Online Banking Security Tips

Another day and another report of a big online banking information security incident. At this point you have to be asking yourself if your business can securely online bank or if it is best avoided altogether. The FDIC offers some limited online banking guidance that primarily deals with not doing business with fake banks and how to validate if your bank is FDIC insured. While these measures are important they are not sufficient to ensure that your online banking is done in a secure manner.
Step 1 – Decide if the benefits of online banking are greater then your potential exposure from loss due to fraud. For individuals this is an easier decision as you have more protection but a business should fully evaluate the risks and implement controls recommended below prior to online banking.
Step 2 – Ensure the computer(s) that you will be online banking with are regularly patched (both operating systems and other general applications), utilize up to date anti virus control, and have a personal firewall installed. I will cover all of these items in more depth with recommended options in a future article but if you are using an all in one suite like Mcafee or Norton you are on the right track.
Step 3 – Strongly consider dedicating a single machine used only for online banking. That means no internet surfing, no email usage etc… The most common method of compromise is via malware from internet surfing or infected email attachments so avoiding these activities via a dedicated machine greatly reduces your risk. That being said you must be consistent and do this 100% of the time for it to be effective.
Step 4- Never perform online banking transactions on a shared PC or on a network that you do not own. Shared PCs or strange networks could be capturing your online banking credentials and could lead to the compromise of your accounts.
Step 5 – Practice good password management practices with your online banking credentials.
Step 6 – Implement automated account monitoring that will automatically alert you of key changes to your account such as security setting changes, adding of a new payee, as well as low balance alerts set on your desired threshold. I recommend getting these alerts sent to your mobile phone as this will offer some additional protection vs. being sent to a traditional email account.
Step 7 – Not many banks have implemented advanced controls to replace passwords (such as password tokens that change every minute) but if you are considering different banks I would lean towards one with greater security measures vs. those that only offer static passwords.
Step 8 – Check your online bank balances once or twice a week to ensure that nothing suspicious has occurred and if you do detect an issue promptly report it to your bank and document all the follow-up you have performed to help minimize your chances of financial loss (keep detailed records of dates and individuals you have talked to). In addition, no amount of error is too small to follow up on as thieves often start with a small test transaction to set the stages for a bigger heist later.
Online banking is convenient but you must be vigilant and implement the recommendations above to stay secure and protect your business.