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Most banks offer some kind of security module that acts on the client side for access to internet banking sites. They are usually made in Java and are usually quite boring to install.
What exactly do they do on the technical level? Against what are they protecting? If there is a threat that they protect, why isn’t it used on all websites and, finally, is it integrated in all browsers? Why use Java instead of, for example, a browser extension?
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A couple of years ago I had problems with the Safety Module of Banco do Brasil and did some research on the subject. I warn you that I am not an expert in security, nor do I have knowledge about the internal functioning of these software.
Each bank has a solution, so I will limit my response to Banco do Brasil.
According to own bank reference:
The Security Module is a protection system that, during the execution of electronic transactions, acts as a shield of your computer against attacks of malicious programs on the Internet.
In theory, a security module is like a mini antivirus and anti-spyware that would protect the bank from fraud.
According to some sources (see this) the company that provides the technology and software for both BB and Box is the Gas Tecnologia.
The website of this company announces the anti-fraud solution for e-banking as "a solution that structures an armored and specialized virtual environment, with the necessary requirements for financial transactions through the Internet channel".
Some of the features shown are:
At least at BB, you need to register each computer from where you want to access the bank’s website.
However, I usually use a virtual machine to access my account. I once made a copy of this image to another computer and the access stopped working. Analyzing the incident, I realized that I had to configure the network card of the new virtual machine with the same MAC Address as the previous VM.
You may be able to check if someone is actually clicking on the buttons or if there is a "robot" accessing the bank.
Probably the software tries to identify strange user behavior or processes on the computer.
The tool should try to treat known vulnerabilities in the operating system or browsers, for example.
The system must log the user’s activities on the bank’s website. This would make it possible to identify the perpetrator of fraud online.
The tool should prevent quick access to services, avoiding denial of service attacks.
Several users denounce this module as a type of virus or malware.
In particular, I had a similar impression. A few years ago my computer presented periods of instability in Internet access and slowness (99% CPU) after the installation of the BB Security Module. This was one of the reasons I decided to use Vms.
After installing the module on a computer, the user cannot close it or remove it. The behavior is similar to those malware placing multiple processes. You close one of the processes and it reopens automatically.
This site has so much adjective together that it is even difficult to extract some content! In the end, it is a means for the server to get the MAC (valid). Otherwise, it seems to be a temporary replacement for an antivirus (but without all the features of an update). So far it seems to be a false security. (an attacker could set the MAC of a VM to be equal to the MAC of the target user’s computer, for example). Assuming that the client is safe by the module seems to be an absurd mistake, these systems have to consider the client as a totally hostile environment and still function. Anyway, good answer.
@Exact Guilhermebernal. It’s like they promise what even Norton, Mcafee, Avast and co. together can do 100%.
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It’s more a great marketing than a real solution. I have done several tests with cloning of MAC, copy of data "hidden" in strategic places, and make sure that it is relatively simple to circumvent these systems (so much so that there is a serious bank that does not install anything for netbanking, and goes well). On the other hand, the headache this gives to ordinary customers is a disgrace. The solution of modules is usually delayed compared to browsers, and often wide services and tasks running unnecessarily on customers, plus conflicts with applications already installed in some cases.
– Bacco