Internet Banking - a subject for giggles?

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Internet Banking - a subject for giggles?
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Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 12:00 pm Post subject:

Midland Spinner wrote:

Actually, I meant this thread to be about the fact that my bank sees fit to employ someone in their internet banking helpline who giggles when asked about internet security.

However, since we are discussing the relative security of IB, I'll agree with your comment about if the bank being hacked, (or if we turn into a Mediterranean island), but

JB wrote:

The internet and internet banking themselves are not a particular security risk.

Yes they are in as much as it's another way into our account. Any door can be opened if you try hard enough.

JB wrote:

If you really want to use internet banking safely then just employ good practices at your computers (mostly don't install dodgy software, unnecessary browser plugins, open dodgy emails, never trust a link in an email etc.)

Basically what I do already, but what this means is that if I inadvertently click a link or open an email which looked OK, but turns out to be spam, I'm at extra risk..... See what I said earlier about any door can be opened.
Surely I'd be safer if I didn't have internet banking? (except the Gumment wants me to have it so that we can join RTI)

You say never to trust links in emails but what about links in emails which are sent so that you can change your password etc - I've had a few of those in the past - I choose to 'trust' them because I know that I've joined a forum & need to click to activate, or I've forgotten my password & need to re-set it and am fairly sure that the email is in response to me clicking the 'forgotten password' link as I try to log in somewhere - are you saying that I shouldn't ever click them? (For clarity, I should explain that I don't mean the unsolicited emails from 'banks' telling me to click to restore my account, I mean genuine ones where I've actually tried to log in & had a pop-up which says "We've sent you a link")

For links in emails then do not click on the link but cut and paste the link. That way you avoid issues where the displayed text and the link address differ. As to the internet not being a particular security risk I would stand by that statement as the main security risks arise from the end points (your PC and your bank) and not the fact that the internet connects them. Yes it is possible to attack security by intercepting that part of the link but to worry about that would be akin to worrying about your car being stolen while you're driving it. It's possible but not the most likely of problems.

Last edited by Jb on Mon Apr 08, 13 12:02 pm; edited 1 time in total

oldish chris

Joined: 14 Jun 2006
Posts: 4148
Location: Comfortably Wet Southport

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 12:01 pm Post subject:
Lots of people employed in banking have senses of humour, the one who reckons that a bounced DD costs the bank �15 is having a laugh. How to do internet banking safetly: https://voices.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2009/10/avoid_windows_malware_bank_on.html#

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 2:40 pm Post subject:

Last month my online banking was somehow hacked. The first I knew about it was when the bank called to check on some suspicious activity.
So we had a bit of a chat, the card was cancelled and I thought it was all sorted out...
But yesterday I logged onto my online banking to find there has been activity going on since then which I am not doing.
I am not planning to worry about it: as far as I am concerned, the card has been cancelled and it is unarguably their problem.

In some ways, it has given me greater confidence in the system: fraud is usually spotted easily and dealt with.
But it occurs to me that if the fraudsters ever learn to be subtle, then there might be a problem: if they only took a small amount at a time, then they have a fairly good chance of not getting caught at all.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 3:20 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

I'm confused, was it a card or your internet banking that was the problem?

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 3:25 pm Post subject:

Rob R wrote:

Hairyloon wrote:

I'm confused, was it a card or your internet banking that was the problem?

Both I think.
It seems they were spending on the card, and hacked the online banking to pay off the card, presumably to spend some more.

Rob R

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 31902
Location: York

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 3:31 pm Post subject:
Blimey.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 4:06 pm Post subject:

JB wrote:

For links in emails then do not click on the link but cut and paste the link. That way you avoid issues where the displayed text and the link address differ.

Tiptastic advice, thanks

(I think I did know that, but had forgotten, so extra thanks for the reminder)

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 4:15 pm Post subject:
If you are worried, then the advice is to get a Linux LiveCD and do your online banking on that. They are all but impregnable to any kind of infection.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 4:37 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

If you are worried, then the advice is to get a Linux LiveCD and do your online banking on that.
They are all but impregnable to any kind of infection.

Linux LiveCD? err, again in non-techy speak please

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 4:44 pm Post subject:

Instead of running windows from your computer you put a CD in the drive and run a computer system from that. The advice is normally to run linux (Ubuntu seems a common choice). There are two reasons for that one is that linux is less prone to attack than windows (pro linux enthusiasts will say that it is inherently safer, pro windows enthusiasts will say that it is simply that windows popularity means that more viruses and malware attacks target windows). The second reason is that because you start from a clean image every time your PC does not have the opportunity to acquire infections. If it does acquire an infection it should be gone the next time you boot as you restart from the same clean image.

So you can start your PC that way and be fairly confident that your system is clean. The only downside is that as it is a clean system every time you won't have any bookmarks in your browser, or any email set up.

See https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD

Last edited by Jb on Mon Apr 08, 13 4:47 pm; edited 1 time in total

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 4:46 pm Post subject:

JB wrote:

There are two reasons for that...

I think the more fundamental one is that you cannot get a Windows LiveCD.

Jb

Joined: 08 Jun 2005
Posts: 7761
Location: 91� N

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 4:49 pm Post subject:
Well you can get third party windows live CDs but personally I would n't trust them as much as a normal windows system and I'd suggest linux. But neverthless the two reasons are that linux is less prone to attack and the boot image is cleam every time.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 5:32 pm Post subject:

JB wrote:

Well you can get third party windows live CDs...

Can you?
I stand corrected.

Hairyloon

Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 15425
Location: Today I are mostly being in Yorkshire.

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 5:34 pm Post subject:

Midland Spinner wrote:

Linux LiveCD? err, again in non-techy speak please

If JB's explanation is still confusing, and you don't have anyone handy to help, then I am sure one of us can put the necessary in the post for you.

Midland Spinner

Joined: 13 Jan 2009
Posts: 2931
Location: Under a green roof

Posted: Mon Apr 08, 13 7:23 pm Post subject:

Hairyloon wrote:

Midland Spinner wrote:

Linux LiveCD? err, again in non-techy speak please

If JB's explanation is still confusing, and you don't have anyone handy to help, then I am sure one of us can put the necessary in the post for you.

Thank you

I did understand the explanation - even managed to explain it in my own words to OH (who has a migraine today & is therefore on a very very slow run time).

I might take one of you up on the offer of a cd at some point if I do decide to go down the road of IB - it's certainly a better option than the idea of keeping a computer solely for the purpose of banking which is the only suggestion I'd managed to come up with for myself - if I had enough money to afford that though, I wouldn't be so worried about security.

I haven't got any further about it yet because I haven't yet got RTI set up because the HMRC system is on restricted service today, so I don't yet know whether I actually need it - I can't install RTI until I've done the end of year, and I can't do that until they restore the service. Oh well.

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