FNB makes online banking safer

First National Bank (FNB) is going into partnership with Prevx, a UK-based security company, to provide customers with a free, downloadable security solution.

The solution is said to monitor online activities, protect all secure socket layer sites, and detect spyware inside and outside of the browser.

The Prevx SafeOnline product is similar to the downloadable security product, Rapport, recently unveiled to their respective clients by Standard Bank and Nedbank. However, where Rapport protects a particular banking site, FNB's solution monitors all online activity and constantly scans the user's computer for threats.

FNB Online CEO Lee-Anne van Zyl explains that, originally, fraudsters relied on clients entering their details into fake banking sites, but as security has become more sophisticated, the methods of obtaining personal details have too.

Action is no longer needed by the user, as spyware and backdoor malware can obtain the information independently of the user's actions, she explains. The compromised information is no longer limited to a specific banking site, but can include any other secured site – from social media, to e-mail, to tax e-filing and credit card purchases online.

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