Security Protection

In Internet banking as with traditional banking methods, security is a primary concern. At Planters & Citizens Bank we have taken every precaution necessary to be sure your information is transmitted safely and securely. The latest methods in Internet banking system security are used to increase and monitor the integrity and security of the system.

Secure Communications

Our system ensures that data exchanged between your PC and our computers is encrypted with 128-bit encryption - the strongest encryption available. Encryption is accomplished through Secure Sockets Layers (SSL), which utilizes mathematical formulas to 'encrypt' or hide information from prying eyes on the Internet. Additionally, if SSL detects that data was added or deleted after you sent it to the bank, the connection will be severed in order to guard against any tampering. The most popular browsers have the SSL security feature included. How can you tell if your browser is secure? Click Here.

Secure Environment

Our computer system does not connect directly to the Internet. It is isolated from the network via a 'firewall.' A firewall is a combination of software and hardware products that designate parameters, and control and limit the access that outside computers have to the banks' internal networks and databases. You can feel secure knowing that our firewall protects your personal information from unauthorized access.

Secure Login

The customer information database is housed on a Microsoft SQL Server, which implements Microsoft NT security in addition to the firewall technology. The customer database is stored on a RAID-5 drive array, which provides uninterruptible data access, even in the event of a hard drive failure. Just as the World Wide Web interface is the only process capable of communicating with the Internet banking server, the Internet banking server is the only process able to send requests to the SQL database. This way, customer information can never be accessed or downloaded by anyone on the Internet. Additionally, user passwords can vary from six to fourteen characters, which means the chance of randomly guessing a password is less than one in one billion! The system also checks for invalid logins and automatically disallows a user after three invalid attempts. This prohibits the 'hacker' from gaining access to our system, thus protecting your accounts.

Your Password

You will be responsible for maintaining one of the most important security measures: your password. When you choose your P&C Bank online banking password, be sure to keep it a secret. Memorize it, or write it down and keep it in a safe place. It is not recommended you carry your password in your purse or wallet. Make sure no one watches you enter your password and always close your browser when leaving the computer. Make sure you regularly scan your computer for viruses that could be used to capture password keystrokes. You ultimately hold the key to your password security. For more in depth information on how to protect yourself from fraud, Click Here.

Multifactor Authentication

Recently an additional layer of security and fraud protection was added to help prevent identity theft. Now when you signup for Internet banking you will be required to establish a security question. If you consistently use a particular computer to access your financial information, you also have the option of registering that computer by adding extra security to it. The combination of your password and security question, or your password and a registered computer, will serve as a double layer of protection to verify your identity.