Your Online Security

• Be sure all your software is up to date.  Make sure your virus checker has the most recent definitions.  It is preferable to have the system set to at least notify you when new patches or definitions are available. If anti-phishing checking is available for your browser and mail client programs, use them!  But you must be aware of what phishing is anyway because the anti-phishing cannot catch it all!  They only catch what has been reported.
• What is phishing?  Fishing for information by using some phony means. Typically a login and password page that looks identical to the real thing. Usually you would be directed to such a page from a phony email (or another web page) that includes a link.  If you receive an email that includes a link to your LPL Account View login page, your bank login page or any other login page, DO NOT click the link! Use a known good bookmark, other link source or hand type the known good link.  Do not type it from the email! 
• How do you know you are really on the login page for LPL Account View?  Look in the address bar.  The leftmost portions should read exactly as:
  
  https://accountview.lpl.com/
  
  There will be more to the right of that. The lock symbol should also appear indicating that the line starts with https.  All or part of the address bar may turn yellow for caution, see examples.  In the status bar of Firefox the key portion of the URL (address) is duplicated just to the left of another lock symbol.  In Opera the key portions is to the right of the lock symbol in the address bar.
  
  Examples:
  Firefox: 
  
  
  
  Opera: 
  
  
  MSIE: 
  
  
  
  Examples of phishing:
  http://192.160.1.1/accountview.lpl.com/...
  https://accountview.lpl.com%2emrphish%2eru/...
  http://www.mrphish.com/accountview.lpl.com/...
  
  Note on the real thing that between the https:// and the first / it must read exactly:
  accountview.lpl.com
  
• Never send any account number, your Social Security number or any other critical information by email.  Think of email as a post card that can be read by anyone and it may even be stored on multiple machines for years or decades.
• Be careful with the same infomation over the phone.  Never give it to someone who calls you.  If you originated the call and are sure of the source of the phone number and they need it for legitimate reasons it's OK.  However, older cordless phones and newer less expensive ones can be easily monitored.  Use a wired phone if you are not sure.  Cell phones are harder to monitor.
• Use OpenDNS:
  OpenDNS DNS servers:
  208.67.222.222
  208.67.220.220
  
  Recommended for all home users or if you are the network administrator for a business.