Banking Security Measures

Internet banking is becoming the norm both for personal and commercial banking. It’s convenient and saves time, but it’s not risk free. With the amount of malware to be found online, it’s important to know what your bank’s security measures are and how they will keep your account safe.

Here are some of the security measures all banks should have in place to ensure secure online financial transactions:

• Internet banking should only be made through secure connections. Look for the closed padlock or the https:// (the ‘s’ signifying a secure connection) in your web address bar.
• Encryption – most banks have 128-bit security and/or the Secured Socket Layer encryption.
• Banks always make their Internet connection through firewalls, blocking unwanted access to their server.
• Many internet banking institutions also have idle session protection; if you’re logged in but leave the page idle for a certain time period, the bank logs you out so no one can find the open page and use it without your consent.

These are just some of the very basic security measures in place. Other security measures may include a secondary authentication such as an access number sent to your cell phone or a token that assigns a random number to be used in addition to your regular log-in.

Another way banks can help keep their customers safe is to offer them access to SafeCentral’s WebProtection™. Some banks are already using it and it will greatly reduce the risks of online banking.

WebProtection™ is a one-time install application that actually assumes that your machine is already infected with malware and ensures that the information on your computer stays secure. WebProtection™ interprets and intercepts over 5,000 discrete Windows commands and effectively blocks all potentially dangerous activities except those processes needed for the transaction. Learn more about how it actually works and how it keeps your information safe at www.SafeCentral.com.

What Is Keylogging?

We were excited to see the term “keylogging” mentioned in the mainstream a couple of weeks ago when it was actually featured in an episode of “The Good Wife” on CBS, starring Juliana Margulies. In the TV show, keylogging software was found on her computer as someone was trying to uncover secrets and spying on the TV shows ‘Alicia’.

It’s great that malware like keylogging is mentioned on TV making the public more aware of its existence, still there are many who will do not realize that this threat is very real and very common. What do you really know about keylogging?

Keylogging is actually completely legal software that many businesses use to track their employees computer activities and that parents use on their kids’ computers. The problem is that cybercriminals use keylogging as a tool to break into people’s computers and get their personal information to then commit identity theft or online account fraud.

The term keylogger is neutral and describes how the software functions, namely monitor and log all keystrokes. It doesn’t have to be software; it can also be a device. Many keyloggers hide themselves in the system which makes them fully-fledged Trojans. Keyloggers are now the most-used method in the theft of confidential information.

Cybercriminals will plant keylogging viruses on fake websites or package them in fake downloads and once you access it, it will infect the user’s computer. Once infected, the keylogging virus will start tracking the user’s computer activities and discover confidential information such as passwords, user names, personal information, and more. This information will then be used to access the victim’s bank account to steal funds or to steal the victim’s identity.

A great way to prevent keylogging viruses and something ‘Alicia’ in The Good Wife could have used on her computer is SafeCentral’s WebProtection™.

SafeCentral’s WebProtection™ is a one-time install application that actually assumes that your machine is already infected with malware and ensures that the information on your computer stays secure. WebProtection™ interprets and intercepts over 5,000 discrete Windows commands and effectively blocks all potentially dangerous activities except those processes needed for the transaction. Learn more about how it actually works and how it keeps your information safe at www.SafeCentral.com.

CYBERCRIME 101

There have been discussions lately that the general consumer does not know enough about cybercrime, malware, and general online security. This does not only include individual users but also small business owners or any business that do not have a dedicated IT department.

This quick Cybercrime 101 class will help you identify some of the terms and definitions and show you some basic steps you can take to keep you or your business safe.

Cybercrime – a crime committed using a computer and the Internet to steal a person’s identity, sell contraband, stalk victims or disrupt operations with malevolent programs. This is a term that has become increasingly important these last few years as cyber criminals have stolen billions of dollars from businesses and individuals alike. Lately, the criminals seem to have specifically targeted small to midsize businesses who may not have a dedicated security staff and do not have adequate security on their network.

Malware - Short for malicious software and is any program or file that is harmful to a computer user. So, malware includes computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, and more. Basically, malware is what the cybercriminals create to be able to get into your computer, steal your information, and gain access to your bank accounts or customer data.

Phishing – an email attempting to get information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity such as a bank, auction sites, social websites and others.

There are many tools available that will give you some sense of security when you go online, such as anti-virus and anti-spyware programs. You should always make sure you have these installed and upgraded to the latest version. But to make sure your online transactions are secure and that your personal information is not hacked into by cybercriminals or your computer is not infected by malware, you should look at SafeCentral’s WebProtection™.

SafeCentral’s WebProtection™ is a one-time install application that actually assumes that your machine is already infected with malware and ensures that the information on your computer stays secure. WebProtection™ interprets and intercepts over 5,000 discrete Windows commands and effectively blocks all potentially dangerous activities except those processes needed for the transaction. Learn more about how it actually works and how it keeps your information safe at http://www.safecentral.com/home-user.html. Feel free to also look through some of our other blog posts and industry articles to learn more about cybercrime and malware.

Check back next month for another 101 educational blog post.

Inspire Consumer Confidence by Addressing Their Security Concerns

In a study from 2010, RSA surveyed over 4500 adults from 22 countries about their feelings, thoughts, and knowledge of today’s security threats. We want to highlight some of the results from this survey to show you how important security is to consumers and clients and to show how you can help them feel confident about your company.

Online fraud and cybercrime are featured more frequently in the media and the security and privacy risks of social networking has also been discussed at great lengths, this has in turn caused consumers to become more aware and more knowledgeable about online security risks. Because they are more aware, they are also more concerned and expect more from the websites of organizations they interact with on a regular basis. They expect that the companies they have an online relationship with should keep them secure.

One of the most important findings in the survey was the lack of confidence in banks. With more and more elements of one’s daily life being conducted on the Internet, the survey asked consumers how concerned consumers were with having their personal information accessed or stolen at any of these four types of sites: Banking, Healthcare, Government, and Social Networking. Surprisingly, an overwhelming 86% was concerned about banking with social networking a close second at 81%. Government (68%) and Healthcare (61%) trailed behind. This is surprising since financial institutions have showed concerns and taken steps to improve online security for their customers while other sites only require a regular user name and password to access an online account.

In addition, 80% of survey respondents felt that banks need to implement a stronger form of security than a user name and password and a full 92% felt that banks should monitor their accounts for suspicious activity. It is obvious that consumers hold banks to a higher standard than any other sites they interact with online and that high security also impacts an organization’s consumer confidence. Consumer confidence can be directly attributed to increased transactions.

When asked how increased security would impact their willingness to transact online, 92% said they would be more confident. When asked how stronger security features in addition to username and password would impact their willingness to interact, purchase items, and submit personal information to the sites they regularly visit, 72% said they would be more likely to submit personal information online.

SafeCentral’s WebProtection
To help you increase your consumer confidence and thereby your revenue, SafeCentral’s WebProtection™ is a one-time install, light-weight data loss prevention (DLP) application that operates under the assumption that the user’s machine is already infected with malware ensuring that endpoint data is secure. WebProtection™ interprets and intercepts over 5,000 discrete Windows commands (from write to disk, to save in RAM and beyond) and effectively blocks all potentially dangerous activities except those processes needed for the transaction. Unlike other tools, WebProtection™ goes down deep into the DNA of the Windows operating system and is able to control all processes during a secured transaction.

If you require your commercial clients to use WebProtection™, you are helping them increase their revenue, keep their endpoint data secure, and increase your own revenue while keeping your customers’ data secure as well. Learn more at: http://www.safecentral.com/banking-user.html.

To read the survey in its entirety, you can access it at: http://www.rsa.com/products/consumer/whitepapers/10665_CSV_WP_1209_Global.pdf.