How to Securely Bank Online by Using a Linux Live CD

There are some security issues when banking online. No one wants their account login and password taken, but at times it does happen. Whether one intends to be safe or not, at times there are issues that compromise your computer's security especially when using a Windows machine. While there are some vulnerabilities, there is one technique using a Linux Live CD that will ensure security on your computer.

One of the biggest issues that most are not aware of are malicious programs called keyloggers. A keylogger is a program that is considered to be spyware because it watches what you do on your computer. It will log your keystokes and mouse movements which is then sent away to those who wrote the program. The problem with this is that your account login and password can easily be scraped not only from your banking information but any account that you access from that machine.

In order to combat a keylogger most will use virus and spyware protection. If you update these and do full system scans, many times you can get rid of most issues. There is always a small chance that there is a new keylogger that is not covered in those updates. Is there a guaranteed solution to know that you do not have a keylogger problem?

If you want to avoid this without the chance of having any problems, you need to use Linux. Most people do not want to switch their operating system since they are already comfortable on the machine they are using. With Linux you do not have to switch or even install any software to use the applications. You can run the entire operating system from a CD which will include a web browser to do your banking or use other accounts that you need to keep safe from spyware problems.

In order to get this special CD, download what's called a Live CD. The version of Linux to look for is one called Ubuntu which will be about a 700 megabyte file. Burn this large file to a CD as an image and not as a data disk or it will not work.

Next put the CD into the tray and restart the computer. A screen will show up giving options to try out Ubuntu or to go to your normal operating system. If you try Ubuntu, it will not install anything to your system and will not destroy your Windows files at all.

It will take a few minutes for the operating system to boot up since it's running off the CD. Once everything is working properly, click on Applications then Internet and select Firefox. From here go to your banking account and other sites without worry. There is no chance your account information can be stolen using this technique.

Be sure to be safe about sensitive account information. While it may not be quite as easy to log into your banking account using this technique, in the long run is ensures you a level of security that is needed for your financial information.