Online Banking

Is banking online secure?

Our Online Banking service supports a high level of Internet browser security to protect your personal financial information. In order to participate in Online Banking, we require that you use a browser that supports 128-bit encryption and that is supported by wamu.com (which is generally those versions currently supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and America Online). In addition, WaMu maintains a firewall to prevent unauthorized entry to our systems and data is transferred using SSL (Secure Socket Layer) protocol. SSL uses a private code to encrypt data to prevent eavesdropping, tampering and message forgery.

You can help prevent security breaches by thoughtfully creating your Password. If you already created a Password, you can modify it by selecting the Change My Logon link under Account service. Your Password doesn't just allow you to access your online services—it also helps keep out unauthorized people. Try to create the most bizarre and original Password to protect your information from possible intruders. These guidelines will help:

• Avoid familiar names or facts about yourself.
• Create a Password that is as long as possible.
• Include upper and lower case letters.
• Include digits and punctuation marks.
• Avoid any personal information, such as account or Social Security numbers, or passwords containing 9, 16, or 17 numbers in length.
• Avoid words—in any language—found in the dictionary.
• Once you have a unique password, you need to protect it. Commit your Password to memory, don't write it down, and don't share it. When leaving Personal Online Banking, be sure to logoff. We also recommend that you close your browser.

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