Latest malicious programs are targeting online banking data—How to protect your computer and your data

By Remar Sutton, DCU StreetWise Spokesperson

Online banking is a real convenience. Credit unions, banks and other financial institutions work tirelessly to keep their systems secure. But the weak link can be individual personal computers—we need to do our part to keep everything as secure as possible. Online thieves are always looking for a way to grab your personal info and use that to get your money.

The latest threat—not widespread yet but growing—is a ploy to steal your online bank data from your computer using keystroke loggers. Let’s state clearly: this is nothing to do with your financial institution and their security. The potential weak spot is your computer. Keystroke loggers can be installed on your machine when you visit web sites that are infected or through pop-up ads. These programs are not yet widespread but are just a sign of what may come. Many of these threats are taking advantage of flaws in Internet Explorer—you may have seen some recent news stories on this.

What should you do to protect yourself? Of course, financial institutions are working from their end, but the most important steps must be taken by individual computer owners. Recommendations from US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team) and other computer security experts include:

Download and install all Internet Explorer patches.
Disable active scripting and ActiveX.
Maintain updated anti-virus software.
Use a firewall—preferably one that blocks unauthorized outgoing traffic as well as incoming.
If a site wants to install software on your machine, say no unless you requested the download.
Don’t follow links in unsolicited emails, instant messages, forums, or IRC channels.
Use a different web browser, such as Mozilla or Opera. Both of these browsers block pop-ups and provide other security features.

In the article Increase Your Browsing and E-Mail Safety 4 Steps to Help Ward Off Hackers and Attackers, Microsoft recommends that you set Internet Explorer security to high and provides the necessary steps to do so.

To simplify your web security, several companies offer Internet security packages that include anti-virus, firewall, pop-up blocker, and other security programs.

These articles have more information about the specific attacks:

Net Attack Aimed at Banking Data

Pop-up program reads keystrokes, steals passwords

For more on securing your computer read The Goal of Computer Security or What's Yours is Yours Until You Say Otherwise!

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