I am PLEASED to inform you that Windows is the world's
mosty virus-prone operating system in the world, and
you are forcing your customers to use Windows
whenever they need to do SECURE online transactions with
your bank.  Don't you find this a BIG CONTRADICTION?

MetrobankOnline is the same. They need you to install a VB ActiveX control in order to logon to their banking services website. The only reason I can think of for requiring this is to prevent keyloggers from capturing your password. The behaviour seems to confirm this (although who knows how secure, or effective, that control really is).

SSL support is really all that is required to protect
transport of your password on the network so besides
anti-keylogging measures, there really is ***no need for
any browser specific functionality***.

But yes, assuming the ActiveX control is for anti keystroke
logging, it would indeed be an astute move to require this
for their Windows using customers as I have the hunch that -
and don't believe am exaggerating -  *99% or more* of
Windows computers out there who are used to connect to the
Internet are infected with some kind of trojan/worm that
basically has the equivalent of root access in Linux!

Still, I doubt an anti-keylogger, esp. one written in VB,
would be all that effective against a trojan.

Anyway, anyone who does not do ALL THREE of the ff:

1) Use updated antivirus software
2) Properly use a firewall (even an experienced user like
   me sometimes slips, I was infected with Blaster
   within seconds of going on the net because I mistakenly
   allowed a TFTP connection through!  99.995% of users would
   not even have realized what had happened.)
3) Updates his installation with service packs and critical
   updates and/or at least reads up on the more widely
   publicized security bulletins

has a greater than 80% chance of being infected.  Further,
if you use Kazaa, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, or other utilities
which can update their own code automatically, you also
risk being infected by code which, worse, can slip through
firewalls (and that's why I heavily prefer Miranda IM).

There is a price to pay for all that UI polish and
convenience you know... (but if you know how to secure
Windows, its still worth it :-D)


And more importantly, why do you FORCE your customers
to use Windows, even if that is contrary to their RELIGIOUS
beliefs?

Ah... someone finally gets around to admitting that OS choice is indeed a religion for some. :-D



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