A hacker's direct route to your company's ACH system
Feb 06, 2012 Karen Umpierre
Payroll departments of business all over the world take advantage of the streamlined Automated Clearing House (ACH) system. Processing weekly, bi-weekly or monthly paychecks that once may have taken a few days to complete can now be finished in a matter of minutes. However, with the adoption of ACH comes an increased risk of identity theft and financial fraud. According to the Business Management Daily, one of the schemes used by criminals exploiting the ACH process involves the following:
• A criminal or insider sends a malware email to an employee. That email contains an attachment with hacking software that when opened can reveal the employee's or company's confidential details.
• Because a company with an ACH system holds bank information of employees, the criminal or insider can gain access to those details and make fraudulent transfers. In order to ensure the protection of a company's or individual's ACH or bank information, no attachments should be opened from unknown email addresses. Additionally, bank statements must be frequently checked for fraudulent activity.
• A criminal or insider sends a malware email to an employee. That email contains an attachment with hacking software that when opened can reveal the employee's or company's confidential details.
• Because a company with an ACH system holds bank information of employees, the criminal or insider can gain access to those details and make fraudulent transfers. In order to ensure the protection of a company's or individual's ACH or bank information, no attachments should be opened from unknown email addresses. Additionally, bank statements must be frequently checked for fraudulent activity.
