Bank takes steps to increase customer security

Bank signs deal with AV vendor in an attempt to stop phishers in their tracks.

In an attempt to prevent online banking fraud, a British bank has signed a deal with Finnish anti-virus vendor F-Secure to provide anti-virus software for each of its online banking customers.

Barclays bank signed a deal last month for 1.6 million F-Secure AntiVirus licences as well as two years' worth of updates. The package will include anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-rootkit protection.

Barclays will notify each of its 1.6 million online customers that the anti-virus software is available free of charge, and will provide them with download instructions. The software will be set to update automatically. Currently, it is not clear what will happen at the end of the two years' worth of free updates - although a spokesman for Barclays has said that the bank may decide to include anti-virus protection as an integral feature of its online service.

01 June 2006

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