Top Five Online Payment Trends to Look Out For in 2019

As e-commerce continues to grow, the robustness and security of online payment systems becomes an important concern. More and more people are now buying products and services online, exposing their highly sensitive data. In order to provide a secure and efficient experience to online buyers, it is important to look at the following online payment trends.

• Mobile Payments Reign: As mobile shopping trumped browser-based shopping, it seems like the same thing is going to happen in the case of online payment segment as well. As more and more people are using mobiles for their shopping and internet browsing, payments from mobile phones are increasingly becoming the norm. Consequently, there is also an increase in mobile payment scams as evidenced by the proliferation of mobile phishing sites. It has become imperative for online payment system providers to be aware of this trend and take remedial measures accordingly.

• Massive Data Breaches Become Commonplace: The use of Artificial Intelligence and bots makes it easier for hackers to undertake massive data breaches. Stealing information from a large number of accounts simultaneously is highly lucrative for criminals and they are using increasingly sophisticated technologies to undertake such attacks. In order to protect the users, it is important for the websites and payment gateway providers to ensure that their information is safeguarded appropriately. For this purpose, they may go for security audits, Blackbox practices, and social engineering.

• Apps Go Rogue: As mobile internet grows, so do the mobile apps. Hackers are now increasingly focusing on these apps to steal data and financial credentials. It is believed that there is surge in the number of rogue mobile apps which are designed with the sole purpose of stealing data. App stores have yet to wake up to the threat of such malicious apps. However, lately there has been a spurt in the number of apps getting banned or kicked out of app stores for containing malicious codes.

• ATOs Proliferate: Account takeovers are becoming common in online payment systems. Account takeover is a type of data theft where a hacker uses bots for gaining illegal access to a victim’s online payment account. Such compromised accounts may then be used for theft or for unauthorized purchases. As technologies improve further, it is expected that such ATO attacks will become more commonplace and more sophisticated at the same time.

• Focus on Behavioral Biometrics: To provide a secure online payment experience, the providers mainly rely upon their authentication systems. In order to keep up with the emerging trends, it is important for the providers to incorporate new changes in their authentication process. One such emerging trend is to use behavioral biometrics for identifying potentially risky accounts. Any sudden change in behavioral biometrics of an account may also indicate that the account may have been compromised. In such cases, swift remedial actions may be undertaken.

Overall, it is safe to assume that service providers are becoming increasingly aware of online payment security threats. Analysis of emerging trends allows them to design new policies to effectively counter such threats.