1st
September
2005
According to an article in Information Week magazine on August 23, 2005, “Some of the biggest banks have abandoned the practice of posting their online account log-in screens on SSL-protected pages in an effort to boost page response time.”
In English, that means that in an effort to make your online banking experience faster and more enjoyable they are going against their own advice, which says (“…make sure your login screens are secure…”) , and the advice of the FTC who says… ” look for indicators that the site is secure, like a lock icon on the browser’s status bar or a URL for a website that begins “https:†(the “s†stands for “secureâ€).”
So…many will no longer be showing you a “locked” icon in the lower right corner of your browser, nor will they be using the secure URL such as httpS://banknamelogin.com”. Hmmm. I’m sure it has nothing to do with banks cutting costs in bandwidth and security certificates. 
Does this mean they’re really any less secure?
Well, it depends who you ask. I confess, I’m not completely sure. It does mean that the way you can easily identify a secure site is gone form these banks.
I know some members of the OCCA (Oregon Computer Consultants Association) that might be changing banks soon…
