Personal Cybersecurity
Computer-related crimes affecting businesses and consumers
While federally insured financial institutions are required to have vigorous information security programs to safeguard financial data, financial institution customers also need to know how to steer clear of fraudsters.
Protect your computer
Install software that protects against malware, or malicious software, which can access a computer system without your consent to steal passwords or account numbers.
Use the strongest method available to log into financial account
Use the strongest authentication offered, especially for high-risk transactions. Use passwords that are difficult to guess and keep them secret. Create “strong” user IDs and passwords for your computers, mobile devices, and online accounts by using combinations of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols that are hard to guess and then change them regularly.
Understand Internet safety features
You can have greater confidence that a website is authentic and that it encrypts (scrambles) your information during transmission if the web address starts with “https://.”
Be suspicious of unsolicited e-mails
asking you to click on a link, download an attachment, or provide account information. It’s easy for cyber criminals to copy the logo of a reputable company or organization into a phishing email. When responding to a simple request, you may be installing malware.
Be careful where and how you connect to the Internet
Only access the Internet for banking or for other activities that involve personal information using your own laptop or mobile device through a known, trusted, and secure connection.
Be careful when using social networking sites
Cyber criminals use social networking sites to gather details about individuals, such as their place or date of birth, a pet’s name, their mother’s maiden name, and other information that can help them figure out passwords — or how to reset them.
Take precautions with your tablet or smartphone
Consider opting for automatic updates for your device’s operating system and “apps” (applications) when they become available to help reduce your vulnerability to software problems.
Educate yourself
To learn more about cybersecurity, visit the “Stop. Think. Connect. Resource Guide” and click to download the Cybersecurity Guide .