Your Security

Member Security @ Home

First Tech works hard to secure our online services, but this accounts for only half of your secure connection to us. You are responsible for the other half! Your computer must be secured in order to ensure a safe and secure connection to First Tech.

You could become a victim of “phishing”

The word “phishing” has been in the news a lot lately. In case you don’t know, phishing is a form of online identity theft where a scammer sends an email to an unsuspecting consumer. That email might look just like a legitimate bank email (right down to the company logo), but in fact it’s a forgery. If the consumer falls for the bait (thus the “fishing” reference), the thief could get their credit card, bank account or even the victim’s Social Security number.

With enough information, a con artist can run up fraudulent bills or even steal a person’s identity.

Don’t believe everything you read

Experts warn consumers to be extremely cautious of any email that makes any threats or seems too pushy. Also, be on the lookout for any financial institution email that requests your personal or financial information. There is no financial institution out there that will make that kind of request online. Like First Tech, most will make a personal call or send a letter if there are any issues with an account.

Avoid being hooked and fried by phishing

Never click on a link provided in an email if there is reason to believe it is fraudulent. The link may direct your browser to a fake site or download a computer virus or spyware program to your computer.
Do not be intimidated by emails that warn of dire consequences if you do not follow the instructions of the email. It is, after all, just an email and the “delete” button takes care of those emails rather quickly.
If there is a question about whether the email is legitimate or not, go to First Tech’s web site by typing in a site address that you know to be legitimate.
If you fall victim to a phishing scam, act immediately to protect yourself by alerting First Tech at 800.637.0852 and placing fraud alerts on your credit files and monitoring your account statements closely.
Report suspicious emails or calls to the Federal Trade Commission through the Internet at www.consumer.gov/idtheft, or by calling 877.IDTHEFT.

We use computers for everything from banking and investing to shopping and communicating with others through email or chat programs. Although you may not consider your communications "top secret," you probably do not want strangers reading your email, using your computer to attack other systems, sending forged email from your computer, or examining personal information stored on your computer (such as financial statements).

Intruders (also referred to as hackers, attackers, or crackers) may not care about your identity. Often, they want to gain control of your computer so they can use it to launch attacks on other computer systems. Having control of your computer gives them the ability to hide their true location as they launch attacks, often against high-profile computer systems such as government or financial systems. Even if you have a computer connected to the Internet only to play the latest games or to send email to friends and family, your computer may be a target.

Intruders may be able to watch all your actions on the computer, or cause damage to your computer by reformatting your hard drive or changing your data. Unfortunately, intruders are always discovering new vulnerabilities (informally called "holes") to exploit in computer software. The complexity of software makes it increasingly difficult to thoroughly test the security of computer systems.

When holes are discovered, computer vendors will usually develop patches to address the problem(s). However, it is up to you, the user, to obtain and install the patches, or correctly configure the software to operate more securely. Most of the incident reports of computer break-ins received at the CERT/CC could have been prevented if home users had kept their computers up-to-date with patches and security fixes.

Also, some software applications have default settings that allow other users to access your computer unless you change the settings to be more secure.

For these reasons, the Information Security Team at First Tech has put together this information to help you secure your home system to mitigate risk involved with connecting to the Internet.

Here Is What You Can do

Make sure your Operating System (computer) is Up-to-date.

Whatever Operating System you use, Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD, etc., you’ll need to keep it up-to-date. Security flaws are consistently identified so you should check for updates often.
Updating your system is easy! For example in the Windows Operating System all you need to do is start Internet Explorer, click Tools and then Windows Update.
Remember, updating your OS is like changing your Car’s oil. You MUST do it or it will fail.

Make sure that you have Anti-Virus Software installed and UPDATED.

There are many different types of Anti-virus programs to pick from. Two of the most popular are Norton and McAfee. The important thing to remember is KEEP your Anti-Virus programs UP-TO-DATE.
An outdated Anti-Virus program may not protect you from the newest viruses. Set your Anti-Virus software to automatically update.

Ensure that you are running a Personal Firewall.

Just like Anti-Virus programs, Personal Firewalls are now a must when connecting to the internet. Personal Firewalls will protect you from Hackers trying to take over your computer.
There are many different types of Personal Firewalls, but a few of the more popular ones are Zone Alarm, BlackICE and Norton Personal Firewall.
Follow this link to read a review of Personal Firewalls, or type “personal firewalls” into your favorite internet search engine http://www.firewallguide.com/software.htm

Make sure that you have Anti-SpyWare Software installed and UPDATED.

There are extra steps that you can take to secure your web browser. Over time as you browse the internet web pages that you surf to will install unwanted programs, cookies, spy programs, etc to your computer. Many of this will go undetected by Anti-Virus programs and Personal Firewalls.
You can find quite a few free and pay-for Anti-Spyware programs to choose from on the Internet: SpyBot S&D, Ad-aware, Spy-Sweeper, etc.

Just say YES to NAT (network address translation).

Do you have a broadband connection to the Internet? DSL, Cable, etc? Then you MUST make sure that you have a router protecting your system. This is one of the best things you can do to protect yourself. Having an “always-on” connection to the internet gives the hackers the time they need to break into your system. A router adds protection not unlike a corporate Firewall. They're inexpensive and easy to setup.
In short, never plug directly into the internet. It makes you a very easy target. Hide behind your router.

Other important ways for securing your system.

Consider using another flavor of Browser. With Internet Explorer (IE) being the world’s most popular browser, most vulnerability’s and attacks are targeted towards it. Consider Mozilla or FireFox, both work extremely well with firsttechcu.com and are very secure.
Install a pop-up blocker. Google Toolbar, Yahoo Tool Bar, MSN Toolbar all make outstanding Pop-up blockers. Both Mozilla and Firefox have built-in pop-up blocking.
If you’re not running a network at home with shared folders turn off Microsoft File and Print Sharing.
Do you have a Wireless connection at home? Make sure that you have WEP Encryption enabled! Otherwise your Neighbors (or anyone within range) will be able to jump right onto your network connection and possibly see your entire home network.
Educate yourself. There are many great places on the internet to keep up-to-date with current threats and places to learn new ways to secure your systems.
     a. Viruses: (http://securityresponse.symantec.com/)
     b. Security Tools (http://www.webattack.com/)
     c. Internet Storm Center (http://isc.sans.org/)
Be careful out there and keep up-to-date!
a. OS updates, Virus updates, Firewall updates, SpyWare updates. Attack them before they attack you.

Falcon Fraud Protection

Behind every great, online security measure is a dedicated team of individuals. At First Tech, our team relies on the professionals at Visa Falcon Fraud Protection Services to protect your First Tech Visa card from fraud and theft. This is a method by which we monitor how your card is being used and put a stop to possible fraudulent activity.

Falcon Fraud does work with First Tech to protect your financial future. So if you get a call from anyone identifying themselves as First Tech Fraud Prevention (from phone number 866.317.9343), it’s likely some suspicious charges or purchases have been made on your Visa. They will help verify the validity of the purchases to protect your credit.

Once you’re on the phone with First Tech Fraud Prevention, they will verify your identity with questions that may include a portion of your Social Security number. If you would feel better doing so, please ask for a return phone number so you can call them back. Again, their number is 866.317.9343.

Your security is our top concern. If you have any questions about Visa Falcon Fraud Protection Services, call us at 800.637.0852.