October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a collaborative effort between government and industry to raise understanding nationally and internationally. This year’s theme is “See Yourself in Cyber” – and all month long, Regions will be providing tips, information and resources on how you can stay cyber aware to make smart decisions that keep you, your family and your community safe online.
How do we know it’s really you?
To verify your identity on Regions’ online banking, your personal email or other online account, you will first need to authenticate.
Authentication begins with strong and secure passwords. Passwords are strong when:
- They are long and memorable.
- They do not contain personally identifiable information.
- They are not easily guessed.
Passwords are secure when:
- The same password is not reused on multiple websites. This is especially important for Regions or other financial institutions’ account passwords
- No one else can see or access them.
Remember: passwords should be routinely changed. And it’s also crucial to change your password immediately if you find out it has been involved in a data breach.
But passwords alone are not enough to protect your accounts.
Multi-Factor Authentication: Enhancing Security
That’s why Regions, along with many other financial institutions and organizations, offers multi-factor authentication (or MFA), a form of enhanced authentication that requires users to provide more than one verification method to gain access to their account.
When multi-factor authentication is enabled, someone pretending to be you would also need something you have, such as your phone or email.
Regions online banking leverages one-time codes for MFA that are sent via email or as a text to a mobile number. Other forms of MFA that you may see used by other websites include biometric identifiers such as facial recognition or a fingerprint, answers to an additional security question, or an extra PIN (personal identification number).
Even when using MFA, it’s important to remain vigilant. Remember – never accept an MFA challenge you did not initiate and never give a code or PIN to anyone else.
By taking steps to safeguard your passwords and enabling MFA wherever possible, you can help keep your accounts and personal information secure.
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The information presented is general in nature and should not be considered, legal, accounting or tax advice. Regions reminds its customers that they should be vigilant about fraud and security and that they are responsible for taking action to protect their computer systems. Fraud prevention requires a continuous review of your policies and practices, as the threat evolves daily. There is no guarantee that all fraudulent transactions will be prevented or that related financial losses will not occur. Visit regions.com/STOPFRAUD or speak with your Banker for further information on how you can help prevent fraud.