 2013

Akamai's acquisition of DDoS mitigation provider Prolexic Technologies is a sign of how the DDoS-defense marketplace is maturing at a time when attacks are becoming more sophisticated.

Using Big Data to Prevent Fraud

Tracy Kitten  •  November 25, 2013

The financial services industry will make wider use of data analytics next year as the value of leveraging big data to help prevent or detect fraud becomes more clear, experts predict.

Online Scans: Precursor to Attack?

Tracy Kitten  •  November 5, 2013

A significant uptick in traffic linked to an Internet port known as "port zero" is likely among the first signs of a massive and targeted attack against remote servers and networks worldwide, one threat researcher says.

Today's Greatest Online Payment Risk

Tracy Kitten  •  November 5, 2013

Inadequate authentication is among the greatest security challenges for online payments, says Scott Dueweke of Booz Allen Hamilton, who suggests biometrics needs to play a bigger role.

Obama, FIs Talk Cybersecurity

Tracy Kitten  •  November 1, 2013

Banking executives were among the CEOs who met with President Obama at the White House to discuss cybersecurity strategies. Paul Smocer of BITS explains how this discussion may pay off for financial institutions.

Executive Buy-In for Security Grows

Tracy Kitten  •  October 30, 2013

Senior leaders in business and government are buying in to the need for more cybersecurity investments as well as threat-intelligence sharing, new research shows. But why are they still struggling to hire the right security pros?

Collaboration Enhances Fraud Detection

Tracy Kitten  •  October 24, 2013

Sharing information about cyber-attacks is making a difference in the banking sector, helping bring criminals to justice and curbing fraud losses. Other sectors should learn from banking's example.

A Crash Course in Fraud Prevention

Tracy Kitten  •  October 16, 2013

Our inaugural Fraud Summit on Oct. 22 at the Meadowlands in New Jersey will feature an impressive lineup of information security leaders offering timely insights about practical risk mitigation strategies.

Fraud's Link to DDoS Attacks

Tracy Kitten  •  October 15, 2013

Fraudsters are using DDoS to distract banks during account takeover attempts, says fraud prevention expert Avivah Litan, who highlights DDoS trends to watch in 2014 and reviews how attack techniques have evolved in the last year.

Insights on Fighting Call Center Fraud

Tracy Kitten  •  October 9, 2013

Face-to-face and over-the-phone social-engineering schemes are increasingly used to perpetrate fraud, highlighting the need for more education and real-time transaction monitoring, says Gartner's Avivah Litan.

Attackers-for-Hire: A Troubling Trend

Tracy Kitten  •  October 4, 2013

Attacks waged for cyber-espionage, fraud, DDoS and other nefarious deeds are increasingly being hired out to sophisticated hackers for specific purposes, says Symantec researcher Kevin Haley.

Banks Plan National Cyber-Attack Drill

Tracy Kitten  •  September 23, 2013

More than 1,000 banks will test their incident response strategies by participating in a simulated cyber-attack exercise. SWACHA's Dennis Simmons says the drill, which is open to more participants, will help bolster defenses.

What's Next for DDoS Attacks?

Tracy Kitten  •  September 18, 2013

On the one-year anniversary of al-Qassam Cyber Fighters' first announcement about DDoS attacks against U.S. banks, experts discuss what may happen next, including whether the group will join forces with the Syrian Electronic Army.

Banks' Leadership in DDoS Fight

Tracy Kitten  •  September 17, 2013

Banks have a critical role to play in helping other industries with DDoS mitigation, as DDoS targets are expected to shift. Attacks against U.S. banks are proving increasingly ineffective because banks have enhanced their defenses.

DDoS: The Need for Updated Defenses

Tracy Kitten  •  September 16, 2013

In the wake of a year of attacks waged against banking institutions by Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters, the FS-ISAC's Bill Nelson and the ABA's Doug Johnson say the need to regularly update DDoS preparedness is a critical lesson learned.