A few days ago, researchers at the security firm Zvelo found out that the PIN numbers for the Google Wallet mobile payment service could be discovered via a brute force method. However, this will only work on Android-based devices that have been rooted. Today, Google put up a post on its Google Commerce blog to defend the overall safety and security of Google Wallet.
Google's statement starts with its viewpoint that Google Wallet has a number of advantages compared to normal credit or debit cards. At the same time, it does admit that rooted Android devices can disable the system's security features. It adds that the company does "strongly discourage" using Google Wallet on rooted phones. In fact, a person who roots a phone with that feature could end up having all of their Google Wallet data wiped from that Android device.
Google also claims that it takes "concrete action" if it does discover a flaw in Google Wallet. It states:
For example, to address an issue that could have allowed unauthorized use of an existing prepaid card balance if someone recovered a lost phone without a screen lock, tonight we temporarily disabled provisioning of prepaid cards. We took this step as a precaution until we issue a permanent fix soon.
Overall, Google is seeking to reassure users of Google Wallet that their money is safe with its system. It states, " ... you can be confident that the digital wallet you carry provides defenses that plastic and leather simply don’t."
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