Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Google Patched the Security Bug

We reported the news about the security hole in Google Wallet last Thursday. Within a few days, Google provided the fix. Osama Bedier, Vice President, Google Wallet and Payments, announced yesterday that they patched the security hole in the Google Wallet. Here is the statement from Google:
First, Google Wallet is protected by a PIN — as well as the phone’s lock screen, if a user sets that option. But sometimes users choose to disable important security mechanisms in order to gain system-level “root” access to their phone; we strongly discourage doing so if you plan to use Google Wallet because the product is not supported on rooted phones. That’s why in most cases, rooting your phone will cause your Google Wallet data to be automatically wiped from the device. 
Second, we also take concrete actions to help protect our users. For example, to address an issue that could have allowed unauthorized use of an existing prepaid card balance if someone recovered a lost phone without a screen lock, tonight we temporarily disabled provisioning of prepaid cards. We took this step as a precaution until we issue a permanent fix soon.
 And just like with any other credit card, you can get support when you need it. We provide toll-free assistance in case you lose your phone or someone manages to make an unauthorized transaction.  
Mobile payments are going to become more common in the coming years, and we will learn much more as we continue to develop Google Wallet. In the meantime, you can be confident that the digital wallet you carry provides defenses that plastic and leather simply don’t.

In addition, the company also announced the ability to issue new prepaid cards to the wallet. If you have issues, call google from here

Good Job, Google!

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