8/8/2019 #280 BBB 06-24-10 3

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MAGNOLIACLIPPING SERVICE(601) 856-0911 I (205) 75R-8610

WOODVILLE REPUBLICAN WOODVILLE, MS

CirculatIOn =2550WEEKLY

05/13/2010

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,Five Steps to ProtectY o l ~ ~ : ~ ~ ~ di t Il10Itl easy and convenient toma:oage business finances, butit also prcNides an opportunit;yfur hackers to gain access tobusiness accounts with thegoal of making unauthorizedmoney transfers. The Better

Business Bureau (BMfserving M i s s i s ~ i p p i~ m m e n d ssmall business owners implement a few simple steps tokeep their financial infonnation and transactions securewhen banking online.

According to Visa Inc., 85perrent of data breaches oo:ura t the small business level.Symantec Corporation reportsthat 33 perrent of small businesses laCk even simple an-tivirus protection_

"Small business ownersmight fEel that they are flyingunder the radar of data thievesand hackers, but they are actually in the crosshairs," said BillMoak, President/CEO of theMississippi BBB, 'That's whywe partnered with leading security experts to show .smallbusiness owners that implementing a strong data securit;ys ~ doesrrt have to take alot of time or resouJ:'I.l'lS."

The BBB offurs the fuIlow-ing advice for small businessowners to make online bank-ingtransactions secure:

1. Initiate a dual controlpayment process. Ensure thatall payments are initiated fi:umyour bank almunts only afterthe authorization of two employees. One employee can authorize the creation of the payment file and another will berolpoIlsible fur authorizing therelease of the:file. This pruress

shouldbe

in place reganlless ofthe t;ype of payment being initiated (inc! uding cheCks, wiretransfers, fund transfers, payroll files,ACH payments).

2, Have dedicated workstations. Restrict the use of cer

tain workstations and laptopssolely fur online banking andpayments, i f possibJe_ Try toavoid using a romputer fur online banking as well as for Webbrowsingor socialnetworking,

3. Use robust authentica

tionmethods and vendors,Make sure your financialservice providers allow for"multi-fttctor authentication."This means tha t you needmore than just a user name

almunt,4. Update virus protectionand securit;y software. Ensurethat all anti-spyware, anti-malware, and security softwareand mechanisms are robustand up-to-date on computers

used for online banking andpayments. Implement aprocess to periodically ronfirmthey remain up-to-date.

5. Reroncile almunts daily.Monitor and reroncile almuntsdally against expected creditsand withdrawals. If you seeany kind of unexpected actiyityon your acrount, notifY your fi-nancial institution immediateJy.

Small business owners canget additional advice and tipson imprcNing data securit;y atv . ' W w . b b b . o r g f d a t