Is on-line banking secure? What are the benefits please?

Question

Got to get my finances in order !!

Answer 1

No it's not, but usually the banks absorb the losses resulting from fraud because it's in their interests to prevent it being generally known how insecure it is. By shifting so much over to the internet, the banks can sack 1,000s of staff and save lots of money. What they lose in fraud is more than worth it to them when set against what they save in staff wages.

Answer 2

Protection through single password authentication, as is the case in most secure Internet shopping sites, is not considered secure enough for personal online banking applications in some countries. Online banking user interfaces are secure sites (generally employing the https protocol) and traffic of all information - including the password - is encrypted, making it next to impossible for a third party to obtain or modify information after it is sent. However, encryption alone does not rule out the possibility of hackers gaining access to vulnerable home PCs and intercepting the password as it is typed in (keylogging). There is also the danger of password cracking and physical theft of passwords written down by careless users.

Many online banking services therefore impose a second layer of security. Strategies vary, but a common method is the use of transaction numbers, or TANs, which are essentially single use passwords. Another strategy is the use of two passwords, only random parts of which are entered at the start of every online banking session. This is however slightly less secure than the TAN alternative and more inconvenient for the user. A third option, used in many European countries and currently being trialled in the UK is providing customers with security token devices capable of generating single use passwords unique to the customer's token (this is called two-factor authentication or 2FA). Another option is using digital certificates, which digitally sign or authenticate the transactions, by linking them to the physical device (e.g. computer, mobile phone, etc). While most online banking in the United States still uses single password protection, the FDIC has issued regulations requiring that banks implement more secure authentication mechanisms by the end of the year 2006.

Banks in many European countries (including the Scandinavian countries, The Netherlands, Austria and Belgium) are offering online banking for e-commerce payments directly from customer to merchants.

Answer 3

of course banking on line is secure. I lost my job because of everyone banking online. No one write paper checks anymore. The check processing dept. of the Federal Reserve Bank was closing soon due to low volume of check writing. The benefits is just have a personal computer and log in to your accounts 24/7. You can be a night owl and still log in no matter what time it is like 1 a.m. Just look at the little lock. Everyone is banking online.

Answer 4

Its as secure as Windows is, what patch are we on now?
The Internet/WWW is a public forum, the intent was to share information, hrmm,share information,,hrmmm..I want to give and enter my Finances and Access codes to them on a Public Forum, oh a Bank Router #, let me get a loudspeaker.
I have a puter next to this one, it NEVER goes online, and I only allow Data to be placed On it. When it blows up or fails, I will either repair it, or destroy the HDD, cause I have a backup, that has Never gone online.
Its as secure as you believe it is, but if Amazon,An Airport,HRS,and so many others that you or I are never going to hear about get hacked into and data stolen how safe is that Phone Line to the Sattelite to the ISP to the Sattelite to the Cable, to the phone line to the cell tower to the bank and back, yeah, its as safe as they that little yellow lock icon that I make appear with a line of /begin html.

Answer 5

It is convenient and I haven't had a problem. Just remember a few things.
1. Never ever respond to an email that claims to be your bank. If the email said your account have a problem, rather than responding or clicking a link, close the window and open another window and type in your bank's web address to check your account or call the teller.
2. Never use any computer other than your own. If you ever buy a new computer, save the hard disk from the old one or destroy it so people can't get to it by accident. (I haven't figure out how to destroy, so I save mine).

Answer 6

Depends on the bank you are with. Alot of scammers will create a site that looks identical to your bank's site, and ask you to submit your name and password. Other than hacking a transmission mid-flight, its another way to get your user/pass combination.

Some Canadian banks offer protection on your finances in case someone breaks in to your online account, which gives you a nice safe fuzzy feeling in your stomach. It's great.

The wonderful thing about online banking is how easy it is, and how fast it is. You never have to stand in line to pay bills, or to transfer money ever again...

Answer 7

The banks sites are near foolproof however if you are entering your details on your computer a hacker could access that. Having said that every time you give your card to a waiter in a restraunt you are probably at more risk than when you bank online

Answer 8

Yes i use mine all the time i've never had a problem they give you advice on hackers. Not sure that it well get ur finances in order though but at least you can check what coming in and out of your account and by whom.

Answer 9

I guess online banking is only secure if you trust the bank that you're with. I trust mine and I love online banking-I don't have to pay for transactions at ATMs anymore!

Answer 10

Most sites are secure but unfortunatley hackers always seem to find a way in. For a few dollars a month though you could be protected from identity theft. If your interested in knowing how email me at [e-mail]