Security

PIN Security | Select your PIN

To enhance Internet banking security, NorthCountry has implemented new PIN requirements. The next time you login with your 4 digit PIN, you will be prompted to change it. PINs must be 8-12 characters in length and contain a combination of number and letters.

For your added security, please do not let anyone know the details you use to access Internet banking. When you've finished, always 'log off' from Internet banking and if you are in a public place close your browser.

Top three security recommendations

• Use Internet banking safely
• Protecting your computer
• Understand our security system

Security

We're committed to protecting you when you bank with us. Our industry-standard levels of security ensure that you can always access your NorthCountry accounts online with confidence.

To ensure you are always protected, we are dedicated to educating members on Internet banking security and fraud awareness. You'll see a number of initiatives that we've put in place to make sure you stay secure and to help you protect your Internet banking information. We're here to help you stay safe while banking online.

PIN Security

It is always important to keep your card and PIN safe

How to protect your PIN

• Your PIN is personal to you and you should not share it with anyone.
• You should never let anyone else use your PIN, or enter it for you.
• You should never tell your PIN to anyone. This includes credit union staff and the police.
• It is important to keep your PIN secure and therefore you should never write it down.
• Never give your PIN when ordering by phone, mail order, or using your card on the Internet.
• When choosing your own PIN, please avoid obvious numbers and make sure you choose a number that would not be guessed by someone else.
• You should take care when entering your PIN and don't enter your PIN if you feel that you are being observed.
• Any additional cardholders on your account will have their own PIN.

If you think you may have difficulty remembering the PIN we give you, you can change it to one of your choice. Click here to find out how.

If at any time you think that someone else knows your PIN, you should let us know immediately. You must contact the credit union immediately if your card has been lost or stolen.

Select your own PIN

You can change your 8 to 12 character PIN to a number that's easier for you to remember though not one that's easy for others to guess. You may wish to choose a PIN you are already familiar with (for example, a PIN you already use for one or more of your other cards). It's easy to change your PIN at a NorthCountry Federal Credit Union. First log on to Internet banking then simply follow these steps:

• Select 'User Options ' and then
• Select Change PIN
• Enter the 8 to 12 character PIN of your choice
• You will then be asked to confirm your PIN before the change is accepted

Click here for tips on how to keep your PIN secure.

Use Internet Banking Safely

As part of NorthCountry security, we take steps to make sure our Internet banking system is safe and secure, and it's important that you do the same. To help you, here are the precautions you should take while banking online.

Keep passwords and memorable information safe by:

• not writing down or storing your Internet banking password or memorable information on your computer,
• not giving anyone else access to your password or memorable information. We will never contact you to ask you for this information - if you get an email or a phone call asking for this information, a fraudster is at work,
• changing your password or memorable information immediately if you think that someone else knows it - you can do this by logging on to Internet banking and using the 'User Options' in the top menu.

Make sure your password is secure by:

• choosing a 'strong' 8 to 12 character password for Internet banking and changing it regularly. Use a mix of letters and numbers (like c4t or d0g), that you can remember without writing down. And avoid using words that may be easy for others to guess, such as the name of a family member or pet.

Be careful where you log on

• We strongly advise you not to use Internet banking on publicly accessible computers, in places such as Internet cafes, as they are not always secure.
• Don't choose or change your password or memorable information on a computer in a public place.
• If you are using Internet banking in a public place, don't leave the computer unattended while you are logged onto Internet banking, and take care that no-one is watching what you type.

Check your accounts regularly

Be sure to check your accounts regularly - it's a good way of spotting any suspicious transactions. If you do notice anything that looks out of the ordinary, please contact a member service representative immediately at (800)660-3258 (press 1).

Check whether the web page is secure by:

• checking the first few characters of the web address in your address bar has changed from the usual 'http' to 'https' - the 's' stands for secure,
• looking for a small padlock icon, in the locked position, in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen.

Find out how to check whether a web page is secure.

Check the site certificate

• Sites that are serious about security always show a valid site certificate. Find out how to check a site certificate.

Always log off

• Finally, always click 'Log off' when you've finished using Internet banking wherever you are, and always close your browser. This will prevent others from gaining access to your accounts online.

If you suspect that any of your NorthCountry accounts have been accessed online by someone other than yourself, contact a member service representative immediately at (800)660-3258 (press 1)

NorthCountry's Secure System

As part of the NorthCountry's security program, we're committed to making your Internet banking experience as safe as possible. Here are the ways that we protect your security.

Look for the padlock

When you log on to our Internet banking service you're always in a 'secure session' - this is shown by the padlock symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of your web browser. It means that your personal information will be coded before it leaves your computer.

Find out how to check whether a web page is secure.

Check the time

Every time you log on, we display the time and date you last logged on to our Internet banking service. Check that the time and date shown match the last time you logged on. If they don't, someone else may have accessed your accounts online. Check your accounts carefully and if you notice anything suspicious, contact a member service representative immediately at 800-660-3258 (press 1).

Automatic log off

If after logging on to our Internet banking service, you don't use it within your set timeout period, you will automatically be logged off. This security measure ensures that if you've left your computer or have forgotten to log off, there's much less chance of anyone else accessing your accounts.

Your timeout period determines the amount of time between pages that your session is valid. Lower numbers offer more security while higher numbers offer more convenience. Select "User Options" within Internet banking and click "Change Timeout" to set your timeout period.

To eliminate the risk of anyone else accessing your completely, please make sure you never leave your computer unattended while logged on, and always log off when you've finished using Internet banking.

Temporary denial of access

As a safety measure, if there are a number of incorrect attempts to log on to Internet banking we will disable your access to the service. This protects you against frauds trying to guess your details.

To reactivate your access, please contact a member service representative at 800-660-3258 (press 1).

Protecting your computer

We have listed some of the most important things you can do to keep your computer and your information safe at all times.

Keep your software up to date

• Occasionally publishers discover vulnerabilities in their products and issue 'patches' to protect against any security threats. It's important that you regularly visit the website of the company which produces your operating system (e.g. Windows XP) and browser (e.g. Internet Explorer) to check for any patches or updates they may have issued.

  If you're using Microsoft software, you can do this by visiting their website: http://www.microsoft.com/security.

  Or, if you are a Mac user, you can visit http://www.apple.com.

Protect against viruses

• Use anti-virus software and ensure that it's kept up-to-date - this should protect your computer against the latest viruses. Popular anti-virus products include: Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan, AVG Anti-Virus, Panda Antivirus, or Sophos Anti-virus. Type any of these names into a search engine and go to their websites for further information. (You can only have one anti-virus software programs running on your computer.)
• Never download software if you're unsure of the source - this includes websites which prompt you to click 'yes' or 'OK' to run a program or install a browser plug-in.
• Be wary of unexpected or suspicious-looking emails from unknown sources. Emails are a common way to spread harmful codes or to trick you into revealing your Internet banking information. While we may email you from time to time, we will never ask for your security details. If you suspect you've received a fraudulent email claiming to be from us, please forward it to us for investigation at fraud@northcountry.org and then delete it immediately.
• Use up-to-date anti-spyware software to protect against programs that fraudsters can use to collect information about your internet usage. Popular anti-spyware software such as Webroot SpySweeper, Microsoft Anti-Spyware, Lavasoft's Adaware, Spybot Search & Destroy can help to protect your computer. You can install as many of these programs as you want.

Use a firewall

• You can get further protection against harmful codes by using firewall software that prevents unauthorised access to your computer when you're on the internet. Popular firewall software includes: Windows XP SP2 Firewall ( recommend for anyone on dial-up). For users with a high-speed connection, Norton Internet Security, McAfee Internet Security, & ZoneAlarm are recommended. Type any of these names into a search engine and go to their websites for further information.
• You can also protect your computer using hardware known as firewall routers.

About Cookies

A "cookie" is a small piece of information (a text file), which a web server can store temporarily with a web browser. Once the cookie is stored, the site's web server can later retrieve that information for that browser.

For example, when a person browses through an "online shopping mall" and adds items to a "shopping cart" while continuing to shop, your browser stores a list of the items that have been added to the cart so that the user can pay for all of the items at once when he is finished shopping. It's much more efficient for each browser to keep track of information like this than have web server remember who bought what, especially if there are thousands of people using the web server.

When browsing the web, any cookies that are sent to a browser are stored in the computer's memory. When the browser is closed, any cookies that haven't expired are written to a cookie file so they can be reloaded next time the browser is used.

Online banking uses a different kind of cookie known as a session cookie, a non-persistent cookie, or a pre-expired cookie. These cookies are placed temporarily and are never stored to the user's computer memory. Instead, these pre-expired cookies are used as part of the stringent security measures in the Internet Banking product. As the end user navigates through Internet Banking a pre-expired cookie is set each time a page is viewed. Because the HTML page they are viewing is not "cached", it must always be re-retrieved from the server.

The pre-expired cookies keep the session alive until the end user logs out properly or times out of Internet Banking. Once this occurs, the end user must login with their User ID and Password to gain access again. This ensures that another user using the same computer cannot access the previous session.