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Advice to Keep You Protected

How to Protect Yourself from a Cyberattack

Flatwater Bank is committed to ensuring our cyber security capabilities continue to provide customers with optimal protection from cyber threats.  The recent Russian invasion of Ukraine is an excellent reminder that we need to be extra vigilant.  We know protecting your financial information is serious business, and that is why we use a combination of cutting-edge technology and industry practices to protect your personal and financial information, including:

  • Anti-virus and anti-malware protection
  • Firewalls
  • Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption
  • Cookies
  • Multi-factor authentication measures
  • Credential confidentiality
  • Automatic logout
  • Biometric authentication
  • Account monitoring

We also want to use this as an opportunity to remind customers and businesses that these threats aren’t new.  Everyone needs to be vigilant and protect themselves against cyber threats. 

How can you protect yourself from a Cyberattack

  • Use strong and unique passwords.  Longer is stronger when it comes to passwords: consider at least 12 characters.
  • Enable multi-factor authentication
  • Steer clear of public Wi-Fi
  • Set up customized activity alerts for your accounts
  • Be wary of phishing scams
  • Avoid sending financial and sensitive information via email
  • Never share passwords, security codes, or personal information
  • Back up important data
  • Update software

Knowing how cyberattacks work and what you can do to prevent your data from being compromised is key to preventing your personal information from being breached.  Cyberattacks occur through a variety of methods.  An overarching theme is that email is the delivery mechanism of choice for most scams.  There are two types of email scams.

Phishing scams – cybercrimes in which targets are contacted by email, telephone, or text message by posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, credit/debit card details, and passwords.  Educate yourself on phishing scams here.

Malware Scams - include viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other unwanted software secretly installed onto your device.  Once malware is on your device, criminals can use it to steal your sensitive information, send you unwanted or inappropriate ads, or demand payment to unscramble data encrypted by ransomware.  Learn more about malware scams here.

We encourage you to be extra diligent with identifying potential scams and hacking attempts.  Check out these other insider tips to ensure you are aware of potential threats and doing the most to protect your information and money.

There is no substitute for being security conscious, and there is no question or concern too small.  Please reach out to one of our team members if you feel someone may be attempting to scam you to get your information.