Bank arranges security software discounts

Stephen Withers
Thursday, 19 April 2007 04:56

Your IT - Home IT

Banks keep warning online users about the need for security precautions such as firewalls and spyware detectors, but one has taken the additional step of arranging discounts for its customers.

National Australia Bank customers can save 50 percent on the retail price of ZoneAlarm Internet Security Suite and over 30 percent on PC Tools' Spyware Doctor.

Both packages are well regarded by leading IT publications, though "NAB does not specifically recommend the products" according to its web site.

"NAB has offered free SMS second factor authentication since 2005 and with more than 250,000 customers now registered this service has been extremely popular," said Steve Collier NAB Direct General Manager. "The next line of protection is the customers' PC and we wanted to make it easy for them to have the right home-based security."

Although the discounts are supposed to be exclusive, the offers are linked from a public page on the bank's web site and there seems to be no attempt to verify that buyers are NAB customers.

A recent UK survey found that while 52 percent of adult Internet users take advantage of online banking, 24 percent avoid it due to the fear of crime. Only half of the respondents said they were responsible for their own online safety.

The writer holds National Australia Bank shares.