Contactless | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Mon, 11 Mar 2019 13:53:07 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Contactless | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 UK bank Natwest is trialling debit cards with built-in fingerprint readers https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/uk-bank-natwest-is-trialling-debit-cards-with-built-in-fingerprint-readers/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/uk-bank-natwest-is-trialling-debit-cards-with-built-in-fingerprint-readers/#respond Mon, 11 Mar 2019 13:53:07 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=406319 Near-field communication (NFC) payments are fairly common in the UK nowadays, allowing customers to pay for items up to £30 by tapping their card onto a reader. Colloquially dubbed “contactless,” UK bank Natwest is pairing this technology with a fingerprint reader that uncaps the standard limit while forgoing archaic passwords. Contactless payment has always carried …

The post UK bank Natwest is trialling debit cards with built-in fingerprint readers first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Near-field communication (NFC) payments are fairly common in the UK nowadays, allowing customers to pay for items up to £30 by tapping their card onto a reader. Colloquially dubbed “contactless,” UK bank Natwest is pairing this technology with a fingerprint reader that uncaps the standard limit while forgoing archaic passwords.

Contactless payment has always carried with it a number of security risks from thieves carrying their own readers, making the £30 limit necessary. Some banks even impose a limit on the number of uses before the owner has to slide their card into the reader and punch in their pin number to activate contactless once again.

As shown with trials on credit cards back in 2015, adding a fingerprint reader onto the debit card itself potentially does away with both protocols, requiring users to place their thumb on the sensor when placing their card against a compatible machine. Natwest’s efforts mark the first time that the combination of technologies have reached debit cards, granting the ability to make much larger payments with the ease of contactless and none of the risk.

Natwest has been cautious with its tests, ensuring that the fingerprint data is locally stored on the card rather than on a server. Without means to remotely hack such personal data, attackers would have to resort to imitating a victim’s fingerprints manually, making it much more secure than chip-and-PIN or traditional contactless.

Unfortunately, the main caveat is that participants will have to visit a Natwest branch in order to set things up fully and register their fingerprint. The company behind the technology, Gemalto, has expressed their wishes to allow users to set things up in the comfort of their own home, with a smartphone in future versions.

KitGuru Says: Given that Gemalto highlights the prevalence of fingerprint readers on smartphones, it’s curious why the technology hasn’t been implemented on Google Pay or Apple Pay to uncap the same limitations seen on contactless. Hopefully this is implemented in the future, as it would also do away with the need to carry around a separate card.

The post UK bank Natwest is trialling debit cards with built-in fingerprint readers first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/damien-cox/uk-bank-natwest-is-trialling-debit-cards-with-built-in-fingerprint-readers/feed/ 0
Contactless card payment limit raised to £30 https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/contactless-card-payment-limit-raised-to-30/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/contactless-card-payment-limit-raised-to-30/#respond Tue, 01 Sep 2015 10:57:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=265656 The limit for how much people can spend when using the contactless card payment system is being raised to £30, as usage of the quick and easy technology increases exponentially. Previously, those paying without inputting their pin-code would only be able to spend up to £20 as a security measure, but that is now being …

The post Contactless card payment limit raised to £30 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
The limit for how much people can spend when using the contactless card payment system is being raised to £30, as usage of the quick and easy technology increases exponentially. Previously, those paying without inputting their pin-code would only be able to spend up to £20 as a security measure, but that is now being increased.

The reasoning for this raise though, isn't because security has been improved, but so that the average consumer's shop – £25 – can make use of the system, speeding up the payment process and making the check out procedure more efficient. This was pushed for by UK regulatory body, the UK Cards Association, which also highlighted how incidents of fraud were as low as one pence for every £100 spent.

contactlesscards2

However privacy watchdogs still warn that a contactless system provides very little in the way of protection for those whose card is stolen or copied without their notice. Payments are small enough that they may go unnoticed for some time and there was the potential for identity theft to occur in a fraction of a second too.

Visa however is fond of the contactless payments, with managing director of the UK and Ireland, Kevin Jenksins saying that it was becoming the “new normal” way to pay for everyday items and conduct smaller transactions, as per the BBC.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Although I do occasionally make use of contactless payments, I always find it a bit nerve racking and make sure to check the payment total first. Do you guys use it happily enough? Any of you run into any problems?

Image source: Visa

The post Contactless card payment limit raised to £30 first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/jon-martindale/contactless-card-payment-limit-raised-to-30/feed/ 0
Which? warns contactless card payments raise fraud risk https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/which-warns-contactless-card-payments-raise-fraud-risk/ https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/which-warns-contactless-card-payments-raise-fraud-risk/#comments Fri, 24 Jul 2015 10:41:29 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=260602 As much as contactless payments with a debit or credit card represent a much easier way to go about paying for things you want, since you don't even need to remember your pin code, they represent a massive security problem according to Which?. Due to the low cost of card readers which can be purchased …

The post Which? warns contactless card payments raise fraud risk first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
As much as contactless payments with a debit or credit card represent a much easier way to go about paying for things you want, since you don't even need to remember your pin code, they represent a massive security problem according to Which?. Due to the low cost of card readers which can be purchased online, the consumer watchdog claims that anyone could have their card stolen and their details quickly copied away.

In a test conducted by Which? it purchased some of the inexpensive hardware and was able to bypass all security measures and swipe details from the cards, including its number, expiry date and even a list of the last 10 transactions that took place on the card. Researchers were also able to make purchases using the cards, in one case ordering a £3,000 TV, using a phony name and address.

contactless
Image source: MayTech

Although secondary protection like the password verification systems from Visa and Mastercard can prevent this sort of fraud, The Telegraph reports that a lot of online stores skip over this step to speed up the purchasing process.

Although the flaws in the system have been exposed by Which?'s tests, the real worry is if longer range card readers could be developed, which would allow for the details to be taken from cards without even having to steal them in the first place. To combat this, new standards of data encryption should be formatted Which? said. Security researchers also advised banks to be extra vigilant in contacting card owners if strange purchases appear on their accounts, or if their details are used in areas they don't often visit.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: The contactless payment system always surprises me how fast it is. Some outlets don't even show you how much they are charging you, so a bit of personal responsibility is a good idea too.

The post Which? warns contactless card payments raise fraud risk first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/gaming/security-software/jon-martindale/which-warns-contactless-card-payments-raise-fraud-risk/feed/ 2