When it comes to using technology for sensitive, private transactions like performing banking tasks, consumers have a tendency to trust the security of the systems they’re using a bit more than is always prudent.

 

Granted, trusting that one’s bank has the necessary safeguards in place to ensure personal data can’t be accessed by evil-does is a reasonable thing to do. But is that trust misplaced?

 

That’s the question SecurityMetrics is posing this week at the Interop (News - Alert) show in Las Vegas to companies in charge of safeguarding consumer data. To bring home the necessity of robust security, the company is providing fifteen-minute demos that shows how hacks into consumer data repositories work, and how to prevent them.

 

These demos are geared toward both technical and non-technical audiences, showing how vulnerable assets and data can be. Specifically, SecurityMetrics is showing how attackers can bypass firewalls, take control of servers, and steal information.

 

SecurityMetrics said it has identified a number of key exploits hackers are engaging in, which explains the growing trend of attacks on consumer-oriented enterprises. Credit card data is typically the target.

 

“Contrary to common belief that a firewall will provide enough protection, SecurityMetrics will show how an attacker can steal credit card data easily using a Web browser,” said Brad Caldwell, CEO of SecurityMetrics, in a statement. “We will show Interop attendees just how vulnerable their systems are to being exploited and help the community understand how to combat the threat.”

 

Also at Interop, SecurityMetrics is presenting information about the latest PCI DSS compliance techniques that can be used to secure datacenters and detect potential security vulnerabilities. The company has gathered a great deal of business intelligence on the topic, having worked with payment card industry leaders since 2002 on security research and development strategies necessary to prevent data theft.