How to Bank Safely Online

1) Use strong passwords

• Create a strong password that is long and complex. Do not use personal information such as loved ones’ names or birthdates. Security professionals often recommend that your password be at least be 12-14 characters long and include symbols, uppercase letters, and lowercase letters. Additionally, you should not use the same password twice as a data breach through one website could lead to a compromise on another.

2) Use a password manager

• Creating unique and strong passwords can be a lot to manage which is why you should utilize a password manager. A password manager can keep track of your passwords and generate strong/unique passwords for you. Additionally, many managers will automatically fill in your password for you when you want to login. Password managers provide you with much better protection and can save you a ton of time.

3) Make sure you’re up to date

• Ensure that your mobile devices and computers are updated quickly and often. Many data breaches are a result of outdated systems. Developers not only release updates for improvement to features, but also for critical security fixes.

4) Don’t click that link

• Be wary of suspicious email links and attachments. One easy way for an attacker to steal your information is by sending a fake email with a malicious attachment or link. The attacker will include enticing or emotionally charged text in the email in order to get you to click without thinking. A quick glance at the email address might help determine validity—if a company name is misspelled or the email is from a public domain, it’s probably not a legitimate email.

5) Don’t keep sensitive information on your phone

• Don’t store sensitive information such as account numbers, passwords, social security numbers, answers to security questions, or any other personal details on your mobile device without it being encrypted and password protected.

6) Watch out for public Wi-Fi

• Whenever you use public Wi-Fi you must assume that someone else could be watching what you’re doing on your mobile device. That’s because it’s very easy to monitor internet traffic with the proper equipment which is why you must be extremely cautious of free random Wi-Fi—it’s best to stick to cell data.