Security - Your Information

1. What we do to ensure the security of your information
2. What you should do to ensure security

Protecting your personal and financial information is our top priority within online banking and all of our financial systems and databases.

Vancity ensures your privacy and confidentiality by using a number of industry standard security techniques. Our objective is to provide you the best security currently available.

Your information is protected while in transit between your computer and our server through the use of security techniques such as encryption. Encryption ensures that your information cannot be read or modified while it’s being transferred.

In addition, only individuals who provide the correct online banking password can access your account information. Online banking uses some automatic features to protect you. For example, if our system detects that you haven't provided any instructions or used the browser buttons to navigate within online banking for 15 minutes, your connection will automatically end. You will then need to provide your online banking password again to conduct more transactions.

Protect your online banking password.

The vital role you play in securing your home and possessions is equally important when it comes to protecting your personal information.

Your online banking password is a unique way for us to know that it’s you accessing your accounts online. Just as the key to your home protects unwanted entry, the online banking “key”, your password ensures that only you can access your accounts.

It’s your responsibility to protect your password so please observe the following security practices:

• Select a password that's easy for you to remember.
• Do not select a password that is easy to guess (say, Password123!) or is based on personal information, such as your birth date, address, phone number, social insurance number, or similar information about your family or friends.
• Do not share your password with anyone.
• Do not write down your password or store it in a computer file.
• Never disclose your password in a voicemail or email, and never disclose it over the phone, especially a cellular phone.
• Do not permit anyone to observe you typing in your password
• Change your password on a regular basis; we suggest every 90-120 days. Once your password is established, you can change it yourself online.

Contact Vancity immediately if you suspect someone has gained knowledge of your password or if there are errors or omissions in your account. Call us at 604-877-7000 or toll-free at 1-888-Vancity (826-2489), seven days a week from 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5:30pm on Sunday.

Protect your computer in 10 steps

Vancity provides a secure method for you to communicate with us. But once the information reaches your computer, it's up to you to protect it. Here are 10 steps we recommend that you take:

1. Never leave your computer unattended while logged onto online banking.
2. Use a password on your PC to prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing your information.
3. Disable the automatic password save feature in your web browser.
4. Always exit online banking using the logout button.
5. Close your browser if you step away from your computer. Your browser may retain information you entered in the login screen and elsewhere until you close it.
6. Use an anti-virus program and update it often. New viruses are created every day, but most anti-virus programs update themselves automatically.
7. Use an anti-spyware program and check your computer regularly.
8. Use a personal firewall. Online intruders are constantly looking for ways to gain access to computers connected to the internet. A firewall appliance or software can prevent others from gaining access to your computer.
9. Don't open unknown email attachments, even if they come from someone you know. It’s not enough to recognize the sender. You should also be aware of the source of the attachment. If you must open an attachment before verifying the source, we recommend the following procedure:
• Be sure that your anti-virus software is up to date
• Save the file to your hard drive
• Scan the file with your anti-virus software
10. Keep your software and operating system up-to-date. Vendors release security fixes for their software when a vulnerability or defect is discovered. Most of these are available from the vendor's website.