On January 30, 2007 Security State Bank will be implementing a new level of security for logging on to our Internet Banking system.  This added level helps ensure that only you can access your bank account.  On the Internet today, fraudsters attempt to steal your identity by impersonating the web sites you trust.  We are committed to proactively protecting you, our customer, against such attacks. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

How does it work?   When you visit our office, you know our face and we know yours.  This does the same thing over the Internet.  It is a new way to identify us to you and you to us.  When you enroll, you will select a picture and caption known only to you.  Whenever you log-in we will show you this picture so you can rest assured that you are accessing the real banking site and not an imposter site.

We also check the computer(s) or device(s) that you are using to access the web site.  Typically you will access the web site from one or two computers, such as your home and work machine.   Our system will remember your computer.  Should you need to log-in from a different computer, such as a public library computer, we will take additional steps to verify your identity, such as ask you to provide the answer to secret questions we both know the answer to. 

What keeps somebody from stealing my picture?  We only show you your picture and caption if you log-in from your own computer, or after you have answered a secret question.  So, it is not possible for an un-authorized person to get access to your picture. 

Why am I being asked a question when I try to log-in?  We ask you a secret question when we detect that you are trying to log-in from a new computer.  This is to prevent someone with stolen passwords from logging into your account.  Since only you know the answers to the questions, we will know it’s really you.  Generally you will be asked to answer a secret question only when you log-in for the first time from a new computer.  After you answer the question, you will be asked whether we should remember this computer for future log-ins.  If you are using a personal computer, you should answer yes. If you are using a public terminal, such as the libraries, you will want to answer no. 

Can I access my account from multiple computers?  Yes, you can still access your account from any number of computers.  If you log-in from a new computer or a public terminal, you will just need to go through one extra step of answering a secret question.  This helps protect you by keeping unauthorized people from accessing your valuable information.  There is no limit on how many computers you can use to log-in to your bank account. 

I am not an Internet expert.  How easy is it to use?  It is extremely simple for anyone to use.  You don’t need to memorize anything new – just use the site as usual and look for your selected picture and caption at log-in.

I share my computer with someone who has their own bank account.  Can both of us still log-in from this machine?  Yes, you can both use the same computer to log-in to your individual bank accounts.  There is no limit on how many people can log-in into the bank web site from the same computer. 

What happens if someone steals my password?  How will this keep them from accessing my account?  When someone tries to log-in using your stolen user name and password, we will recognize they are logging in from a different computer, and then ask them a secret question.  Since only you know the answers to your secret questions, they will not be able to give a correct answer.  They will not be able to log-in. 

How do you know I am logging in from my own computer?  When you log-in for the first time from a new computer, we put a secure (encrypted) cookie on your computer.  This cookie contains a randomly generated unique number that identifies your computer.  The cookie is visible only to the bank web site and does not contain any of your personal information.  When you log-in after that, your web browser sends us this cookie.  This lets us know that this is your computer. 

What is Phishing?  Recently there have been attempts by fraudsters to trick people into revealing their personal information, such as passwords, by creating fake web sites that look very much like the sites of legitimate financial institutions.  They send out emails randomly with links to these fake web sites.  This phenomenon has been called Phishing, (pro-nounced “fishing”). 

I am trying to log-in from my own computer, but the bank’s web site is not showing me my picture and caption.  Instead it is asking me a question.  What is happening?

This might happen in rare cases if you have deleted all cookies on your computer.  Before answering a secret question or entering your password, make sure you are going to the legitimate bank web site.  The easiest way to ensure this is by typing the URL of the bank (www.ssbhibbing.com) directly into your web browser.  Then, after you answer the security question, you should see your secret picture and caption next to the password field.  If your picture and caption is there, you can be confident that you are at the legitimate we site and can enter your password.