Online Security

Internet Phishing Scams

Phishing is a common way used to gain personal information for purposes of identity theft, using fraudulent e-mail messages that appear to come from legitimate businesses. The bank will never ask for private information via email.

Protect Your Privacy

Use Strong Passwords and Change Them Regularly
A simple password, like your spouse's name, is not sufficient protection. To protect yourself against security threats, create a password at least 8 characters long with uppercase and lower case letters, numbers, and special characters.

HTTPS Is Good Protection

When you're browsing the Web, protect yourself by using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) whenever possible. For example https://www.google.com.

Avoid Public Computers and Wi-Fi

As convenient as free Wi-Fi and publicly available computers may be at, say, a public library or café, using them can leave your personal information exposed. Public computers might be infected with spyware and other types of malware designed to track your movements online and harvest your passwords.

Protect Your Data

Keep Your Software Up-to-Date
One of the simplest but most important security precautions you should take is to keep your PC's software up-to-date. Not just Windows updates but also: Adobe, Apple, Java, and other software makers periodically release fixes for various bugs and security flaws. Cybercriminals commonly exploit known vulnerabilities, and Adobe Reader is a constant target of such assaults.

Install and Maintain Anti-Virus Programs

If you're running antivirus software from two or three years ago, you should upgrade to the most recent version, even if you still receive up-to-date malware signature files for the older edition. The technology for antivirus software has improved greatly in recent years.

Lock-Down Your Smartphone

Your cell phone may contains lots of personal information including e-mail addresses, photos, phone contacts, Facebook and Twitter apps, etc. This valuable data makes smartphones a tempting target for thieves and cybercriminals. Take advantage of the security features on your phone like having it auto-lock after so many minutes and requiring a passcode to unlock it.