HIGHLIGHTS:

• FICO experts predict a wide range of challenges in fraud, cybersecurity and money laundering in 2017
• The 17 predictions include IoT threats, cybersecurity transparency, EMV confusion, hacked biometrics and illegal migration rings
• FICO is a leader in financial crime solutions

If the world seemed dangerous from a financial crime perspective last year, experts at Silicon Valley analytics firm FICO predict an even more challenging 2017. In a new paper, four of the leaders in the company’s fraud and financial crime group laid out 17 predictions, ranging from killer devices in the home to hacked fingerprints.

More information: http://www.fico.com/en/17-financial-crime-predictions-for-2017

Among the financial crime trends the FICO experts predict for 2017 are:

• Treacherous IoT. “In light of the 2016 Dyn attack, will 2017 be the year that your IoT device will turn on you? I think the answer is yes,” said Scott Zoldi, FICO chief analytics officer. ”I predict that in 2017 our personal lives, as well as infrastructure, will be brought down by the devices we design to make things easier. I’m not sure which IoT category or device type it will be, but driverless cars raise the question: What is the quality of the security of code inside that fancy new red car?”
• Cybersecurity transparency. Have a poor security posture? Enterprises that do are about to be exposed, Zoldi said, due to products such as the FICO® Enterprise Security Score, which brings companies’ security posture to the forefront for partners, enterprises and insurers. These intelligent scores can be used to assess risk in the underwriting process for cyber security insurance, an exploding category that CFO magazine calls a “must have”:
• EMV confusion. The rollout of the EMV standard and chip cards in the US will be slow and often confusing for consumers, predicted TJ Horan, vice president of product management for FICO fraud solutions. “There’s no way I won’t be swiping my payment card in 2017,” Horan said. “Or even 2020, since gas pumps won’t be required to have chip-card readers until October 1, 2020. Many merchants have yet to upgrade, and even major chains’ terminals have signs that say ‘no chip.’ “
• Hacked biometrics. “Hailed as being safer than digit-based passwords, biometric security data presents explosive potential in hackers’ hands,” said Doug Clare, vice president of FICO’s cybersecurity solutions. “Stolen fingerprints may be a big problem in the future if biometric technology is used to verify bank accounts, home security systems and even travel verifications. You always have the option of changing your password, but you can’t change your fingerprints.”
• Illegal migration rings. “Illicit migration is a problem that is being aggravated by the Eurozone’s troubles and Brexit,” said Frank Holzenthal, managing director for FICO TONBELLER, a division of FICO specialising in financial crime compliance solutions. “Illicit migration and human trafficking activities involve a large network of facilitators and collaborators, and criminal funds grease the network. This will increasingly be part of financial crime investigations.”

FICO’s predictions cover the fields of enterprise fraud, analytics, cybersecurity and compliance with anti-money laundering and other regulations. Where some may see these areas as completely separate, FICO does not.

“Increasingly, the domains of fraud protection, cybersecurity and regulatory compliance are merging within institutions, which are taking a more holistic view of financial crime,” said Bob Shiflet, vice president of financial crime solutions at FICO. “This is critical, as these areas share a need for rapid action based on real-time threat assessment.”