NEWS RELEASE for
January 18, 2008
Trojan.Silentbanker, a computer virus, has been the subject of a number of news broadcasts in the past 24 hours.
"The Trojan targets people doing on-line banking in order to gain access to accounts or to divert transactions," explains Nelson Tkatch, Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Community Savings. "It can not live in or transmit itself through an on-line banking system like we use at Community Savings."
Viruses like Trojan.Silentbanker can impact on-line users when they visit an on-line banking site if they have not taken precautions. Members who keep their on-line anti-virus and security systems on their own computers up-to-date have limited risk.
Tkatch adds, "We haven't had any reports of members who have been affected, but news coverage like this provides us an ideal opportunity to remind people of what they can do to make sure their on-line transactions are secure."
The following steps reflect basic security "best practices" and are encouraged for all users.
- Do not use public computers to do on-line banking as you cannot be assured that anti-virus and security systems are up-to-date.
- Always keep your anti-virus patch levels up-to-date on your computer.
- Ensure you are using a recognized anti-virus protection system that provides timely updates.
- Use a complex password. Complex passwords are difficult to crack. This helps to prevent or limit damage when a computer is compromised.
- Never leave you computer unattended when you have on-line banking open.
- Ensure you log off, clear your cache, and close the browser following your on-line transactions.
- Do not open e-mail attachments unless you are expecting them or they are from a recognized sender.
Community Credit Union Ltd., operating as Community Savings, has 30 locations in 24 Alberta communities geographically distributed from Ponoka south to the U.S. border. Community Savings provides a complete line of banking services, including registered accounts, financing, investments, insurance and commercial banking. With assets of $2.7 billion, it is the second largest credit union in Alberta and the sixth largest in Canada. Its head office is located in Red Deer.
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