Organized crime groups are selling access to the computer networks of financial firms like Bank of America Corp. and hacking tools targeting these companies, according to a British researcher who posed as a buyer on several dark web marketplaces.

From data privacy to robocalling, industry leaders chime in on the biggest regulatory and congressional issues at stake for the remainder of the year.

Companies must be more prepared to defend user data from malicious outsiders, or suffer the consequences of lawsuits, sanctions from data privacy laws, decreased user trust, tarnished brand reputation, damaged investor relations and more, writes Ben Goodman, vice president of global strategy and innovation at ForgeRock.

Banks and credit unions “push back” against an FCC proposal to limit calls; Miami gets the next assistant the bank says is not intended to replace humans.

Steve Hagerman, who was responsible for the first mortgage platform at JPMorgan Chase, will be head of consumer lending technology at Wells. It also named Gary Owen, a veteran of WarneMedia, Promontory Financial and Citi, its chief information security officer.

Data protection strategies need to consider how data travels and how that impacts vulnerabilities and breach risk, according to comforte AG's Jonathan Deveaux.

Some technology upgrade can leave databases open to the public internet, creating more risk for payment credential exposure and other risks, contends Ameya Talwalkar, co-founder and chief product officer of Cequence Security.

In the era of big data, a more thorough, data-centric approach is needed for security than the traditional encryption of the past, argues comforte AG's Jonathan Deveaux.

Credit unions on the Corda blockchain platform will be able to make payments via EFT with CU Pay, a product the CUSO plans to roll out next year.

Lawmakers are taking a closer look at the company’s data collection practices and its work on cryptocurrency payments, raising the possibility of more action down the line.