Should executives buy a second computer for banking?

by | Sep/29/2010

Has anyone every recommended that you buy a second computer for your home to use strictly for online banking and financial transactions?

This is a common recommendation and indeed, that would help you be more secure. I’ve even promoted something similar to this in my blog. You can read it here: https://fosterinstitute.com/blog//banking/.

In reality, an additional computer can be expensive and the chances are, at some point, some user will use that computer to access the Internet anyway and now the “banking only” computer is infected too.

There are other solutions, such as using VMware Desktop, to launch a “clean” browser to use for online banking, however VMware desktop is a little technical to set up and use for most senior executives. As time goes on, browsers are starting to run in their own isolated space that helps, too.

Another option is to use a product such as Faronics Deep Freeze that makes your home computer “go back to brand new” every time you reboot. That’s like having a new computer every time you sit down!

I feel the most probable solution is to make your home computers really secure and then use them for banking. This includes patches, anti-virus, a robust firewall, etc. If you want to take the extra step to get a separate computer, and make it super secure too, then you may decide that is best for you.

Please post your comments on this blog.