Online Banking Tip: Using Public Computers
You will never know when you need to access your bank account on the Internet. Normally, you would use a "safe" computer, like your laptop, your computer at home, or one that you have in the office. The problem is, what if you don't have access to any of those computers and you really need to do a bank transaction?
Well, there are always public computers, a.k.a. Internet cafes or computer rental shops. For general surfing, those public computers are fine. However, if you will be using them to do transactions online, then that is quite dangerous for you never know if that computer has a keylogger or any type of software that can track your activities.
Now if you really can't avoid using a public computer for online banking, here are some things you can do:
- Scramble your Password: When the time comes for you to enter your password, type the first character, followed by random characters. Highlight the random characters and type the next character. Repeat the process until you entered all the characters of your password. (Tips on how to protect your passwords)
- Use a Portable Browser: Portable software is basically a type of computer program that you can instantly use without installing it. Use a portable browser saved in your flash drive that has your passwords saved so you would not need to type any password.
- Use a Different OS: If you are still paranoid about keyloggers and your security, you can download and use various Linux distros into your flash drive or CD, and boot it up in the public computer. With that, you are sure that no keylogger will be able to monitor your activities.
As always, never forget to log out of the website you visit. Without logging out, the cookies of your session is still stored in the browser's cache, making it accessible to anyone. Also, make sure you change your password as soon as you get home or have access using your own computer. For more information regarding this article, read Online security best practice tips.






on 2008-09-19 at 01:48:59
Also, if your online bank has an option for you to forget your old password and send a new password to your email, do so BUT DO NOT OPEN THE EMAIL IN THAT COMPUTER. Just enter your password, do your banking stuff, and then click to forget your current pass then leave. Open the email at home to retrieve your password.