Increase Security with a Banking-Only Computer
Caution is needed when using the Internet to access financial accounts. Modern technology has made banking easier than ever. But there are people all over the world who try to steal using that same technology.
By now most of us have had our email account hacked. Something like that is more of a nuisance than a threat. You inadvertently click on a link in an email. Later you come to find out that a bunch of people in your address book got advertisements of some kind. Changing your password and running an anti-virus scan usually takes care of problems like that.
All attacks are not of this nature. Some are deadly serious. Hackers are capable of stealing significant amounts of money from your financial accounts. They can also lock your computer and demand payment to unlock it. A few years back, for instance, there was a flood of fake emails from banks. They would tell you there was a problem with your account. They would link to a fake bank web site and prompt you to enter your personal information. If you did it was sent to the thieves. I do not get nearly as many of those today. So I guess people got wise to the scam. But that only means the thieves are working on new crime methods.
Even someone who knows what to look for can get taken. Dangerous emails tend to have common characteristics, such as poor grammar. But cyber thieves are always improving. About a year ago an associate’s Gmail account got hacked. It started sending out messages to his contact list saying he had left a document for review in Google Drive. It was possible he would leave me a document. The email looked real and it linked to an actual Google Drive account. So when the file icon came up on my smart phone I clicked on it. As soon as I did it started going to some bizarre web site. I closed the connection before it could finish loading. Then I immediately changed my Google password. In the end it was not a problem thankfully.
Having one computer dedicated only to banking is a strong defense against cyber crime. If all you do on that computer is go to financial institution web sites you are unlikely to be attacked. Chase, for example, is not going to try and steal your money by installing malicious software. Keep your email, personal web browsing, Word, Excel and anything else on a different machine. That way if you inadvertently click on something the problem is isolated.
I will use an example to further illustrate. A keylogger is software that records every keystroke users make on a computer. It has legitimate applications, such as in parental or employee monitoring software. But hackers can use it to steal banking passwords. If you click on a link in an email that installs a malicious keylogger, then log on to your bank accounts, your user name and password will be recorded and sent to the cyber thieves. They can then drain your accounts. If, on the other hand, your email and banking are done on two different machines the damage is limited. They might get something like your Facebook password. But that is far less of a problem.
Using an older machine for this strategy is a cost-effective move. Many people have computers that are no longer used on a regular basis, because they upgraded to something newer. It doesn’t take a lot of memory or computing power to get on the Internet and browse. So even if the machine is several years old it can still serve as your banking computer. The one I use was made in 2007. Uninstall all software from the machine besides a web browser and a virus scanner. Put it off to the side in your home and do not turn it on unless there is banking to do. Only use an older computer in this role if you are confident it hasn’t been compromised with malicious software. If you are not sure go to a local retailer and buy a bottom of the line new computer instead.
No prevention tactic is perfect and cyber crime is constantly evolving. But using one machine to only go to bank web sites is a sensible, effective and low-cost strategy that anyone can use to better protect their money.
© 2016 invessentials.com – Essentials of Investing Articles presented here are general opinions for your own consideration. They are not specific advice for any one investor.
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