Security

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We are committed to keeping your personal and financial information safe and secure.

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We have been made aware of STAR customers receiving fraudulent phone calls from people impersonating STAR Bank employees. If you receive a suspicious phone call from someone claiming to be a STAR employee, obtain their name and then hang up and call our Customer Solutions at 800-395- STAR (7827) and verify the person is a legitimate STAR employee and ask to be transferred.


At STAR, we take the security of your personal information seriously. Whether you bank online, by phone or mail, or stop in to visit us, your banking experience and the security of your financial and personal information is very important to us. Helping you safeguard your information at home is also one of our top priorities. As part of our commitment to the community, we want to provide you with resources and information so you can better protect yourself from financial fraud.


                                                                             

Tips to Protect Your Information

While not an all-inclusive list, these are some of the ways you can protect your own information.
Social Media
Familiarize yourself with privacy controls that are available to you from social media providers and consider what you share.  Social media is a common method for attackers to gain the information necessary to perform malicious actions such as fraud or identity theft.  If you receive an unusual link to click from one of your friends / connections, make sure it is from the person you know and not someone who gained access to their account.
Multi-Factor Authentication
We can’t stress enough the importance of multi-factor (sometimes known as 2-Factor) authentication.  It is especially important to enable this feature with your critical online accounts such as those associated with your bank accounts.  While it may feel like a hassle at first, this one feature alone can greatly reduce the risk of someone maliciously gaining access to your account.
Mobile Device Protection
Download apps only from a trusted source such as the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. While malicious apps can slip through the cracks, using a reputable store greatly reduces the risk of downloading a malicious app to your phone.  When downloading apps, review the permissions required before installing.  Do you want to download a game that requires your exact GPS location or full access to your phone contact list?  Ask yourself these types of questions when reviewing the permissions.
Computer Security
Whether you have Windows, Mac or a less common operating system, make sure you have adequate anti-virus protection at home. Products being marketed as “Internet Security” include desirable security features to keep you safe.  Look for privacy and Web filtering features.
Credit Monitoring
Leverage a credit web monitoring service for you and your family.  This can alert you to activity on your credit, even if someone else is using your information.  Monitor your child’s social security number.  While minors cannot establish their own credit, having monitoring at a younger age can help prevent immediate issues when they start establishing credit.
Phishing
Whether you receive an unusual message via e-mail or text, be weary of links to click.  Scammers often convince individuals to click a link to view a fictitious Webpage.  These Webpages often appear reputable, but they are used to steal your information.
Parental Controls
Kids leverage technology for entertainment and communication with friends.  Parental control tools are available for mobile phones and computers, providing parents the ability to restrict the types of apps used.  Talk with your kids about the importance of protecting their personal information online, such as phone numbers and home addresses.


Information Security Program


STAR consistently invests in our Information Security Program, including our people, processes and technology. As a community bank and trusted advisor, protecting your information is of the utmost importance. While we aren't able to share every detail for security reasons, below is a small list of some of the many things we do to ensure your information is safe.
 
Employee security awareness training. A combination of announced and unannounced audits are performed to ensure effectiveness.

Advanced detective and preventative controls. This helps identify and stop potential threats to our environment. Multi-factor authentication required for critical technology administrative functions. Our system administrators are required to use additional controls when managing systems.

Scheduled and recurring third-party assessments of our cybersecurity posture. This includes audits, penetration tests and social engineering engagements.
 
Proactive cybersecurity monitoring and response by our Security Operations team and its partners – 24/7/365. Our technology and resources are monitoring systems and information even when the business is closed.
 
Strict and ongoing security assessment for trusted partners and vendors. It is important to us that we vet our partners and their information security efforts.
 


Communication from STAR

If you are ever unsure whether a communication from STAR is legitimate contact our Customer Solutions Team
directly. STAR will never ask you for your password or MFA passcode.
 
STAR communicates with customers through multiple channels.
 
Email: STAR may send email communications directly from employees or via system generated emails. Confidential information will only be requested via the secure email system. Most STAR email will originate from the “starfinancial.com” domain but some system-generated emails may originate from other domains.

Message Center: STAR may use the message center within your online banking experience to securely communicate with you. You can also use this system to securely communicate with a banker.

Social Media: STAR may communicate directly with you via our social media presence (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) but will never use these channels to solicit or share any confidential information. Given the confidential nature of banking, STAR does not offer support or conduct business via social media. Please visit starfinancial.com or login to online banking to connect with a banker or contact Customer Solutions. Never post confidential information on STAR’s social media pages or in messages to STAR’s social media accounts.

Voice Phone Call: STAR may communicate directly with you via phone call. We will never ask you for account verification information through voicemail and will only ask over a phone call. If you prefer to call our team back directly to verify the caller is from STAR, you may request that you call us initially.

SMS / Text: STAR may communicate via SMS for account verification purposes or to notify you of account activity, but we will never request sensitive information via text message.