The recent unauthorised access to accounts at South African banks has highlighted the issue of identity theft and Internet theft. Major commercial banks are reiterating warnings about secure usage of online banking services, and are assuring clients that their services are secure.
ICL`s EJECT ISP manager Bill Keenan says the thefts have occurred, not on the bank`s side, but as a result of `identity-theft` on the customer`s personal computer.
"One of the methods of `identity-theft` is the use of e-mail to enable a program to be installed when the e-mail message is opened by an unsuspecting person. Thereafter, the customer`s personal details, including bank passwords and PINs, are intercepted and made available to the fraudster.
"One of the ways of stopping this is to install special software, which gives users back control of their PC, controlling exactly what Windows programs may be run on their computer - and more importantly - those that cannot," says Keenan.
In line with this, EJECT has extended its Preventon Veto and Personal Firewall bundle previously only available to Eject subscribers, to anyone wanting to download and subscribe to the software on a monthly basis at www.eject.co.za.
The Preventon products allow users to take control of their PC and prevent Spyware, keylogging and other unauthorised programs from being installed and accessing their data - thereby securing their bank accounts and personal information. Veto also allows parents or administrators to restrict users from running certain applications at specific times or at any time.
The Preventon Personal Firewall product is included in the bundle - stopping Internet hacking attacks from getting into your computer and fights against Trojan attacks.
"It is equally vital that customers install and regularly update anti-virus software, install a licensed copy of the PC operating system and apply security patches, and never open any suspicious e-mails even if from a friend," explains Keenan.
"Customers must also practice `safe` surfing habits, such as not following links to unknown Web sites and to be cautious of PCs with public access. They must also restrict access to their own PC," he adds.
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ICL South Africa has been operating in SA since 1911 and has undergone constant change in line with industry and market developments.
ICL South Africa is part of the global IT Services and Solutions company Fujitsu Services Plc which is wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Japan the third largest IT company in the world, with annual revenues of $38 billion and over 35 000 employees.
ICL South Africa has moved from being predominantly hardware focused to becoming an IT services and integration specialist, combining its in-house expertise with selected partners from the whole spectrum of the IT industry.
Headquartered in Johannesburg ICL SA has offices in Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth.
Website: www.iclafrica.com.
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