Heartbleed Flaw
Regarding the “OpenSSL Heartbleed Flaw”, Citizens Bank has tested our systems and will continue to monitor them. Citizens Bank will contact our customers immediately should we detect any intrusions. Please contact us at (573) 237-3051 should you have any suspicious activity on your accounts.
Internet Explorer Security Issue
Microsoft is working to patch a security issue in Internet Explorer (versions 6 to 11) that could give hackers the ability to fool users into clicking on malicious links. Do NOT click on links you do not know.
Security Tips
The Weakest Link
The old security adage that users are the weakest link in information security still holds true today. You may employ strong firewalls on your home or business computers, with many layers of technology tools to analyze and thwart hackers, but if a computer user clicks on a link in a phishing email, the door is opened.
Educating all computer users about information security as frequently and extensively as possible makes good sense in today’s world. Annual security awareness training, security posters, and emails with security tips can all pay off in better security practices. A proven method for encouraging business users to practice information security is to continually remind them that what they are learning in the workplace is usually applicable at home.
As technology continues to evolve, human beings will continue to be the most vulnerable target for attackers. We encourage you to stay diligent with your security awareness training and practices throughout the year.
Secure those Postcards
One of the best analogies I’ve seen about email is that we should consider email to be like a postcard – open and readable as it passes through the delivery cycle. Unless your email system is properly secured, email exchanges can be open and accessible. And just like snail mail, emails sent over the Internet take many paths in reaching their final destination. Since unsecured email is as open as a postcard, you should assume every “postal worker” has read it along the way.
Don’t Save Passwords!
We’ve all encountered the pop-up that asks us if we want to save our passwords for future use. And many of us have probably agreed to save those passwords. After all, saving the password will definitely speed up your next login. However, saving the password will also speed up the login process for anyone who has access to your workstation.
These saved passwords are stored locally on your workstation, and sometimes are not encrypted or protected. Currently, several utilities can be used to find these stored passwords. And for encrypted passwords, those same utilities can find the generated hash and use that to log on. So protect your information and never select “Yes” to save a password on any system.