Safe Computing Practices

It is important that you take steps to protect your information on your personal computer. Scotiabank Internet Banking is a protected environment which meets the highest Internet security standards. While we take strong measures to ensure the security of your financial transactions and the confidentiality of your information, it is extremely important that you also take precautions to ensure that your information remains safe and secure. We advise customers to read about these topics and follow the recommended safe computing practices:

1. Protect Your Privacy
2. Use Anti-Virus Software
3. Protect Your Internet Connection
4. Use Supported Browsers

1. Protect Your Privacy:

• Protect your ScotiaCard and Password. Your ScotiaCard number and Scotiabank Internet Banking password are unique to you alone and without them, no one can log into your account. Just as you wouldn't write a blank cheque for a stranger, always remember to keep your Scotiabank Internet Banking password and ScotiaCard number secret, so there's no risk of others accessing your accounts. Do not divulge your password to anyone. If you suspect your password has been compromised, please change your password immediately or call 800-1-SCOTIA (726842).
• Avoid using software that records your passwords so that you don't need to enter them the next time you access a website from the same computer. This type of software could give other users of your computer access to your accounts.
• Do not leave your computer unattended while logged on to ScotiabankInternet Banking.
• Always log off when you're done your Scotiafbank Internet Banking session.
• Clear your browser's cache after each Scotiabank Internet Banking session. Each time you access the Internet, your browser automatically saves a copy of the web pages you've visited. Diligently clearing your browser's cache after each session is an important step in safeguarding your account information.
• Never send confidential information (such as account numbers of any type, ScotiaCard, password, etc.) via email.
• Review your account statements promptly and report any discrepancies immediately. Contact numbers can be found on your statements.
• Report lost or stolen ScotiaCards to 800-1-SCOTIA (726842) immediately.

2. Use Anti-Virus Software:

Whenever you use your personal computer and the Internet, there is a potential risk of contracting a computer virus or the possibility of infiltration by intrusion software commonly known as "Trojan Horses". Computer viruses can modify programs, delete files and erase the contents of hard drives. "Trojan Horses" can have similar effects and may be able to capture keystrokes, including passwords or other secret information.

The potential consequences of any of these threats could include damage to your personal computer, compromise of your secret information and the inability to use your Scotiabank Internet Banking software.

For these reasons, we advise our customers to follow these practices:

• Install and frequently update a proven anti-virus product, such as Norton AntiVirus^* or McAfee VirusScan^*
• Only accept or download software from a source that you believe to be trusted.
• Never accept files or attachments when accessing websites, newsgroups and chat rooms unless you are very sure of their authenticity.

3. Protect Your Internet Connection:

There are additional vulnerabilities associated with having a computer directly connected to the Internet for an extended period of time. This applies to all users but it is extremely important for users with cable modem or digital subscriber line (DSL) Internet access. These methods of connection do not require 'dialing' into the Internet and thus are sometimes described as 'always on' connections. Unfortunately, as long as the computer remains 'on' and connected to the Internet, malicious parties have a continuous window of opportunity for attacks on the user's personal computer.

If you use a cable modem or DSL connection for Internet access, you can limit this security risk by disconnecting from the Internet when your session is complete, or by turning off the cable or DSL modem. However, if you want to continue to take advantage of the 'always on' feature of cable and DSL connections or if you run extended dial-up sessions on the Internet, we recommend the following security measures be taken:

• Disable File Sharing on Your Personal Computer
  File sharing is a feature of Windows^* that allows other computers to access your personal computer, even from across the Internet. Microsoft^* has provided instructions on how to disable file sharing in Windows Help (Click Start, Help, then choose the 'Index' tab and type "file sharing, disabling").
  
  Our recommendation is to disable file sharing. However, if you choose to retain this option for your particular environment, exercise due care and apply appropriate security measures.

   

• Install a Personal Firewall
  Install and frequently update a proven personal firewall product, such as Zone Alarm^* or Black Ice^* , that can be configured to prevent unauthorized access to your personal computer and keep it up to date.

4. Use Supported Browsers:

Encryption is the process of protecting information as it moves from one computer to another so that it is unreadable to everyone except the receiver. The stronger the level of encryption used by your web browser, the more difficult it is for unauthorized parties to break the encryption and decipher the message in transit.

Scotiabank Internet Banking is fully tested before supporting new browser versions. When accessing Scotiabank Internet Banking, you are required to use one our recommended browsers with 128-bit encryption. Find out more about supported browsers, how to check your encryption level and download the latest version.

Related Software Websites:

• Norton AntiVirus or McAfee^*
• Symantec^*
• Zone Alarm
• BlackICE

While Scotiabank believes these safe computing practices and included links provide reasonable but not absolute protection, the Bank makes no representation or warranty as to their intended use or fitness for purpose.

^* Norton AntiVirus and Symantec are trademarks of Symantec Corporation
McAfee and McAfee VirsusScan are trademarks of Network Associates, Inc
Windows and Mircrosoft are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
Zone Alarm is a trademark of Zone Labs, Inc.
BlackICE is a trademark Internet Security Systems, Inc.

 

For more information about Scotiabank Internet Banking
dial 800-1-SCOTIA (726842)