The entire concept of the mobile payments market is predicated on security.

If the user base doesn’t go into every transaction with at least a reasonable expectation that the transaction is safe, the whole concept goes nowhere. That whole idea is a basic standard, so it’s somewhat distressing to see the recent response from Venmo about some recent mobile security issues it encountered.

Reports from Slate suggest that, not only is Venmo lacking in some rather basic security features, but actually encourages some steps that are fairly risky.

For instance, while Venmo won’t actually notify a user when login details have been changed, Venmo will suggest that users link bank routing information. This combination not only makes it easier for criminals to enter accounts without authorization, but may potentially compromise the entire bank account that Venmo is linked to.

This alone would be bad enough, but reports suggest that most of Venmo’s customer service system is email-based, which is reportedly slow to respond to issues, so those who need help quickly may ultimately be stranded for hours or more with little in the way of help. This is more than enough time for criminals to loot an account and be hundreds of miles away from where the activity went down, so it’s a deeply discouraging thought.

It’s gotten sufficiently discouraging, in fact, that the government’s getting involved. More specifically, California officials actually ordered Venmo—if somewhat quietly—to address the various “unsafe practices” involved in its systems.

Venmo has taken these warnings to heart and is actively working on the problem, so those who were considering putting Venmo to work may be much safer in the near term. Still, with basic considerations like a strong password, and ignoring some of Venmo’s more hazardous recommendations, the end result should prove a positive one.

No one would use a credit card that has a 50/50 chance of being hacked every time, and so too would anyone use a mobile payment system with a significant risk of hacking.

Mobile payment systems must be secure, and for the most part, they are; mobile payment systems have learned a lot from online payment systems, and as such have bypassed many of the issues those systems had.

Still, with some basic improvements, Venmo may be able to recover sufficiently.