Our Security Measures
When we
talk about security, we don't just mean protecting the transmissions between
your computer and our systems. We do far more to help safeguard your
information.
We have an
integrated system of industry best practices and technologically advanced
safeguards that includes:
SSL and encryption
Firewall
Monitoring
Automatic logout
SSL and encryption. We use an industry-standard
technology called Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to encrypt the information flowing
between your computer and our servers. Encryption works by scrambling words and
numbers before they travel across the Internet so they can't be read or
altered.
Several
levels of encryption are available. A higher number indicates more secure
communication. Browsers that support 128-bit encryption currently offer the
best protection.
Firewall. A firewall is a combination of
hardware and software deployed to control the information that can pass from
the Internet into our internal systems and servers. Firewalls enforce a set of
rules intended to bar intruders and viruses from gaining entry.
Monitoring. We continually monitor our systems
for evidence of attempted break-ins. Our monitoring methods combine internal
resources and security companies we pay to help safeguard your information.
Automatic logout. The automatic logout is intended to
protect your account information from passersby if you're interrupted and leave
your computer before logging out. Typically, you'll be automatically logged out
15 minutes after your last click in a secure session.
Security measures you can take
You can
take numerous actions to increase your Internet security.
Use a browser with 128-bit encryption.
Make sure you're on a secure page.
Log out and close your browser.
Clear your cache.
Use a browser with 128-bit
encryption. To
enter the secure areas of our site, your browser must support 128-bit
encryption. When you log into a secure area, we test your browser
automatically. If it doesn't support 128-bit encryption, we'll let you know,
and while it's your decision, we'll also provide convenient links to
third-party sites that offer to help you upgrade.
Make sure you're on a secure page. When viewing account information
online, you'll know that the information being transmitted is being encrypted
and secure if the "locking" symbol of your browser shows a closed
lock. Your browser will always display this lock in the same location.
Typically, it's in the lower right of the browser window, but not all browsers
show it in the same place. Find it on your browser and always check for it in
that location when inputting or looking at confidential information.
You can
also look at the address box (URL) to see whether http:// has changed to
https://. The "s" indicates your connection is secure. However, you
can't trust this indicator alone if you've clicked an email link because some
"phishing" scams have managed to fake the "https" to make
the URL look secure.
Log out and close your browser. If you leave a computer without
logging out and closing your browser, someone else could use the browser's back
button to view information you entered.
Your user
ID and password for ftecontributions.com are protected separately by our site's
security, which clears them from your browser as soon as you've logged in.
Clear your cache. As an additional precaution after
visiting any secure site, you may wish to delete any page images your browser
stored to your hard drive. These page images are called "cache." Your
computer uses cache to make your experience faster by loading images from your
hard drive rather than downloading them repeatedly from the website's server.
Your browser's Help section should have instructions detailing how to clear
your cache.
Security threats are ever changing
We use
intensive testing procedures and other safeguards to verify that customer
information is protected. But no security system is foolproof. Please be sure
you're comfortable with our security measures before accessing your account
online.
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