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UK resident: My wages are paid into my bank account using an electronic payments system that does not use the Internet at all. The accounts/HR people have compu
by keithpeter 13y ago
UK resident: My wages are paid into my bank account using an electronic payments system that does not use the Internet at all. The accounts/HR people have computers that are on a separate VPN from the rest of us.
The attack mode in this case revolved around the use of a client system to tell HR/Payroll where to pay the money. We don't do that, any change in bank account details is a visit to an office with paperwork.
- 1qaz2wsx3edc 13y agoIf you read the article, it specifically says in the fourth paragraph: "However, he said he believes the university should reimburse him for his loss, since it was its system that was hacked.". It wasn't his banking account being phished, you should read the linked articles before commenting on things.
- keithpeter 13y agoEdit: yes, I made it to the last paragraph and realised that you actually allow people to change account details from a client computer. I shall read every word in future.
- csmithuk 13y agoI've lost a payment in a similar fashion before. The accounts team took the written paperwork and misinterpreted a 6 for a 0 (I didn't write the form) and it just happened to be a valid destination account number. It took me 2 weeks to get the payment back. Doesn't always come down to technology. In fact, when it comes to technology it's usually pretty good. Humans on the other hand always err on the side of incompetence as there's usually someone else to blame... If you do not believe this about humans, work in or for the public sector in the UK for a bit!
- keithpeter 13y agoI do work in UK public sector. I have been fortunate in the payroll/HR departments, obviously. Chunk of cash suddenly appearing in my bank account would have me asking questions by the way. I imagine bank security in the case of the unwitting recipient of your wages were reassured by the payment coming from a BACS or similar system. When I paid my redundancy cheque into my bank account over the counter, a bank manager appeared in seconds and wanted to know why this very large amount was being paid in...
- arethuza 13y agoWhen I worked for a university in the UK as salaried Research Associate they "forgot" to pay me one month - didn't even apologize. They gave me a cheque that I cashed in the universities own branch and cycled to my own branch to deposit the money before my mortgage payment came out.