3 Things You Need to Know if You Use Online Banking

Published: 7th Jan 2012

Banks are well aware that criminals will use any trick they can to get control of your money. To stay ahead in the cat-and-mouse game, financial institutions use one-time passwords and verification codes that render most conventional phishing attacks useless. Thus online criminals have had to innovate quickly.
 
Criminals have designed what are called Man-in-the-middle attacks.  The criminals use these to intercept messages between you and your bank. The criminals delete the intercepted message and then send their own messages instead that looks just like the one they deleted but has fake links and codes that can capture your banking details.  They also know that many of us are now using our Smartphones to bank online so are finding ways to use our phones against us.
 
Here’s what you should know to keep the thieves out of your digital piggy bank.
 
1.    Never click on links from bank e-mails
When you’re busy, it’s easy to make a mistake and click on a bad link, especially on our smartphones. Sean Sullivan from F-Secure Labs says the best strategy is to, “Go to your bank’s website through your internet browser by typing in the URL yourself or searching through a recommend search agent.  An easy way to do this is to keep the site bookmarked in your browser.”
 
2.    Know that criminals are targeting your smartphone
F-Secure Labs has followed Spitmo, a man-in-the-middle attack that targets phones, since spring. And now an Android version has been spotted. This attack pretends to install an application that protects the phone’s SMS messages. If you receive an SMS that asks you to install such software on your phone, take the time to contact your bank first to see if it’s a legitimate offer.

3.    Keep your system and security software updated
The best way to protect yourself from man-in-the-middle attacks is to make sure you have complete online security activated and up-to-date.  Activate your free HomeSafe for protection for all of our devices, including your smartphones accessing the web at home and for protection while banking on your PC make sure you add a complete PC protection software.  We recommend Super Safe Boost which is included as part a TalkTalk Plus package or can be added as a boost to your essentials package for £2 a month.

How concerned are you about your child’s online safety?

Published: 7th Jan 2012

We asked parents about how safe they feel setting their children free on the internet. Here’s what we found out:-

1. How concerned are you about your child’s online safety?

-       Not concerned 6%

-       Somewhat concerned 44%

-       Very concerned 50%

2.  Are you more or less concerned about your child’s safety online than you were in the past?

-       More concerned 82%

-       Less concerned 18%

3.  Are you more concerned about your child’s online safety at school or at home?

-       School 53%

-       Home 47%

4. What are you most concerned about in regards to your child’s online safety?

-       Encountering predatory individuals on social networks or forums 63%

-       Contracting dangerous viruses or malware which can compromise personal or financial data 23%

-       Lack of exercise/dangers of extended PS use to physical health 13%

5. Do you feel you know where to find information about how to keep kids safe online?

-       Yes 58%

-       Somewhat 37%

-       No 5%

Here’s a quick analysis of the results:

1)   Despite most people knowing where and how to find info to keep kids safe online (58%), 94% are still concerned about their child’s safety online, with the majority of that group describing themselves as ‘very concerned’. Also, the vast majority of parents (82%) are more concerned about their child’s safety online now vs in the past.

2)   Parents are approximately three times more concerned about their children encountering predatory individuals online vs contracting malware which could compromise financial or personal data (63% vs 23%)

3)   Parents are nearly twice as concerned about their children encountering viruses and other malware online than the potential negative effects of extended computer use, such as muscle strain or obesity.

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