Guard against computer viruses

With the recent warnings from national police forces and internet security firms about the GameOver Zeus virus, people are not being informed enough of simple tips they can use to protect themselves from the thieves who create such viruses.

As more of these viruses target financial data, leading banks to pay out to customers who have been affected, these financial institutions will begin to put the onus on the customer to ensure they are protecting themselves from these attacks. Terms and conditions that foreign institutions will impose on customer will also be imposed on Irish customer by Irish institutions.

These may include: Having separate pins codes for different debit/credit cards; ensuring your computer does not save your passwords automatically; keeping virus software updated on your computer; ensuring you do not access your online banking applications from a public Wifi network.

Some of the tips that can be included in an advice section for people to follow could include the following:

- Never give out your personal information over to phone when you are unable to verify who the call proclaims to be.

- Never use personal details to create passwords – for example favourite holidays resort, birthdays of loved ones, your pet’s name.

- Always keep an update copy of your data on an external hard-drive in the event the data on your computer is held to ransom. This way you can always start using another computer by simply plugging the hard-drive into another non-affected computer.

- If prompted for personal details when signing up for a new loyalty card/product etc, use a random word you will remember.

- Do not access your online banking accounts in a public place e.g. cafe, airport, hotel.

- Never ever write down your PIN numbers or passwords in a diary or a book, even if they are stored in a secure place e.g. locked in a drawer.

- Pick a password that is long as possible but also as random as possible.

- Seek the advice of a professional if you are doubt.

- Never respond to emails or phone calls from the bank. Call your bank immediately to report this suspicious behaviour.

If your computer is not acting normally — windows keep appearing then do not log into your bank account.

Maitias Ó Luasaigh

Hillcourt

Donnybrook Hill

Douglas

Cork