The Financial Post reports in its Thursday edition the federal banking regulator has stepped in to ensure the big banks are dealing with potential exposure to a flaw in encryption technology that allows personal data to leak out during transactions believed to be secure. The Post's Barbara Shecter writes Canada's largest bank by assets, TD Bank, has implemented "defences to protect customers from this potential threat," spokesman Barbara Timmins said. The bank "is adding additional, layered security, so customers can conduct their banking securely and without their data being at risk." The so-called Heartbleed bug in a website encryption standard was revealed by researchers this week. A fix has been released but, until it is put in place, user names, passwords and business documents remain vulnerable. The potential for such breaches is clearly on the minds of regulators and bankers. An increase in the frequency and sophistication of cyber attacks prompted OSFI to release a "self-assessment" guideline to federally regulated banks late last year. The guideline issued by the top banking regulator was thought by some market observers to be a precursor to more formal rules and expectations for cyber security.