Protect yourself online

There are important steps you should take to protect yourself from online threats such as financial crimeware and identity theft. Taking the steps below to protect your computer not only saves you time and trouble should something go wrong, but also ensures that you are getting the best online experience. 

Internet Security Package

Every computer used to access Internet Banking needs an Internet security package installed to protect you from financial crimeware and safeguard your online identity. The package from a reputable vendor should include:

• anti-virus – prevents financial crimeware from damaging your computer
• anti-spyware – protects your computer from crimeware that may attempt to monitor what you are doing online
• firewall – monitors information going in and out of your computer to prevent unauthorised access
  
  

It is important to ensure the Internet Security Package is set to automatically download the daily antivirus updates to ensure you are protected against the latest threats.

Update Your Operating System

Ensuring your operating system remains up to date is an important step in securing your computer. Both Microsoft and Apple regularly release updates, or patches, that provide new features, improve performance and provide protection against new types of crimeware.

• Microsoft Windows – use Windows Update http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/
• Apple Mac OS X – use ‘Software Update’ within Finder
  

Updates are normally released every month but there may be urgent security patches during the month. You can configure your computer to automatically download and install updates.

Windows Security Center

For users of the Microsoft Windows operating system, the Security Center can help you take control of security on your computer by displaying all security related settings on one convenient screen.
It will alert you when security software is out of date or when security settings needs to be strengthened, ensuring your computer is set up for you to use NetBank and the Internet safely.

You can access the Windows Security Center by clicking on Start > Control Panel > Security Center.