Online Banking Security

Your transactions are absolutely safe. The Bank of Dawson works with cutting edge technology partners to ensure that the most secure environment is made possible for our valued customers. We want to make sure we offer you worry free Internet banking. You can be completely confident of the following security measures:

Secure Communications

Our system ensures that data exchanged between your PC and our computers is encrypted with 128-bit encryption - the strongest encryption available. Encryption is accomplished through Secure Sockets Layers (SSL) which utilize mathematical formulas to "encrypt" or hide information from prying eyes on the Internet. Additionally, if SSL detects that data was added or deleted after you sent it to the bank, the connection will be severed in order to guard against any tampering. The most popular browsers have the SSL security feature built in. How can you tell if your browser is secure? Click here.

To check your computer's cipher strength refer to your browser's Help pages.

If you have Microsoft Internet Explorer, click on the Help option in the top task bar. Click on About Internet Explorer. If your Cipher Strength is not at lease 128-bit, click on (Update Information). Download the appropriate High Encryption Pack in the right hand column. This only takes a few minutes and you're done.

If you do not have Update Information after clicking on Help, you can go to http://support.microsoft.com and follow their steps to get the 128-bit encryption for your specific operating system. For other web browser's, please refer to your vendor's Help pages.

Secure Environment

The Bank of Dawson's computer system does not connect directly to the Internet. It is isolated from the network via a "firewall". A firewall is a combination of software and hardware products that designate parameters, control and limit the access that outside computers have to the bank's internal network and databases. You can feel secure knowing that our bank's firewall protects your personal information from unauthorized access.

Secure Logon

User ID's and passwords are isolated from the Internet by being stored on the Bank of Dawson's computer. This way the passwords and ID's can never be accessed or downloaded by anyone on the Internet. Additionally, user passwords can vary from eight to ten characters, which means the chance of randomly guessing a password is less than one in 1 billion! The system also checks for invalid logons and automatically disallows a user after three invalid attempts. This prohibits the "hacker" from gaining access to our system, thus protecting your accounts.

Your Password

You will be responsible for maintaining one of the most important security measures, your password. When you receive your Bank of Dawson password, you will immediately be asked to change it to a different password of your choice. Be sure to keep it a secret. Memorize it, or write it down and keep it in a safe place. It is not recommended that you carry your password in your purse or wallet. Make sure no one watches you enter your password and always close your browser when leaving the computer. Make sure you regularly scan your computer for viruses that could be used to capture password keystrokes. You ultimately hold the key to your password security.