Security in Electronic Payment Systems

None of the electronic payment system, no matter how secure it is, can guarantee 100% protection from unauthorized access. Following the safety rules only you can keep your money safe. Huge numbers of cracks are the result of carelessness of the account owners themselves. There are some rules following which the users can protect themselves from fraud.

   1. OS Windows offers a user a remember password option. Although using some resources this option seems rather useful, it is strongly recommended not to use it for accessing accounts of electronic payment systems. Otherwise the computer offenders will have no difficulty to steal your registration data and empty your electronic purse. All special files needed for use of the electronic payment systems shall be stored on floppy disks or coded discs the access to which is granted only when you start working with the keeper.

   2. Never open e-mail messages sent from unknown users. Such messages may contain viruses and Trojans that enable the offenders to steal your accounts login and password. Install e-mail software able to inactivate e-mails with the potential dangerous attachments. Check your incoming messages using special anti-virus software.

   3. Never use links sent to you by unknown users. In the event you are on the unknown web-page, never fill in any fields and do not register. Never agree to download any software that is obtrusively offered to you. Many of such pages are created in order to install spy-software to your computer.

   4. Your PC shall always have antivirus-software or Firewall installed. Such software may minimize the risk of the attack. Antivirus protects you from dangerous programs and Firewall enables you to fight back the hackers attacks.

   5. Do not pay attention to the letters signed by the technical maintenance services of the electronic payment system you use. As a rule, they are sent by the offenders thinking the account owners will believe the information about problems with the system functioning and will send their registration data, login and password to some fictional e-mail address. If you are not sure you are contacted by the technical maintenance service, you would better write a message to an official address to specify the details. You are more likely to get a response saying they have never sent anyone any messages with the request to disclose your password and suggesting that those were just regular computer offenders.

   6. Do never download software designed to crack other users electronic purses or to increase the amount of money on your accounts. There are no attachments able to do it and offenders send Trojans in messages like this. Instead of generating additional money on your account you are more likely to lose your savings. The creators of electronic payment systems are very serious in providing security of their clients purses and it is impossible to break it using the small-size attachments written by an amateur programmer. But they may steal the login and password from a user who wants to gain some profits at someone elses account.

   7. Change your logins at least once per week. So you deprive the offenders the possibility to dispose the money from your account.

Moreover, do not forget the obvious ways of keeping confidentiality of information. For example, you should not write the access password on a paper and then leave it somewhere it can be well noticed. The password shall not be simple or obvious, do not use your birth date, home telephone number or name. The best password is random letters and numbers. It is almost impossible to trace or guess it.

Following these rules you will avoid unpleasant situations and will keep your electronic savings safe from fraud assaults.