Virus protection
Viruses can pose a threat to your personal computer and any information stored on it. Viruses can come in many forms, also known as Trojans, Adware, Keystroke loggers and Spyware. See glossary of terms for definitions.
Essentially, all these viruses are used to gather personal information about an individual such as passwords, which are then sent back to the attacker over the internet. Without proper virus protection, this can be done without the individual ever knowing their personal information has been compromised.
In order to ensure your PC is protected from viruses and other malicious software, you should be aware of the following tips to protect your PC:
- You should regularly scan your PC with anti-virus software to ensure it is not compromised by a virus
- If you have anti-virus software, ensure that you download the latest available updates. Virus threats are constantly evolving and there are new viruses created every day. In order to ensure your anti-virus software is working, you will need to ensure you have the latest versions
- Never open, install or use programs or files you have obtained from a source that you do not know or trust
- Never open unsolicited emails containing file attachments. Always scan any new programs or files for viruses before you open, install or use them
- Try to avoid using any public computers (eg in an Internet cafe) as you may be unable to check whether the latest anti-virus software has been installed
We recommend you do not use Westpac Online Banking if you do not have up to date anti-virus protection .
If you do not have anti-virus software, we suggest you use one of the many free tools available on the internet. Some examples you could try can be found at:
