How to Protect Your Personal Information Online

As many of you know from my previous post I am an avid user of ING Direct for my Checking and Savings. While using their site recently I came across an offer for Trusteer’s Rapport software. The software, which is offered free to ING customers, is used for consumer identity theft protection. I had not heard of the software before so I decided to check it out.

In case you are unaware the internet has become a dangerous place over the years. With so many websites requiring personal info such as credit card numbers, social security numbers and passwords, cybercrime has been on the rise targeting YOUR personal information. There are attacks such as phishing attacks which send fake emails pretending to be from your bank or other website such as Ebay, requesting that you update your information. The links in these emails are to fake sites that are not run by the parties you think are sending them. Once you click on the link and submit your info, a hacker receives it and can now login as you on the legitimate site. Once in, they can do anything from make purchases, transfer money, or find other info on you to create new accounts.

Phishing attacks are just one way that hackers try to steal your information. Another technique is using a keylogger. Keyloggers keep track of every key you press while on your computer and then save that information to a log file. The log file can be accessed by the hacker to see what personal info they can grab from that file.

Installing spyware and malware on your computer is another technique used. Often times your current antivirus software will not detect these programs on your computer. They can be installed simply by visiting a web page. The programs are installed in the background without your consent. Once installed the spyware/malware can steal password and personal information as you type it in to websites you visit, then send it off to a third party. Once they have this information they can do quite a bit of damage.

This is where Trusteer’s Rapport comes into play. Trusteer Rapport works with your existing antivirus software installed on your computer. Rapport runs under the assumption that your computer is already infected. With Rapport installed a “secure-pipe” is created everytime you visit websites you have enabled Trusteer on. Trusteer is enabled by clicking on the Rapport icon in the address bar of your browser and then clicking “Protect this Website”. Once enabled all future visits will use the “secure-pipe” to connect to the site. This pipe will protect all information that is sent between your computer and the site you are visiting. The secure pipe prevents any malicious software running on your machine from stealing confidential information that is being exchanged between your computer and the website you are on. Your passwords, credit card numbers, social security numbers and any other personal information you enter will all be protected from any malicous software that may be running on your computer.

As I said before this software will run along side any other antivirus you may have running on your computer. Since it runs under the assumption that your computer is already infected, there is no reliance on other programs to protect your personal information. I have downloaded the Rapport software and have been running it for a few days now. I have seen no performance impact on my computer. There is a new icon in my address bar, which is used to enable or disable Rapport for the current site.

You only need to enable it once per site and there is a pre-defined list of sites, which will enable it automatically when visited. The product is available from Trusteer’s site, but will cost you. However, if you are an ING customer you can download the software from the ING site for free.

If you are a current ING customer, I suggest you login to your account and download the software. If you are not an ING customer I couldn’t think of a better time to join ING. Not only will you get the benefits of great online banking that I have discussed in my previous post, but you will also gain the benefit of added security while surfing the net. Antivirus alone will not always protect your personal information. Additional layers are needed and Trusteer’s Rapport is a layer I highly recommend.

More info:
About Trusteer’s Rapport
ING Direct