How to secure online banking transactions?

by | Mar 29, 2017 | CompTIA, Malware Prevention, Online Banking Security, Phishing, Securing Authentication

If a user installs a script blocker and opens a website, the script blocker will prevent scripts from running unless the user specifically mentions that the website, like a banking website, is trusted and scripts can run from it. Using a script blocker can prove to be very effective, as it can block scripts from a malicious website, even if the website is opened by mistake by clicking on a link or by opening an attachment.

4. Beware of phishing scams

Do not reveal any sensitive banking information over an email. A bank will never ask to reveal or verify any sensitive information over en email. So, if you get an email requesting to reveal any sensitive information or if it asks you to verify any sensitive information urgently, do not click on any link or open any attachments of the email. Instead, you can call the customer care of the bank and confirm such an email before responding to it. And, if you think an email is a phishing email, never ever send any reply to it. Just delete the email. To know more about phishing: How to prevent phishing? and What is Social Engineering and how to prevent it?

5. Do not reveal your PIN, password, or OTP to anyone

Never ever reveal your PIN, password, One-Time Password, or OTP to anyone. A bank will never ask its customers to reveal that information even to them. So, if you get an email, phone call, or SMS asking for that information, be sure that it is a scam. Interested readers will get more information in How to prevent smishing? and How to prevent vishing?

6. Keep your browser and Operating System updated

Cybercriminals mostly take advantage of security vulnerabilities present in a browser, operating system or other commonly used software to perpetrate the crimes. Every patch in software contains some fixes that close some of the vulnerabilities. In short, updating software with recent patches means reducing the security vulnerabilities present in the software. And, the more updated software is, the lesser its vulnerabilities are. So, keep your browser, operating system, and other commonly used software updated regularly with recent patches. To know more on how to secure your browser: A comprehensive guide on security and privacy of your browser

7. Use anti-malware programs from trusted sources

A properly updated anti-malware program can prevent most of the malware that is widely used to steal the banking information of a user. So, one should make sure to use good anti-malware programs and to update them regularly, so that they can detect the recent malware programs also.

Cybercriminals often create rogue anti-malware programs and advertise them online. These programs can show a notification saying there is malware on the computer and that a user should download the anti-malware to remove it urgently. However, these anti-malware programs are malware themselves and can infect a computer once a user gets tricked and downloads them. So, use anti-malware programs from trusted sources only.

It is always advisable to configure proper firewalls on a computer and limit applications’ access to the Internet unnecessarily so that cybercriminals cannot exploit this to steal users’ sensitive data.

8. Think twice before clicking on an unknown link

Cybercriminals often trick a victim into clicking on suspicious links. On clicking on those links, scripts start running in the background, which installs malware and may start stealing sensitive information like the banking credentials of the victim. So, think twice before clicking on a link if you are not sure what that link contains. It is always advisable not to click on links in an email sent by an unknown sender or any other link that looks suspicious. You would get an Infographic on how to detect phishing here: How to detect and prevent phishing?

9. Do not open an unknown attachment

Do not open an attachment to emails sent by an unknown sender. Cybercriminals often use this trick to install malware on a computer. So, if you are unsure about an email, it is better to confirm with the sender offline before opening any attachments to the email. It is always better to be safe than sorry.

10. Do not download anything from untrusted sites

Do not download any software from untrusted websites. Cybercriminals often hide malware in useful or interesting-looking software and lure victims into downloading it so that the malware can easily infect a computer. So, if you are installing software, make sure to install it from trusted sources only. And, avoid downloading anything from Peer-to-Peer File Sharing Software like BitTorrent. To know more about this: What are the security risks of using P2P File Sharing Software like BitTorrent?

The steps described above are simple ones. But, the techniques described above are most widely used by cybercriminals to commit crimes. And, these simple steps can safeguard us from online frauds up to a significant extent. So, please be aware of various security concerns and stay safe online.

I hope this helps. Interested readers who want to know more about how different malware and cyberattacks work and how we can prevent them may want to refer to the book “A Guide To Cyber Security.”

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Amrita Mitra

Author

Ms. Amrita Mitra is an author, who has authored the books “Cryptography And Public Key Infrastructure“, “Web Application Vulnerabilities And Prevention“, “A Guide To Cyber Security” and “Phishing: Detection, Analysis And Prevention“. She is also the founder of Asigosec Technologies, the company that owns The Security Buddy.

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