While TD takes strong measures to protect the security and privacy of your information, there are important steps that you should take to help protect your information when using the Internet:

What you can do:

1. Protect your Password
2. Use a Firewall
3. Use Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software
4. Ensure your Browser and Operating System are always up-to-date
5. Protect your Internet Connection
6. Protect yourself from Online Fraud

Protect your Password

• Choose unique passwords that you can remember so that you do not have to write them down. A combination of letters and numbers should be used for better protection.
• Do not use passwords that are easy for others to guess such as birthdays, family names or telephone numbers.
• Ensure that AutoComplete or other memorized password functions on your browser are disabled.
• Saving passwords on your computer, on the Internet or on any software is not a good idea. It allows anyone with access to that information the ability to potentially impersonate you.
• Never disclose your password(s) to anyone, especially online, not even to the police, your financial institution or your Internet Service Provider.

Use a Firewall

You should use a firewall to protect your home network and family from offensive websites and potential hackers. Firewalls help prevent unauthorized access to or from your computer by filtering the information coming through the Internet connection into your computer. They will only allow in the connections that are known and trusted.

If you do not have a firewall installed on your computer, any personal information stored on your computer or distributed using the web may be accessed by a hacker for as long as your computer is connected to the Internet. This is especially true for high-speed Internet connections which generally maintain the same network address, increasing the window of opportunity for attacks. A dial-up connection uses a different network address every time it connects.

You can restrict traffic that travels through your firewall so that only certain types of information can get through. The best approach is to limit your exposure by only granting access to those programs and/or traffic that you are familiar with.

As an additional precaution, if you are using a Windows Operating System and you do not share files or documents with other computers on your network, you should disable the Windows File sharing feature. Doing so, will prevent others from being able to download or view your files or documents. For more information please visit the Mocrosoft website - How to configure file sharing in Windows XP.

Use Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software

Your computer can become infected with a virus through email attachments, from content you download from a website or from a diskette or other media (CD-ROM, DVD, ROM, USB drive, etc) someone shares with you. It is a good idea to install anti-virus software on your machine because viruses can appear at any time. This helps prevent your computer from becoming infected and your files from being corrupted or lost.

Anti-virus software can detect viruses and clean your computer so that the viruses do not spread. It is very important to ensure that you have and always use up-to-date anti-virus software, from a reputable vendor, that is capable of scanning files and email messages for viruses. This will help prevent your files from being corrupted or lost. Most anti-virus programs include an auto-update feature that enables the program to download profiles of new viruses so that it can check for the new viruses as soon as they are discovered.

Register new anti-virus software immediately, and choose to be notified automatically of product updates if the software vendor offers that option. Remember, new viruses are constantly being discovered therefore it is important to keep your anti-virus software updated.


Anti-Spyware Software

Spyware is a term used to describe software installed on your computer that displays advertisements and/or tracks and collects personal information. The information collected often includes: User ID's, passwords, name and address. Your computer can become infected with spyware through email attachments or from free content that you download from a website. This software is often installed on your computer without your consent.

Anti-spyware software can detect malicious programs running on your computer and clean your machine. It is important that you have and always use up-to-date anti-spyware software. Register new anti-spyware software immediately, and choose to be notified automatically of product updates if the software vendor offers that option.

Ensure your Browser and Operating System are Always up-to-date

Always take advantage of software updates so that your browser and operating system have the latest security updates to help reduce your computer's vulnerability. To be sure that you are able to download all of the latest updates you should always use a legally licensed operating system and browser. Most operating systems and browser versions offer the ability to be notified automatically of product updates, we recommend that you use this feature. For more information about specific security updates or to find out more information on updating your operating system and/or browser, please click on the link that applies to you: Microsoft Windows Update or Apple Security Updates.

Always use a web browser that supports 128-bit encryption when accessing secure websites. Most browsers now come with 128-bit encryption, which provides adequate protection when transmitting confidential data over the Internet.

Protect your Internet Connection

Protect yourself from Online Fraud

Brand spoofing or phishing is a scam where the perpetrator sends out authentic-looking emails appearing to come from a legitimate company in an effort to phish (pronounced "fish") for personal and financial information from the email recipient. If you receive one of these emails, delete it immediately and do not respond or act on it. Always remember, TD Bank Financial Group will never send customers emails asking for passwords, account numbers or personal information.

Remember:

• Do not provide personal or financial information to anyone in an email.
• Be suspicious of email attachments from unknown sources. If you do not know or recognize the sender of the email, do not open the attachment.
• Do not set your email program to "auto-run" attachments. Always check that emails you have received do not contain viruses by running your anti-virus software when the email attachment is received.