What is a firewall?

A firewall is used to prevent unauthorized access to a network. A network can be made up of a company's local area networks, wide area networks, and the Internet, or it can be just an Internet Service Provider preventing inappropriate access to the files of its customers. The firewall's role is to ensure that all communication between an organization's network and the Internet, in both directions, conforms to the organization's security policies. How does encryption work?

All Web pages that are secured on the Web use encryption to ensure that unauthorized individuals cannot read your sensitive data. Encrypted data moves across the Internet as a string of unrecognizable numbers that cannot be decrypted into the actual information without a numeric key. This numeric key is randomly generated and agreed upon by your browser and our Web site each time you establish a connection, making it possible for your computer and ours to pass encrypted data back and forth that is recognizable only on those two computers.

How can I tell for sure if my connection is actually running in secure mode?

There are two general ways to ensure that you are on a secure Web page: (1) look at the address bar of the Web page URL and make sure it begins with "https" and (2)look for the padlock icon in the status bar (not the Web page display area). Web sites use certificates as part of a system for securing online information and transactions.Typing https:// as opposed to the standard http:// into the Web site address activates the certificate. (Your browser may display an alert that you are about to view pages over a secure connection.) Once you are on a secure site, you can check the certificate by double-clicking the padlock icon, displayed on the status bar at the bottom of your browser. This displays the security certificate for the site. Various browsers have different ways of indicating to the user whether security is in effect. Be aware that security is set on each Web page, so some pages within a Web site may be secure while others are not. If the page contains information that is considered to be sensitive, such as your password, account number or Social Security number, the page should be secure and all information encrypted.

What security precautions should I take for keeping my account information safe?

Even though we are making use of technology to keep your account information safe as it passes over the Internet, you still play an important role in keeping your account safe.The primary information you should protect is your account number, PIN, and/or password used to access online services. You should memorize your password; do not write it down. Change your passwords often. Log off when you are done and do not leave your computer unattended. When selecting a password do not use one that is easily associated with you such as your address, birth date, child’s name,etc.Your password should also contain characters and numbers. Please be aware that hackers create programs that attempt to run through a series of passwords in hopes of gaining access to systems. Use good judgment regarding the protection of your sensitive information and you will avoid the majority of problems.

What are "cookies" and why are they required?

Cookies serve a very useful purpose. On the Web it is impossible to differentiate between different users unless the server can identify a visitor. Storing a piece of information in the visitor’s computer does this. This information is called a cookie. Cookies can store database information, custom page settings, security clearance information, requests being worked on, or just about anything that would make a site interactive and customizable.Our online services use cookies in order to perform complex security and database operations. Online services like eBranch would not be possible without cookies. Therefore, your browser must be set to allow cookies for our online services to work. Some cookies have expiration dates. When a cookie expires, your browser will simply erase it from your hard drive. Depending on where it came from, a cookie may expire tomorrow, next week, or next year. Cookies with an expiration date are generally known as persistent cookies, meaning they stick around for awhile. A cookie that doesn't contain an expiration date will only last as long as your browser stays open. These are called session cookies. When you close your browser, all session cookies silently disappear.

I cannot log in to eBranch. What do I do?

Please call us at 918-336-7662 or 1-800-897-6991, option 2, 7:30 am to 6:00 pm CST to help you with this issue.