Public's lack of trust poses big challenge to online banking<\/p>\n
Rudijanto, Contributor, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Transferring funds to one's bank account by a few clicks of
\nthe computer mouse or some touches on a mobile phone's buttons
\nusing today's sophisticated IT and cellular network system, with
\nits layers of security protection, sounds like a practical
\nsolution for modern people, but what if things go wrong and the
\nfunds are diverted to the incorrect bank account?<\/p>\n
That is the most common concern among people who are still
\ntraumatized by unfavorable events in cyberworld, especially the
\nemergence of increasingly sophisticated hackers who seem to have
\nvery sharp eyes for any minor weakness in the internet system, as
\nwell as various cybercrimes that have already inflicted financial
\nlosses on numerous internet banking users.<\/p>\n
The cellular world of mobile phones has its own crimes that
\nhave also caused major losses to some mobile phone users. The
\nmedia has frequently reported about people who have obediently,
\nas if under a hypnotic spell, transferred their money via the ATM
\nto swindlers who have cheated by sending misleading SMSs, like,
\n\"Transfer this amount as an advance for your prize,\" and so
\nforth.<\/p>\n
With all of those disheartening events in both the cyber as
\nwell as the cellular worlds, many people have their own
\nlegitimate reasons to question their safety, as many aspects
\nstill remain obscure to most laymen.<\/p>\n
While both the internet and mobile banking systems in most
\nbanks have significantly improved, bankers admit that they have
\ndifficulty changing this negative perception among a significant
\nportion of customers.<\/p>\n
Citibank's vice president for e-Business, Rico Usthavia Frans,
\ncompares the current doubt of people on the security of internet
\nand mobile banking with the same hesitancy toward using the ATM
\nin the 1980s.<\/p>\n
\"But I do believe that in the not-too-distant future the
\ninternet and mobile banking service will be acceptable here just
\nlike in advanced countries where the infrastructure is already
\ngood. In Indonesia, the infrastructure is improving,\" said Rico.<\/p>\n
Citibank has been among the pioneers in internet banking in
\nIndonesia since the bank started this service in November 2001.
\nHowever, the bank seems very cautious in promoting their internet
\nbanking services.<\/p>\n
\"We have not really launched the internet banking services. As
\nof now, we only offer it to our existing customers because we are
\nstill enriching our experience,\" said Rico.<\/p>\n
This learning process of Citibank's personnel on the internet
\nbanking services reflects the bank's care in safeguarding and
\ndeveloping its internet banking system.<\/p>\n
\"For every system that we are developing, we submit it to the
\nEthical Hacking Test by a group of professional hackers in the
\nUnited States to make sure that the system is secure enough. And
\nwe pay between US$20,000 and $30,000 for such security test,\"
\nsaid Rico.<\/p>\n
Other banks have their own standard security systems such as
\nSecure Socket Layer (SSL) 128 bit Encryption to process and
\nsafeguard data into secret codes.<\/p>\n
To give more security to internet banking users, Bank Mandiri
\nalso offers Token PIN (Personal Identification Number), which
\nfunctions to generate a new PIN for each financial transaction by
\nevery user of the bank's internet banking services.<\/p>\n
These PINs, often called dynamic PINs, make it almost
\nimpossible for those with bad intentions to find out the PIN for
\nindividual users since the PIN keeps on changing in every
\ntransaction and each customer's ID number has a link only to one
\nTOKEN PIN series number.<\/p>\n
\"To protect our internet banking users we also limit the
\ninternet banking transaction to Rp 10 million per day,\" said
\nKostaman Thayib, Bank Mandiri's senior vice president group head
\nfor consumer liabilities.<\/p>\n
In mobile banking, this bank's tight security system is backed
\nwith another sophisticated security system belonging to major
\ncellular phone operators like Telkomsel, Excelcomindo Pratama and
\nSatelindo.<\/p>\n
Aside from the bank's own security system, cellular phone
\noperators still provide mobile banking users with a security key
\nin their SIM card. The key functions to encrypt data that is
\nuploaded by mobile banking users.<\/p>\n
\"We provide a system in our SIM card that can encrypt data
\nbeing sent via cellular phone to the bank. Only the bank, not
\neven us, can open this data. Therefore, transactions via our
\nnetwork are end-to-end secure,\" said Reyhan, Telkomsel's mobile
\nbanking manager.<\/p>\n
These two layers of security systems from the bank and
\ncellular phone operators lead some people to believe that mobile
\nbanking is more secure than internet banking. Multimedia expert
\nRoy Suryo is among those who believe in the security of mobile
\nbanking due to this double security systems.<\/p>\n
Internet expert Onno Purbo said that the level of encryption
\napplied by cellular operators was equal to or higher than Wired
\nEquivalent Privacy that makes mobile banking already secure.<\/p>\n
However, Citibank's vice president Rico believes that internet
\nbanking and mobile banking have the same level of security since
\nthere is practically no technological defect in either system,
\nespecially the ones used by Citibank.<\/p>\n
He said that although technologically it is difficult to break
\nthe security system in both its internet and mobile banking, he
\nemphasized that the human factor or the users themselves play an
\nimportant role in safeguarding the transactions.<\/p>\n
\"Therefore, we should pay attention not only to the technology
\nbut also enhance the level of customer awareness of the
\ntechnology,\" said Rico.<\/p>\n
Based on a number of media reports, human error rather than
\ntechnological defect has trapped some internet users. Spoofing is
\na part of this trap that can lead people to reveal their data to
\nunauthorized persons.<\/p>\n
\"Usually, users receive emails that ask them to update their
\ndata. This email has a hyperlink to a typo site. Once people
\nupdate their data, they automatically give away their most
\nconfidential data,\" said Rico.<\/p>\n
Another human error is lending one's cellular phone to others,
\nand some of them may well be ill-intentioned people or some
\nborrowers may unknowingly let other people find out one's PIN.
\nThis will lead to the phone owner's to suffer financial losses.<\/p>\n
The rapid growth of cellular phone users that constitutes a
\npotential market for mobile banking should at the same time raise
\nthe vigilance on the danger of crimes through Short Message
\nServices (SMS). PT Telkomsel's Reyhan said that his company
\ncannot do much to prevent such crimes except by providing
\neducation to its users.<\/p>\n
The Indonesia Cellular Telecommunication Association recently
\nreported the number of cellular phone users has reached 18.5
\nmillion in 2003. The association predicted that the number may
\nincrease to 25 or 27 million within this year.<\/p>\n
This steady growth of cellular phone users has exceeded that
\nof internet users which is estimated between three and four
\nmillion in 2003. Not only this figure provides a big opportunity
\nfor mobile banking but certainly opportunities for evil doers as
\nwell.<\/p>\n
Technologically, both the internet and mobile banking systems
\napplied by banks and cellular phone operators have improved to
\nsuch a sophisticated level that creates major headache for the
\ncriminals. But human carelessness remains as a crucial factor for
\nthe effective implementation.<\/p>\n
That is why continuous education by both banks and cellular
\noperators become critical in protecting their customers from
\nswindlers. Without this the promise of easy and practical
\ntransactions may prove to be as easy for evil people to enrich
\nthemselves at the cost of internet and mobile banking users.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/publics-lack-of-trust-poses-big-challenge-to-online-banking-1447893297",
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