Online Banking TipsClick here to return to the Article Vault Online Banking Tips by Stephen Dunbar. Change passwords regularlyChange passwords regularly, at least every 30 days. Make sure you use both letters and numbers in your password. Remember, hackers, trying to guess your password, may use password detection software running through 100,000 english words in 30 minutes. So don't use just a word as a password. For more protection, your bank should only allows a few attempts at guessing your password, before your banking online account is temporarily suspended. Phone your bank to find out how to reactivate your account.Use virus protection software.Click here for more about using virus protection software.Enable a firewall.Protect your data from unwanted intruders gaining access to your private information. Click here for more about FirewallsDon't open email attachments from unknown sources.It's easy to catch a virus when you download email attachments. Sure, you may trust a client not to send you a virus, however, I regularly clean off viruses hanging on to attachments I download from trusted contacts. Make sure you detect viruses early before they hatch and ruin your computer. Do a full system virus scan every week to pickup any previously undetected viruses, trogans and nasties. Don't run programs without scanning them all first.Scan all programs with your virus detection program in case a nasty virus is waiting to infect your computer.Keep all applications, including your operating system, up-to-date (patched).You should at least get critical windows updates on a monthly basis.If you run Windows 98 or above, get regular updates atClick here for Windows Updates Turn off your computer or disconnect from the network when not in use.Turn off you computer before you go bed. Save on power and decrease the chance of a hacker accessing your computer.
See if nasty programs are running in your RAM. Kill key recording programs before they send your bank's username and password to an eager hacker waiting to drain your bank account in 10 minutes flat.I've saved the most important tip for last.Many pc users will have little idea about what programs called applications are running right now on your pc. They are not as obvious as you may think. They are hidden away in the RAM (Short term memory on your pc). Before you sign on to your online banking site, do some detective work, and see exactly what programs are running right now!. You may just find a key recording program remembering every keystoke you make and emailing the contents to a hungry cracker eager to drain your bank account. On your keyboard, Hold down, "CTRL", "ALT" and then press the "DELETE" key once. Works in all Windows operating systems. Look in the "Application" Tab. These are all the programs running right now. If you don't know what any are, do a Google search and find out what they are. Remember, you are looking for anything suspect as a key logging program or unusual spyware. If you find a nasty, select the item with your mouse and end the task. Then find the nasty on your pc and remove it. Look in add/remove programs in the control panel. Once you feel comfortable all programs in the application window are considered safe continue to use online banking.
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