Get Ready for 2025 with 5 Online Safety Tips

With the new year right around the corner, you can start 2025 on the right foot by protecting your accounts and personal information with these five key online safety tips.

1. Use Multi-factor authentication (MFA) whenever possible.

MFA is an electronic security process that requires more than one method of identity verification to gain access to an account. Three different types of MFA include things you know, things you have, and things you are. Things you know includes knowledge such as passwords, PINs, or security questions. Things you have includes one-time passwords sent via text, email, or accessed through a smartphone app. Things you are includes biometrics such as fingerprints and facial recognition.

With the Online and Mobile Banking upgrade on December 5, accessing your account will require two-factor authentication, a subset of MFA. Along with your password, you will receive a one-time password via text or phone call. With your banking more secure, consider making your other accounts more secure by opting to enable multi-factor authentication.

2. Set up alerts on your accounts.

Stay aware of what is happening on your accounts by setting up alerts. West Bank offers a range of account alerts that keep you informed about transactions, along with security alerts for events like online banking login attempts and password changes. You can set up account alerts for other apps and services to stay informed of any account access you did not initiate. Quickly knowing if someone has hacked into your account is instrumental in minimizing damage and information loss.

3. Use passphrases instead of passwords.

A passphrase is a group of words strung together that creates a more secure password to lock your account. Using a one-word password is much easier for a criminal to guess or hack than a passphrase. Look at this example to see the difference between a password and a passphrase:

• Password: Pa$$word#!
• Passphrase: Bunny $wim$ through orange peel!

While you may think that a passphrase could be harder to remember, it can actually be very easy if you use the words to create a sentence, story, or visual image. Once you do that, you may be surprised at how easily you remember your new passphrase!

4. Make purchases from trusted websites.

Imagine scrolling through your emails and stumbling upon a vacation offer for two weeks in the Caribbean. The message claims all you need to do to activate the offer is click the link to the website. Or picture yourself browsing social media when suddenly, a pop-up post promises an incredible 80% discount off the entire store for the next 24 hours. In both of these scenarios, resist the temptation to click the link; they are likely scams designed by criminals aiming to gain access to your device or accounts.

Instead of clicking the links you come across in your emails or social media, navigate to trusted websites to make purchases. Links in emails or social media could be harmful and end up stealing your information. If you see a deal that appears too good to be true, it probably is.

5. Keep your software and operating systems updated.

Regularly checking to make sure your software and operating systems are updated on all of your devices is one of the quickest ways to keep your information safe. Not only can updates come with new features, they also patch security flaws and vulnerabilities, improve performance, and tightens security.

By following these five essential online safety tips, you can help keep your information and data safe and confidently interact online.