The defense of the banking world against computer fraud is even more effective: in 2017, in fact, the banks operating in Italy invested over 300 million euros to combat this criminal phenomenon, including through staff training initiatives, awareness campaigns for customers and a careful and continuous monitoring action, reconciling protection, confidentiality and security with the customer's need to carry out mobile operations quickly and easily. Thanks to this intense work, and to the precious collaboration between banks and law enforcement agencies, 95% of fraudulent transactions are blocked and retail customers who are victims of fraud are only 0,0018% of the total of those who operate on home banking, approximately one in 55 thousand, a decrease compared to 2016 when they were 0,002%. These are the main results of the Abi Lab Consortium Report on online security, carried out as part of the research activities of the CERTFin (Computer Emergency Response Team), which also shows a significant reduction in the number of companies victims of fraud: only 0,0028, 94%, -2015% from XNUMX to today, a sign of the industry's constant commitment to combating fraud and raising customer awareness.
With regard to the types of attacks, in the case of retail customers, the majority of identity theft occurred through phishing techniques (computer scam carried out by sending an e-mail to the customer to steal confidential data such as user code and password to access the home service banking), while in the case of businesses mainly through malware dissemination campaigns (malicious code that can be spread through programs and documents attached to e-mail messages, capable of stealing confidential information and access codes).
Investments of banks in security
Banks' high level of attention to security issues and online frauds is also confirmed by dedicated investments: over 300 million euros in 2017. The Abi Lab survey shows that most of the companies analyzed indicated an increase or stability of the 2018 expenditure destined to the security of remote channels, with initiatives both towards the client (for the 96% of the banks interviewed) and on the bank side. (for all the banks interviewed). Approximately half of the responding banks expect an average increase (between 5 and 15%) or significant (higher than 15%) of spending on the next 12 months.
Fraud prevention
To best meet the security needs of customers, Italian banks have developed awareness campaigns through the Internet Banking portal (for 96% of responding banks), through information at branches (for 74,1%) and contractual information (for 59,3%) and promoted cross-sector collaborations, such as the CERTFin - CERT Finanziario Italiano (Computer Emergency Response Team), operational since January 1, 2017, with the aim of preventing and combating IT threats related to the development of new technologies and the digital economy, through a greater awareness of all employees on security issues, a timely and homogeneous circulation of information on threats, and possible countermeasures among banking and financial operators active in Italy. Open to all operators in the national banking and financial sector, CERTFin is governed by a Strategic Committee chaired by the Bank of Italy - ABI and coordinated by an operational management managed by the Abi Lab Consortium.