Security
We understand the sensitive nature of your financial records, and that’s why we make our online security practices a top priority. At Ascend Federal Credit Union, we have several measures in place that work together to create a safe environment for your financial information. Let’s take a look at how we provide a high-level of security protection.
Security At Your Computer
The first step in preserving your identity is to take an active role in securing your personal information. We recommend accessing your account on a personal computer where no one else may have access to it without your permission. Your password should not be selected from obvious clues like the names of your children or pets. We also discourage you from saving passwords in your computer when the option is available.
Multifactor Authentication
In addition to your personal password security, Ascend provides additional security measures with Multifactor Authentication, or MFA. MFA strengthens the safeguards in place at log-in by adding steps to verify your identity. Although these security enhancements are benefiting you and your security, your day-to-day experience will change very little, if at all. Once your authentication steps are in place, you can continue to manage your finances online as you always have.
Part of this identification process includes recognizing the computer you normally use to access E-BRANCH and E-PAY. This information, coupled with your normal log-in details, is incorporated into your online identity profile. You’ll also answer a series of security questions that will be used to authenticate you as a user. When you log-in, you’ll enter your Account Number and Password as normal, and you may be prompted to answer your security questions as well. This is especially likely if you are logging in on a computer you don’t normally use. Simply answer the questions and continue to access your accounts.
Note: If you clear your cookies, you will be required to answer your security questions on your next login.
Security At Ascend Federal Credit Union
At Ascend, we employ the latest computer technology to protect your data on all of our computers, including those used in supporting our E-BRANCH system. We use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology, which encrypts data as it crosses the Internet. Your information also enters a security computer, called a firewall, which acts as a security guard for Internet traffic and ensures that your information is protected.
Your web browser is required to have 128-bit encryption capability; the current versions of Microsoft© Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox® and Safari have this capability. This feature will prevent anyone from “eavesdropping” on your data as it travels between you and the credit union. As a user, you don’t have to do a thing, except make sure your web browser can participate in this process.
When you log into E-BRANCH, the computer asks your web browser software if it can communicate using a 128-bit encryption key. Behind the scenes, and in a matter of milliseconds, your computer and the computers at the credit union randomly pick a number that will serve as the “key” during your brief session online.
System Requirements
E-BRANCH and E-PAY can be accessed from any computer with Internet access and a secure web browser,
such as Microsoft© Internet Explorer 7.0 and 8.0 as well as Firefox© 3.6. The minimum operating system supported
is Windows© 98.
