Tesco Online Banking Inaccessible

cestlavie

Nightmare! couldn't access all last week and then when i finally got thru to close account they wouldn't let me! finally rang c/s and they said they would arrange... but they cannot transfer the money for another 4 days!! :mad:

Martin_K

Vortigern wrote: »

I'm still a little puzzled as to how this fix works. Firstly, I thought Flash was now configured from the Control Panel rather than the URL quoted above......

I can't resolve your puzzlement. Your reference to 'Control Panel' suggests you use MS Windows. I don't so am not familiar with your environment.

The real issue is that Flash is a video and sound player, not a security tool. Web sites have piggy backed their authentication requirements on the ability of Flash cookies to track access to those sites. Doing so without asking users for consent has, quite rightly, led to tools being implemented to stop this hidden practice.

The fact that changes to Flash would make this authentication method unreliable were recognised and reported in the technology press more than a year ago. The question in my mind is, did Tesco Bank know this and carry on anyway or were they ignorant of the situation?

If anyone wants background info see;

mobileDOTeweekDOTcom/c/a/Security/Adobe-Flash-Player-Private-Browsing-May-Force-Change-in-Fraud-Fight-703551/

As I am not allowed to post links please paste the above into your browser, after the http colon slash slash , replacing the two instances of "DOT" with "."

(Being a Newbie here is doing my head in!)

retiree

This page may help if your computer continues to be unrecognized as a regular computer:

http://wwwDOTtescobankDOTcom/personal/finance/change/online-banking-troubleshooting.html

Other programs can also interfere: I stopped deleting cookies in Firefox 5, stopped using CCleaner, and stopped using Norton Cleanup. One of these moves eliminated the non-recognition problem - but I've no idea which! Perhaps someone can work it out so I can start using some of those programs again!

SnowMan

Martin_K wrote: »

I can't resolve your puzzlement. Your reference to 'Control Panel' suggests you use MS Windows. I don't so am not familiar with your environment.

The real issue is that Flash is a video and sound player, not a security tool. Web sites have piggy backed their authentication requirements on the ability of Flash cookies to track access to those sites. Doing so without asking users for consent has, quite rightly, led to tools being implemented to stop this hidden practice.

The fact that changes to Flash would make this authentication method unreliable were recognised and reported in the technology press more than a year ago. The question in my mind is, did Tesco Bank know this and carry on anyway or were they ignorant of the situation?

If anyone wants background info see;

mobileDOTeweekDOTcom/c/a/Security/Adobe-Flash-Player-Private-Browsing-May-Force-Change-in-Fraud-Fight-703551/

As I am not allowed to post links please paste the above into your browser, after the http colon slash slash , replacing the two instances of "DOT" with "."

(Being a Newbie here is doing my head in!)

Interesting stuff. Link to that April 2010 article, and a pertinent quote from it are below

http://mobile.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Adobe-Flash-Player-Private-Browsing-May-Force-Change-in-Fraud-Fight-703551/

'Certainly no method is perfect and we always recommend a layered security approach,' she told eWEEK. 'But cookies were proven unreliable years ago because so many users were deleting them which is why service providers turned to Flash local storage. And now Flash local storage will be proven unreliable and non-ubiquitous so many of the fraud detection systems will be thrown off guard.'

It is still my view that it is impossible to realistically use Tesco banking if you don't have a mobile phone (as at some point your computer will not be recognised and it is too much trouble to continually get it reset) and to me that just isn't on.

Stompa

SnowMan wrote: »

It is still my view that it is impossible to realistically use Tesco banking if you don't have a mobile phone (as at some point your computer will not be recognised and it is too much trouble to continually get it reset) and to me that just isn't on.

In theory you should be able to just make a backup copy of the Flash cookie. Then restore from that backup should the original ever get deleted. Of course it's a PITA, but from what I've read so far it should work, and avoid the need for a mobile phone. Mind you, I've not tested it personally!

evenasus

Stompa wrote: »

In theory you should be able to just make a backup copy of the Flash cookie. Then restore from that backup should the original ever get deleted. Of course it's a PITA, but from what I've read so far it should work, and avoid the need for a mobile phone. Mind you, I've not tested it personally!

I can confirm that you are correct Stompa.

I deleted my history/cookies etc yesterday, without a thought of the Tesco flash file.

When I checked today - the Tesco flash file was missing.
Fortunately, I did transfer a copy onto a memory stick.

Anyway, after putting the flash file back in the macromedia flash cookie file, I've just logged on to Tesco without a problem.

One strange thing though.
I had two linked accounts with Tesco, which after migration appeared in the third party linked account list.

Tonight, they are still in the third party linked list - but now they also appear in the linked account list.
One just the once, the other THREE times.

Dare I delete any???

cottager

evenasus wrote: »

One strange thing though.
I had two linked accounts with Tesco, which after migration appeared in the third party linked account list.

Tonight, they are still in the third party linked list - but now they also appear in the linked account list.
One just the once, the other THREE times.

Dare I delete any???

On your own head be it but I think you probably can. I had the same when I first managed to re-register -- 4 previously linked external accounts were only in the 3rd party links. I read here this would be fine for moving money out, and they didn't need to be in Linked Accounts if I didn't want to "pull" money in (which I wouldn't, as I'd use Faster Payments from the other end instead).

But I tried putting one in Linked Accounts anyway, and got the message about not being able to verify the account was mine. A second attempt produced the same, so I left it. But a couple of days later when I looked, that account HAD been added into Linked Accounts -- twice!

So I deleted one, and the other instance of it still seems to be safely there.

Then tried adding another of the 4 accounts, got the same 'unverifiable' message as before, but assumed it would probably sort itself out and appear there after the system had updated again, like the first one. But it didn't.

Other have said if you ring Tesco they can add to Linked Accounts for you, but I haven't bothered as I won't need them to be there.

cottager

Stompa wrote: »

In theory you should be able to just make a backup copy of the Flash cookie. Then restore from that backup should the original ever get deleted. Of course it's a PITA, but from what I've read so far it should work, and avoid the need for a mobile phone. Mind you, I've not tested it personally!

No, but it's worth including in a backup to have and try it if need be.
But presumably there may be some changes to the cookie every time you log in to the account, so if we were ever stuck and tried it I wonder what the implications (if any) would be of pasting back an "old" version?

Vortigern

retiree wrote: »

This page may help if your computer continues to be unrecognized as a regular computer:

http://wwwDOTtescobankDOTcom/personal/finance/change/online-banking-troubleshooting.html

Other programs can also interfere: I stopped deleting cookies in Firefox 5, stopped using CCleaner, and stopped using Norton Cleanup. One of these moves eliminated the non-recognition problem - but I've no idea which! Perhaps someone can work it out so I can start using some of those programs again!

@retiree - The forum fairy has apparently granted you the ability to post links - there's no longer any need for you to replace the full stops with DOT.

The link retiree provided to http://www.tescobank.com/personal/finance/change/online-banking-troubleshooting.html now has more info than was available last time I looked. It's probably worth a revisit for anyone still having trouble.

evenasus

cottager wrote: »

No, but it's worth including in a backup to have and try it if need be.
But presumably there may be some changes to the cookie every time you log in to the account, so if we were ever stuck and tried it I wonder what the implications (if any) would be of pasting back an "old" version?

Yes it does work. See my previous post #517.