Virtual keyboards keep online hackers at bay
HDFC Bank and Citibank have introduced ‘Virtual Keyboard’ function in online banking to protect against frauds. Build your business online I Buying a new computer?
By Vidyalaxmi, TNN |
Banks like HDFC Bank and Citibank have introduced ‘Virtual Keyboard’ function in online banking to protect against frauds, reports
Do you know that it is possible to hack your password by capturing keystrokes on the keypad ? Programs such as Spy Ware and Trojan Programs are designed to capture keyboard strokes. And it is often installed in the computer system to capture confidential user data without the user’s consent.
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To do away with such frauds, some banks have newly introduced the concept of Virtual Keyboard to protect your account or card information and password (IPINs) from getting hacked.
Rajiv Chatterjee, vice-president of ATM, net banking and mobile banking products with HDFC Bank, explains : “Whenever you avail of the net banking facility through shared computers or a cyber café , there is a high possibility of a fraudster hacking your password. This happens through key logger attack. It’s a foreign software used for making fraudulent online credit card transactions or steal your IPINs”.
Experts say these softwares often get downloaded by the victim’s PC through some free downloads or MP3 or even movie downloads. Now, these programs are used for a number of destructive purposes like erase, overwriting or copy data from the infected computer, corruption and encryption of files.
To add to you woes, you cannot remove Spyware or Trojan with the regular anti-virus software. In fact, some of these programs have the ability to partially or fully disable the anti-virus tools.
So, be it your email password or internet banking password , it is exposed to such risks despite all protective measures uploaded on your desktop. Thus, some banks have introduced Virtual Keyboard to protect account or card information and password from the hands of fraudsters.
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Virtual Keypad is an online application, which substitutes the actual physical keyboard with a mouse. When you click on the virtual keyboard option at the time of net banking, the monitor flashes a keyboard on your screen. You have to use the mouse to click on the relevant keys to sign into your net banking ID.
Another way of hacking your password could be by placing a hidden camera. In such cases, you can opt for a scrambled virtual keypad. In a scrambled keypad, the position of keys on virtual keypad keeps changing every time you sign in. “This makes it difficult for the camera to capture the exact letters for the password,” Mr Chatterjee added.
No bank asks for personal details such as your PIN/IPIN or TPIN either via mails or a phone call. If any bank official asks to part with some confidential information you have a right to complain at quality control or surveillance department of the concerned bank. In the recent past there have been some emails titled ‘security measures’ , which have been sent on the bank’s behalf.
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Often these mails ask you to click on a link, which leads you to a fake website. Often customers get deceived and part with some confidential information like an IPIN or net banking password, which has led to some online frauds. Changing passwords often helps in protecting your account even if inadvertently you may have disclosed it to someone. Moreover stay away from keeping obvious ones like your spouse’s name or your pet’s name. Alpha-numeric passwords along with some special character like * or # are a safe bet.
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PCs at cyber cafes may be infested with viruses and Trojans that can capture and transmit your personal data to fraudsters. The easiest way to grab information is key logging software, which record all the keystrokes you typed, to be retrieved later for fraudulent usage. Beware of typing passwords on unknown PCs. Whenever you have to submit some sensitive information online you have to check if the site uses encryption to protect your personal data. The URL in the address bar should start with ‘https:// ’ and not just ‘http:// ’. So the next time do not get wary of online transactions. Just follow these security measures for a safe online banking experience.
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