With banking increasingly being done on the internet, many questions have come up about security. Through Cryptographic Technology, information is protected as it is transmitted across the internet. This technology is a form of scrambling the data as it is sent.

First National Bank uses 128 bit encryption, the highest form of encryption, reserved primarily for financial institutions. (If your browser doesn't support 128 bit encryption, you can download a new browser for free by going to www.netscape.com or www.microsoft.com.) Other security tools available to ensure the integrity of your data are fire-walls and filtering routers used to secure computers from third party access via the internet, and a "trusted" operating system employed to protect the information from both internal and external threats.

For added security, customers are required to determine their own unique Personal Identification Number (PIN), and PIN guessing is deterred by locking a user out of the system for 24 hours following three unsuccessful attempts. These are just some of the full range of internet security tools we use. These layers of security work together to make sure that all information transmitted between you and the Bank is both secure and authentic.

Finally, the same laws that protect consumers in the case of fraudulent credit card usage and other electronic banking applications serve also to limit the consumer's liability in the event of unauthorized online banking activity. Please see the Federal Reserve Board Regulation E (Electronic Funds Transfers) Disclosure.

To further ensure your security please remember to do the following:

• Never open E-mail attachments sent from someone that you do not know to protect against viruses. (Viruses are computer programs that can infect other computer programs by modifying them in a harmful or destructive way upon making contact.)
• Do not download programs from any source via the internet that you do not trust completely.
• Install updated virus protection and detection software on your computer. We recommend purchasing software protection such as Norton Antivirus by Symantec, Trend-Micro, or McAfee VirusScan by Network Associates. These packages can detect and eliminate most viruses. The software should be updated regularly to detect newly developed viruses. Please see the following websites to find out more about the risk of harm to your computer and computer programs from malicious viruses and what you may do to protect against them:
  • http://us.mcafee.com/
  • http://housecall.trendmicro.com/
  • http://symantec.com/home_homeoffice
• Keep Ids, passwords, and PIN numbers confidential. Remember that if someone has your correct PIN no. you could lose all the money in your accounts which are accessible through use of that PIN no.
• Use passwords that include letters and numbers that are not easily discernable or otherwise obvious ( for example, do not use birthdays, child's names, etc.)
• Change your passwords frequently.
• Use different passwords and/or PIN numbers for each online service.

Email: Support or call (423)569-8586; or (423)663-4044 for questions concerning First National Bank Web Security.

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