online banking

John is worried that his identity will be stolen, along with his money, if he does online banking through his browser. Leo says that browsers are equally secure, as long as they keep getting patched on a regular basis. The issue isn't the browser, it's the system itself. The weak link in the chain is you. If you get an email that seems to be from your bank and you click on the links inside, it's likely a fake and your login has been stolen due to a phishing attack. That's the kind of thing that can happen. Banks will never email you. Keep that in mind.

Georgia wants to know how safe online banking is. Leo says it's very safe now, and you don't need to worry about having your bank account compromised. Nor do you have to have a separate computer dedicated to banking. All websites now are encrypted by design. Google began requiring that last year. Just be safe with your online behavior. Don't click on links, open attachments, or reply to emails from a bank. They will never contact you. 

Ding got a notification recently about a Zelle transaction and wants to know if his bank account has been hacked. Leo says that unless they have your bank information, they can't. Signing up with an email account won't really do anything. But if one suspects something has happened, it may have been a keystroke logger or someone that stole information, but it's unlikely. If he is running Windows 10, then he should run Windows Defender, updating it regularly. There's no need for a third party AntiVirus. And he may want to change the bank account, demanding 2-factor authentication.

Jeff wants to use Mint online, but he's concerned about putting his data online. Leo says that Mint is very secure and he uses it for his business at Tech Guy Labs. Does Mint work with 2 Factor Authentication? Leo says yes, and it does support password vaults like LastPass. But all the security in the world doesn't protect him from a data breach.

Ryan's bank wants him to do more banking online. He wants to buy one computer that is 100% dedicated to online banking. Leo says that's a good idea, and Leo would recommend a Chromebook. Chrome is incredibly secure and is the most popular browser out there. The Acer Chromebook 15 is one of the best for the money, and at $250, it's a bargain.

Ray has a Chromebook and he wants to use it for online banking. When he logs into his account, though, it doesn't take his password. He has reset the password, but after one login, it locks him out. Leo says that Ray is probably not inputting the right password. He could be mixing up a few letters. Using the Chromebook's autofill feature would be a good idea. That way, the first time he logs in, it will remember it. And the Chromebook is very secure, so Ray shouldn't need to worry about security.

Mike is worried that Google has all of his banking information. Leo says it's not to worry about. They don't have it. If anything, his browser has that information and that's much more dangerous. It may be a good idea to reset his browser to get rid of all that. Then turn on second factor authentication to make sure that any attempt to change his password or access his account will be stopped. Mike shouldn't worry about Google, though. They're quite secure, and Chrome is a secure browser.

Tom has an old Windows computer and he does online banking and shopping. Would it be safer to install Linux on his PC? Leo says that as long as "https" can be seen, he's secure. Leo also recommends using either Android Pay or Apple Pay for an additional layer of security. That doesn't send his credit card number at all. Linux is far less hackable. Using a Chromebook would also be an affordable option, and it's very secure as well. It's the easiest solution, and they're very cheap.

Louis has an old laptop that he wants to replace. He first tried to replace the hard drive and now he has strange error messages. Leo says that for what Louis uses it for, a Chromebook is probably the best option. It's dedicated, sandboxed, secure and he can bank on it. It's perfect for what Louis wants to use it for.

Robert wants to know if it's possible to get a virus with read only media. He wants a computer for online banking that can't be written to. Leo says that's an interesting idea. The ideal solution here would be a Chromebook. They're cheap, there are no viruses, and it comes with a power wash feature that brings it right back to the way it was when he first got it. Couple that with second factor authentication, and he'll be golden. He could also boot from the CD drive and that would prevent anything from being written to it.