Singapore introduces potent anti-scam measures

Singapore will step up up efforts to stamp out phishing and spoofing, ministers told the island nation's parliament on Tuesday. The topic earned ministerial attention after instances of attacks and scams soared recently. The standout example is the attack on Southeast Asia's second-largest bank, the Oversea-Chinese Banking …

[Pascal Monett]

"accelerate adoption of – and preference for – mobile banking apps"

What ?

You are pushing people to access their bank account on the historically most insecure platform that exists ? On a platform that can be hacked just by sending a specifically-(mal)formed SMS message ? That doesn't even need to be read ?

Are out of your fucking minds ?

[Santa from Exeter]

Re: "accelerate adoption of – and preference for – mobile banking apps"

Did you miss the bit about also making the victim responsible for the losses?

"Furthermore, Wong said customers and banks would have a shared responsibility for any losses in the future"

[Twanky]

Re: "accelerate adoption of – and preference for – mobile banking apps"

Mobile banking apps - no thanks.

I use online banking to pay bills and sometimes to move money from one account to another - like most people, I guess. Unlike many, I use a dedicated minimal desktop VM which I maintain and start when necessary on my Linux laptop. I'm quite pleased that the banks frequently use additional verification because they don't recognise the machine (odd user agent string and no persistent cookies).

Their idea that my Android phone with their banking software loaded alongside whatever else I've decided I want to install from the Play Store is as or more secure than my VM is laughable.

How often do most people need to give new instructions to their bank(s)? Of those occasions, how many are so time critical that they must be done right now - eg while at the pub?

I wonder why they don't load games on the terminals in the few remaining bank branches? I mean, if their software is so secure that it can run alongside *anything* where's the harm?

[Anonymous Coward]

Threat Actors?

Do you mean "criminals"?

[Arthur the cat]

Re: Threat Actors?

I like the idea of Threat Mimes.

"Marcel will now do his impression of malware running on your computer - in a high wind."

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, it's been a long time since I heard from "Bob from The Microsoft." Apparently the spoof-blocking they did for cell phones in Canada has had some effect as well.

You know, it is just getting harder and harder to get away with being scum of the earth that cons little old ladies and the mentally challenged... :)

[Anonymous Coward]

added security

if they block the most abused Email platforms; Sendgrid and Gmail, it would cut malicious Email by at least 50%.

[sreynolds]

Good luck

With no authentication on the origin on SMSs you'll never get anywhere. Just get rid of SMS altogether and switch to email with header and domain authentication.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Good luck

I realize you have a bone to pick with SMS, but the article says NOTHING about SMS, and encourages two-factor authentication - which often requires running an app on your device to generate time-dependent authorizatioin codes.

[Anonymous Coward]

Helloooo, do you have a com-pu-tor?

The surface of the Sun is too good for these scammers.