Is it just me, or have these folks missed the point? From The Tehran Times:
A computer specialist, who used to work for a PSP (payment service provider) company which offers a number of Iranian banks services for accepting electronic payments, has hacked accounts of three million bank customers to show the vulnerability of the banks to computer security threats, the Persian service of the Fars News Agency reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the hacker had provided the managing directors of the targeted banks with information about the bank accounts of 1000 customers in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19) to warn them about the susceptibility of their computer systems and networks to cyber threats.
The Central Bank of Iran issued a statement on Saturday advising the bank customers to change the passwords of their bank cards to prevent possible credit card fraud.
An official at the Central Bank of Iran also told the Persian service of IRNA on Sunday that no one has illegally accessed people’s bank accounts.
“It is possible that certain individuals have some information… but they cannot use this information until the bank cards are not in their possession,” Nasser Hakimi said.
The deputy chief of Iran’s cyber police, Mohsen Mirbahresi, also said on Sunday that there is no cause for concern because the hacker has not acquired important financial information, such as bank account numbers.
No statement about improving security? Changing passwords isn’t going to do it if the security problems aren’t addressed.
Radio Free Europe and Kabir News identify the hacker as Khosrow Zare Farid, a former manager at Eniak,the operator of Shetab payment network in Iran. According to Kabir News, Farid had previously warned the banks of the problem but got no response and decided to publish the data of 3 million accounts from ten Iranian banks.
I suspect he’s got their attention now.
The Iran Independent News Service reports that ATM’s in the country are no longer dispensing cash and that the only function working is the mode for changing the passwords.