“Heartbleed” Security Flaw – YOUR INFORMATION IS SAFE

April 10, 2014

A major bug was found last week that affects the technology used to encrypt sensitive information. The flaw is in OpenSSL, used by many sites for secure browsing. The leak in the system compromises the secret keys used to identify the service providers and to encrypt the traffic, the names and passwords of the users and the actual content. This affects the websites themselves that you visit with your browser and not your personal computer system.

Bay Federal does NOT use this technology for our online banking and website platforms. Your information is safe, as we are not affected by this flaw.

How can you protect yourself?

Service providers and users that use OpenSSL may likely be compromised unless they have installed new software to fix the problem. Changing your password will not help unless the affected services have completed the software fix. You may want to contact your service provider to determine if their site has been affected.  

For more information on the Heartbleed bug, you can visit:
http://heartbleed.com/

Safe Online Practice:

Bay Federal reminds you to never, under any circumstances, supply your name, account number or password to anyone via email.

Bay Federal Credit Union wants to encourage all members to follow safe online practices. There are many scams designed to steal your identity and your money. Financial Institutions will never send you directly to an application form, web page, or telephone number asking for your personal account data, including credit card and PIN information.

Always make sure that the email you are being sent is from your actual service provider. Fake notifications or links can be sent from false providers asking for you to change your username and password this could open you up to cyber criminals. 

It is best practice to change online passwords every 3-6 months. Do not use the same password for every account. It is important to choose a password that cannot be easily estimated or presumed. People that use family or pet names are the most vulnerable to Internet crimes. Choose a word that no one would know and combine it with a combination of numbers as well as uppercase and lowercase letters to make it more difficult to figure out.

Additional Link:

http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0272-how-keep-your-personal-information-secure