Help protect your information from cybercriminals
Not all apps, social media or websites are required to adhere to the same data security safeguards. First Horizon employs securities controls that comply with federal law.
Stolen data is placed for sale on the dark web. Cybercriminals, hackers and organized crime groups purchase the data in bulk and attempt to use it on financial institutions’ websites to gain access to accounts.
How you can safeguard your information
If you use the same or very similar login credentials across multiple apps and platforms, you are increasing your exposure to compromised information and potential cyber-related fraud.
Security Tips
1. How to select a username and password
- Use a unique user ID for each application, platform or website.
- Never use the same password across applications.
- Create a strong user ID and password that is sufficiently long, and contains a combination of letters, numbers, and supported special characters or symbols. Below are some standard tips that should be used when creating or changing user Ids and/or passwords:
- Start with a phrase without spaces rather than a single word
- Replace some of the letters randomly with a combination of numbers, and/or supported special characters (e.g., @ + _ - ).
- Do not use any part of your name or the name of a spouse or child
- Do not use your birth/anniversary date
- Do not use your street address, city, state or ZIP code
- Do not use your Social Security Number
- Do not use an email address, phone number or account number
- Do not use your security question answers
- Do not use pet names
- Do not use simple numbers at the beginning or end of a single word
- Do not use words connected to your hobbies or your hometown
- Do not use anything from your social media accounts
- Change your user ID and password periodically, even if the system does not force you to.
- If you identify any potentially suspicious activity (e.g., receiving an email alert, push notification, or one-time-passcode when you didn’t take any action to trigger that), change your user ID and password immediately.
- If you report fraudulent transaction activity that occurred online, and you file a claim regarding such, change your user ID and password immediately.
- When changing your user ID or password, do not simply add a number, letter or symbol to the current value. Create a more substantially different value.
- Your best protection is to use longer and more randomly generated user IDs and passwords. Password management tools are available in the marketplace to help alleviate the burden of remembering and managing multiple user IDs and passwords across platforms (mobile and non-mobile devices) and systems.
2. Multi-factor authentication tips
- Update security questions periodically – As a best practice, consumers should periodically review and update their security questions and answers. Refreshing the information helps reduce the likelihood that an unauthorized party could successfully authenticate into your online account if they had gained access to your information.
- Set up and use multi-factor authentication wherever possible – Usernames and passwords remain a common form of user authentication, but they’re not foolproof. Whenever possible, consumers should get in the habit of protecting themselves with something stronger than just a password. Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is an electronic authentication method in which a user is granted access only after successfully presenting two or more pieces of evidence to verify they are who they say they are.
3. How to protect your devices
- Keep computers and mobile devices up-to-date – Software companies release updates to fix bugs, address weaknesses and improve performance for operating systems, browsers, apps, etc. Installing updates and applying patches for all your devices’ software will help keep your computer secure.
- Protect your computer and mobile devices – Use firewall and antivirus software, secure your internet browser, ensure your Wi-Fi network is private and password protected and consider using a VPN.
- Mind your connection – Make sure your internet connection is secure or connect carefully and use free Wi-Fi with caution; never do banking or access sensitive information through public Wi-Fi.
- Practice safe browsing – Check to see if the site is secure, only make purchases from secure sites, use extreme caution when downloading software or other content from the Internet.
- Detect phishing – Look out for an unfamiliar tone or greeting; grammar or spelling errors; inconsistencies in email addresses, links, and domain names; threats or a sense of urgency; suspicious or unexpected attachments.
- Protect access to your devices – Use strong lock-screen passwords or biometrics to secure your device; use auto-lock so that your device locks after a short period of inactivity
- Use caution with SMS/text messaging – Do not send personal or sensitive details, such as passwords or banking information, via text message.
- Mind your Bluetooth – Turn off Bluetooth when not in use so that hackers can’t detect your device and attempt to pair with it.
- Beware if you do not know the sender – Never open attachments or click links from unknown sources, and do not call phone numbers from suspicious messages.
- Limit private information online – Do not overshare on social media accounts.
