[GNC] {GNC} How secure is Gnu-Cash? Good enough for a credit union?

Michael or Penny Novack stepbystepfarm at comcast.net
Mon Dec 28 20:33:00 EST 2020


On 12/28/2020 7:01 PM, Edward Bainton wrote:
> Can anyone give a view on whether Gnucash is suitable for a very small
> credit union?
>
> How would easily can fraud be detected?
>
> If not easily, could it be paired with, say, some kind of blockchain backup
> system so as to make fraud detectable?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Edward

Fraud detection is a matter of more than one trusted person in control 
of the books. When you say "blockchain backup" you are addressing a 
different problem, whether alteration is possible. Note that there are 
other ways of preventing alteration. For example read only copies being 
given into the custody of other officers of the credit union.

What you should perhaps do is imagine that it was 100 years ago and the 
books were kept the old fashioned way, pen and ink on paper. What are 
the fraud risks and what measures would be needed to prevent or detect 
fraud? Detect is really the key as you can't prevent fraud, only deter 
it because it would be detected. AUDITING is necessary (do the books 
reflect the real world -- spot checking that "the paper" matches what 
has been entered.

Understand? Preventing alteration does not prevent fraud. The fraud 
might be because something was NOT entered.

Michael D Novack



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