Safety of online financial information
 

A friend of mine, who doesn't have a computer, wants to know if receiving financial statements on a public computer is more risky than receiving statements on a home computer. Is there a safety difference between Savannah center computers and library computers? If a public computer is more risky, please explain why.

Thank you. Any infromation will be appreciated.

All computers leave behind what is called a "cookie" which is information about where you have been on the internet. The use of a public computer is OK if you wipe out all cookies and log in information after you are done. Also someone could install a key stroke tracker on a public system and have the data sent to their personal computer.

Your own personal computer with your own secure log in and virus/malware protection is more secure. I will use a public system if there is no other option, but not my preference. Then only for e-mail, never financial transactions.

You lack any security on a public computer. Everything you type and see has a good possibility of being left behind and available to others to look at. I will not put in any passwords that link to any financial data into a public computer.

The safest strategy is to never use a public computer to access financial or personal information. It is also a good idea to avoid open wi-fi access points when accessing this type of information due to the lack of security.