Is it safe to use android emulators for banking

TairikuOkami · 19 Jun 2020

Pulcinella said:

After searching the net for a while on the subject of banking via an emulator, it seems that there are two major drawbacks.
Emulators seems to be easier target from hackers than a smartphone proper.
My Bank security may recognize I'm using an emulators and deny access as it seems emulators are considered high target risk from hackers.

This abort my relationships with Emulators.

Thanks for the update. I want to pay via fitbit, but that requires me to have a mobile app connected to my bank and since I do not have a smartphone and hopefully never will, my options are limited.

Pulcinella · 19 Jun 2020

@TairikuOkami. You are welcome.
As said in my second post, my online Bank is moving slowly but surely to offer access to many of it's features only to Smartphone users. It maybe that they will still offer a streamlined webpage for PC user, I doubt they gonna happily loose business from those like myself.
BTW my son could not access a specific government COVID 19 support package without downloading an App that was available only to smartphones, figure it out, couldn't believe it.
Off course I could change bank and country he he, though I suspect that smartphones are gonna rule eventually, so why bother. If you can't defeat you got to join them.
Until then I'll stick to do the banking on my PC, use of my old big numbers mobile and do without fancy banking features.

dalchina · 19 Jun 2020

Just for 'amusement' - in the UK having a mobile phone for banking is almost essential now- even if you use a browser, two factor authentication anti-fraud measures are only implemented by some banks by using a mobile phone. (Some also support making automated calls to landlines, but those conflict with free call challenge features offered by TalkTalk and Sky, invaluable for blocking rubbish and scam callers - including the dreaded Microsoft Technical Department).

You will be assimilated by smart phones- resistance is almost futile - your life without a smart phone is over!

Steve C · 19 Jun 2020

dalchina said:

Just for 'amusement' - in the UK having a mobile phone for banking is almost essential now- even if you use a browser, two factor authentication anti-fraud measures are only implemented by some banks by using a mobile phone. (Some also support making automated calls to landlines, but those conflict with free call challenge features offered by TalkTalk and Sky, invaluable for blocking rubbish and scam callers - including the dreaded Microsoft Technical Department).

You will be assimilated by smart phones- resistance is almost futile - your life without a smart phone is over!

I've always felt a bit uneasy about mobile phones for two factor authentication given the ease of SIM fraud. Some banks e.g. Barclays & HSBC use code generators which I prefer.

TairikuOkami · 19 Jun 2020

Steve C said:

I've always felt a bit uneasy about mobile phones for two factor authentication given the ease of SIM fraud. Some banks e.g. Barclays & HSBC use code generators which I prefer.

Indeed, some banks actually abandoned easily hijackable SMS in favor of app verifications or other methods. But they agree, that email is better suited for 2FA, because it travels via verified and secure channels.