[GNC] USAA switching from OFX DirectConnect to EWC+

[David Cousens]

Pat 

The EWC+ protocol is  an exchange of security certificates between the requested
and the server providing the data.
 
The easy way out for the bank's software is usually to utilize some sort of
certificate issued by the software provider which has been previously authorized
by the bank instead of implementing a process which issues a security
certificate to the bank's client. This is because such a certificate is then
necessarily external to the software and not hardwired into the software'scode
so that it cannot be hacked (easily) by simply accessing a client's' computer
and copying a certificate issued by the bank directly to the user.
 
This effectively transfers the responsibility for the security of the data
transfers from the bank to the software provider which of course suits the bank.

This makes it difficult for open source software where the source code is
necessarily publicly accessible and a certificate's details cannot easily be
compiled into the code. EWC+ is a Intuit implementation of FDX and not openly
available outside Quicken's software.

David Cousens

On Sun, 2023-06-04 at 20:59 +0000, Ward wrote:
> Has anyone attempted to reconfigure GnuCash to handle an EWC+ connection? As
> of this writing, a representative confirmed that USAA no longer supports
> DirectConnect for bank accounts. Credit card accounts still work for the
> moment.
> 
> A note on Quicken's website reads:
> 
> USAA has discontinued Express Web Connect, and is in the process of
> discontinuing Direct Connect. They are updating to a new method of providing
> data to applications like Quicken, called EWC+ (Quicken Connect in Mac). Going
> forward, you'll use a bank-hosted sign-in form to authorize downloads. The
> overall process for adding accounts and downloading is the same, but the
> screen you use to sign in to USAA will look different.
> 
> For your security, USAA may periodically request that you reauthorize your
> accounts in Quicken by signing in again. This may happen every 90 days or so.
> 
> Best,
> 
> Pat
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