What are computer viruses and how do I identify them?

• Computer viruses are programs designed to deliberately damage, delete or steal information, or place a computer or mobile device under control of a criminal.
• A common technique used by cyber-criminals to steal information about you is to place a computer virus on your personal computer. You can unknowingly install a computer virus by clicking on a link in an email or visiting an infected website.
• It can be difficult to tell if your computer has contracted a computer virus. Your computer may slow down, stop responding, or crash and restart every few minutes. These are all common symptoms of computer viruses; however, they can also be caused by hardware or software problems.
• If you think that your computer may have a computer virus, update your anti-virus software and scan your computer. If this does not fix your problem, consider seeking assistance from a suitably qualified computer specialist.
• If you experienced a computer virus, you should change your Internet Banking password immediately.

Antivirus Protection

• An anti-virus program is software that detects and deletes computer viruses. Anti-virus software can also identify viruses hidden in files before you even download them.
• To gain maximum protection from viruses:
  • Regularly scan your computer with your anti-virus software. Most software can do this for you automatically.
  • Avoid using shared computers (eg. at an Internet cafe) as you may be unable to check whether the anti-virus software is up-to-date.
  • Ensure your Operating System (eg. MS Windows, Mac OSX), browser and any plug-ins or viewers (eg. adobe pdf viewer, flash viewer, java, shockwave) are updated regularly with the latest security patches.

Download a free 90 day trial of AVG Internet Security* from AVG

Suncorp Bank has recently joined forces with leading security company AVG to offer customers a free 90 day trial and discounted price for a 1 year licence of AVG Internet Security.

AVG Internet Security gives you multiple layers of protection to ensure you can safely surf the Internet, shop and bank online, watch video, download music, email and chat online - all in one convenient suite.

Find out more about the free trial and your AVG Internet Security discount.

Malware Protection

Malware (sometimes referred to as 'adware' or 'spyware' or 'trojans') is any program on your computer that is intended to perform a task of tracking or recording activities or operations on a computer with or without your knowledge. Malware can operate in many ways:

• Act as a simple tool (usually in the form of cookies) by advertisers to track what sites you are browsing
• Capture what you type into your keyboard
• Make your computer very slow
• Change the look of your computer and open up websites automatically that you don't normally visit
• Hijack instant messaging software or social websites you use
• Capture screenshots or turn on webcams

Follow these tips to help prevent your computer from becoming infected with malware:

• Ensure you install and enable a firewall on your computer before connecting to the Internet
• Download and regularly use a malware removal program. We recommend using AVG Internet Security* which will protect your PC.
• Use discretion and common sense when using the Internet. Don't click on online advertisements/emails or go to sites you think may be untrustworthy
• Be careful when downloading excel files or files ending in '.exe' as they are prone to containing malware

Firewall Protection

A firewall is a layer that helps protect your computer and its contents from outsiders on the Internet. It prevents unauthorised access to and from your computer. Most firewalls allow you to specify what programs are able to use the Internet to send and receive information. This stops non-trusted information travelling in and out of your computer.

If you use Windows, a built-in firewall is available but it is recommended to use a separate firewall to protect your computer. Suncorp's recommended security software AVG Internet Security* offers a firewall as standard in its package.

Be Password Smart

• Always choose 'easy to remember, but hard to guess' passwords, and change them regularly.
• Choose passwords that have a mix of numbers and upper and lower case letters.
• Never use 'easy to guess' passwords such as:
  • your date of birth
  • consecutive numbers
  • a series of the same number
  • a sequence from the associated account number
  • historically significant dates
  • a driver's licence number
  • an alphabetical code that is a recognisable part of your name
  • our phone number or part thereof
• Do not share your passwords with anyone.
• You may record your secret access codes i.e. your Telephone Access Code, Customer ID, Internet Banking password or External Transfer password, to help you remember them but they must be reasonably disguised so that it is not obvious to another person what these records contain.
• Do not keep your customer ID, your password and your External Transfer Password (if you have one) written down together.
• It is recommended to utilise a Suncorp Security Token in line with your customer ID and passwords to ensure optimum security online.

Suncorp Internet Banking requires you to choose a password with the following criteria:

• is six to eight characters long
• may contain numbers and/or letters
• can be upper or lower case (case sensitive).

*® Registered trade mark of AVG