Shopping Online and Banking Online (E-Banking) have a bad reputation at the moment, and probably will do for years to come, due to negativity such as "Don't Trust The Internet For Shopping" (usually told by the ill-informed, scare mongers and people who never shop online or e-bank) and the fact that real life online fraud cases exist unfortunately (usually done via e-mail or online shopping), but this doesn't mean everyone will be frauded online.

If online fraud was at epidemic level no one would use the internet in general. Meaning, people still use the internet to download files and read e-mails for example even though a potential virus could be one click away. Now although a virus is not the same as fraud, both of them can cost you dearly if you bump into them.

Using a PayPal Account to protect your debit/credit card's identity, not opening e-mails from unknown people and always keeping your computer up-to-date can prevent you from becoming an "online fraud" statistic. Another thing you can use is a piece of software from Trusteer called Rapport, downloadable from your bank's website or the trusteer website.

Rapport is a piece of security software that installs itself as a Windows computer service and extra piece of web browser software for Internet Explorer 8 and 9, Google Chrome 12 and Firefox 5. It does not work with Safari 5 though, at the time of writing this lesson, therefore stick to using one of the three mentioned web browsers when shopping online and e-banking.

Rapport basically protects against Key Logging (i.e. prevents the sending of your User Name & Password keystrokes for example to the fraudsters website/server) and Screen Capture (i.e. prevents photos being taken of your desktop screen, which might be displaying your bank details for example). It protects against other things that a fraudster might use to get hold of your credit/bank details whilst you are shopping online and e-banking, but key logging and screen capture are two important areas of protection. It also makes sure you are visiting your bank's website for example and not a fake version of your bank's website.

To download Rapport DON'T USE ANY OLD WEBSITE OFF THE INTERNET - Go to your bank's website instead. There are two reasons for doing this. 1) The internet is full of fake software (including fake, virus infested, Rapport software), so you don't really want to go to a website that offers you a download link to a fraudster's fake Rapport software. And 2) because the bank's version of Rapport is normally fine-tuned (specially programmed) to suit their particular online banking security requirements.

In the example below I have followed the Rapport Download link (http://www.trusteer.com/landing/santanderuk) found on the Santander bank website simply because I bank with Santander. If you bank with HSBC for example you should either go to the HSBC bank website or google "HSBC Trusteer Rapport Download" (without quotes) in order to find a genuine HSBC Bank rapport download link or Trusteer website link.

Fig 1.0  Go to your bank's website and follow their links in order to download and install Rapport

When you have the download link for rapport (such as the one above) simply RUN its installation wizard. In this example, after clicking on the RUN button of internet explorer 9's notification bar (Fig 1.0 above) a security message requester appears (below) asking you if you want to RUN the rapport installation wizard. If you do simply click on the OK button to continue.

Fig 1.1  Click on the RUN button to run (launch/execute) the rapport Installation Wizard

The first step of the rapport installation wizard reminds you to ALLOW rapport to be installed. Meaning, if your security software (i.e. Anti-Virus software) complains that Rapport cannot be trusted and/or is an unrecognized piece of software for example you should UNBLOCK / ALLOW rapport and therefore let its installation process continue. In some cases you might need to temporarily switch off (disable) your security software in order for the rapport installation wizard to continue.

As a general rule you should always keep your security software switched on (enabled) and only switch it off (disable it) if it prevents you from installing a known piece of software. In which case you would cancel the software installation (i.e. rapport software installation), switch off your security software (i.e. Norton Internet Security) and then re-run the software installation (i.e. rapport software installation). In this example though just click on the OK button to continue.

Fig 1.2  Temporarily switch off your Anti-Virus, if need be, before clicking on the OK button to continue




Fig 1.3  The installation wizard is downloading the files needed to get Rapport up and running




Fig 1.4  Click on the INSTALL button to install Rapport

After clicking on the OK button (Fig 1.2 above) the installation wizard downloads the actual rapport files necessary to install the Windows online banking (rapport) protection services and so on (Fig 1.3 above). Ignore the technicals here though! Just wait for the above Rapport Installation window to appear and then click on its INSTALL button to continue. Leave the SEND SECURITY EVENTS AND ERROR LOGS ANONYMOUSLY TO TRUSTEER option ticked.

Fig 1.5  The installation wizard is installing the necessary online banking protection services




Fig 1.6  Click on the FINISH button to continue




Fig 1.7  Rapport has been installed successfully

When the installation wizard has installed Rapport, its Online Banking Services and Web Browser Extras click on its FINISH button (Fig 1.6 above) whereby you will then see a web page (Fig 1.7 above) that lets you know Rapport installed successfully.

Now whenever you visit a website that asks you for your bank or credit details (i.e. your credit card information) you should notice the rapport Left Arrow icon inside your web browser's Address Box edit box (or somewhere close to it) has changed from Grey (Fig 1.8 below) to Green (Fig 1.9 below).

The grey rapport icon is displayed whenever you are on a website that is trusted and/or posses no known threats which basically means rapport is not protecting you while you are on that web page or website.....because it feels no need to.

The green rapport icon is displayed whenever you are on a website that may pose a threat and/or ask you for bank details, login details or credit details for example. Basically, green means rapport is protecting you from online fraud and fraudsters.

Fig 1.8  Rapport does not see this Google web page as a threat. Hence the grey rapport icon.




Fig 1.9  Rapport is protecting me on the Santander website while I use my Online Banking Account. Hence the green rapport icon.

Rapport has a special console (window) that allows you to change the rapport settings. It can be seen by clicking on the rapport icon (grey or green) or by going to the TRUSTEER RAPPORT folder on the START Menu and clicking on the RAPPORT CONSOLE menu-item. You can even switch rapport off and on by clicking on its appropriate START RAPPORT and STOP RAPPORT menu-items.

Fig 1.10  Click on the RAPPORT CONSOLE menu-item to open the Rapport Console (Settings window)




Fig 1.11  The Rapport Console (Settings window) - Page 1




Fig 1.12  The Rapport Console (Settings window) - Page 2

Although the rapport console has many settings you can actually leave the console alone. There is normally no reason to open it. I have only shown it here so that you do know how to open it and if necessary stop or restart its services. Saying this; make sure on Page 2 there is a green tick on the Security Best Practises section. If there is no green tick it means you are not using possible/available protections, in which case click on the SCAN AGAIN link or on the VIEW REPORT to see what's going on.

Hopefully you will download and install Trusteer Rapport and add an extra layer of defence to your internet experience. It is FREE Protection Software afterall.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.