CPIS 606 Internet Security Auditing Report

CPIS 606 – IS Auditing
Student’s name
Institution Affiliation(s)

Part 1: Step 2
What is the vulnerability being exploited?
Credit/debit card hacking
What information or data can be gained by a hacker exploiting this vulnerability?
Credit/Debit card hacking or theft can be done with the intent of using the card details for
fraudulent activities of stealing money. Unfortunately, most credit/debit card victims do not
realize it until it’s too late. In most cases, false card charges will show the first signs that your
card has been compromised
How is the hack performed?
Credit/debit card hacking can be achieved through the use of various techniques such as
hacking into other businesses to obtain your details, installing malware and viruses, dumpster
diving, phishing scams, and skimming.
What about this particular hack that interested you specifically?
Credit/debit card hacking through skimming got me interested. According to
TEDxMidwest (2012), credit card skimming using a small machine that intercepts a legit
transaction and captures your credit/debit card information. Hackers will position credit/debit
card skimmers over swipe machines at unsuspecting sales points and ATMs and will then collect
all the information captured during transactions.
How do you think this particular hack could be mitigated?
While using your credit/debit card anywhere, you expose yourself to cyber-attacks by
hackers. However, several methods or practices can keep your credit/debit card info safe. For
instance, making use of secure websites only, never store your credit/debit card info in your
browser, using strong passwords with combinations of symbols and alphanumeric, and being
careful on the stations where you use your cards (Eich, 2018). It is also advisable to have your
credit/debit cards, and bank accounts alerts enabled on your phone.