Erste Bank: Hardware and Software Security Solutions for an Austrian Giant

Erste Bank is one of the largest financial services providers in Central and Eastern Europe.

Since its founding in 1819, it has grown into a regional powerhouse. Austria is one of the bank’s core markets, where it serves 15.7 million customers and has an industry-leading reputation.

In Austria, most internet banking is conducted with mTAN technologies, where TANs are insecurely distributed to users via SMS. But businesses are increasingly aware of the vulnerabilities of both mTAN and iTAN processes.

CardTAN technology is a much more secure alternative, but it is not yet widely adopted in Austria.

Erste Bank also had to act to ensure compliance with the EU’s Revised Payment Services Directive (PSD2).

Since January 2015, Erste Bank has provided all its business clients with KOBIL's CardTAN generator with optical sensors, ‘TAN Optimus Comfort’.

The device meets all STUZZA requirements and offers advanced security protection against phishing and other cyber-attacks. Even if the PC is under attack, the TAN Optimus Comfort device cannot be manipulated.

And with a battery life of more than three years, approximately 6,000 transactions can be completed with a single battery in each TAN Optimus Comfort device.

Erste Bank also adopted KOBIL's mIDentity platform to provide a new high-trust, secure and frictionless software solution that combines its George app with KOBIL's s Identity app. This two-app approach sees George act as the everyday banking app, while KOBIL's s Identity app is used to confirm logins and transactions.

This methodology meant Erste Bank enjoyed the benefits of our world-class security technology, including our Smart Security Management Server, PKI-based authentication, end-to-end encryption through our Digitanium channel, and our virtual smart card technology.

It also ensured PSD2 compliance, integrating all security measures and continuing to deliver application shielding, strong customer authentication, transaction authorization and 3D Secure.

More than four million Erste Bank mobile banking customers have been protected by KOBIL technology.

Furthermore, more than 400 million individual banking transactions have been secured against the threat of malicious cyber-attacks.

The reassurance of world-class security technology has strengthened Erste Bank’s position with Austrian consumers and within the wider market.