One of the main features of our site is the ability to save data. Being able to save data means you can stop whenever you wish and pick up from where you left again later. You can take your time and consult the Desjardins Financial Security Website at leisure. To enjoy this advantage and still protect your online privacy and safety, it is best to learn a few simple precautions.
Saving Personal Information
Your Desjardins Financial Security Personal File Password is a password that only you know. It should never be shared with anyone and should be changed frequently.
Your Personal File Password must:
- be 5 to 10 characters long and
- must contain at least one number and one letter
If you forget your password, you have the option of consulting the password reminder you selected at the same time as your Desjardins Financial Security Personal File Password. For higher security, access to the password reminder is protected by one piece of your personal information. If you still cannot remember your password, please contact us.
We will reset your Desjardins Financial Security Personal File and you will then have to enter a new password (thus ensuring your Personal File's security). After 5 failed attempts to log on with a wrong password, the system will automatically block access to your Personal File. To reactivate your Personal File, please contact us.
If you are uncomfortable with submitting or saving personal information via the Internet for any reason, please feel free to contact us.
Logging Off
After you have finished accessing your Desjardins Financial Security Personal File, please log off to ensure that no one can access it while you are away from your computer and your session has not yet timed out. To log off, simply close your browser.
If you forget to log off, Desjardins Financial Security will automatically log you out after a certain time has elapsed with no activity.
Your Password: The Key to Your Safety
As harmless as it may seem, a weak password can easily be guessed or anticipated by an impostor. A few easy steps can be taken in choosing a password to ensure your online privacy and security.
- Always choose new passwords (one for each time you register) that include letters and numbers. Do not alternate between passwords.
- Do not choose passwords that are obvious. Most users select passwords based on things like-
- names
- nicknames
- children's names
- birthdays, anniversaries
- personal family details
- telephone numbers
- possessions
- interests
- dictionary words
- dictionary words spelled backwards
- street and city names
- names of sport teams and local attractions
- license plate numbers
These passwords can be easily guessed or anticipated by a malicious third party. Someone trying to guess your password will start with your personal information (name, spouse's name, children's name, birthdays, etc.). A more high-tech impostor may gather a substantial collection of data from dictionaries and mailing lists and search them for your password.
To improve your password selection process, steps you can take are-
- Create your own rule, preferably combining letters and numbers
- Choose a string at least five characters long (the minimum required by Desjardins Financial Security)
- Choose a string with at least one easy-to-remember number and insert it somewhere in the password
Different techniques can be used such as-
- Phonetics ("Cat" becomes "Kat")
- Letters substituting for numbers
- Acronyms, including ones you invent yourself ("Good things will come to those who wait" becomes "GTWCTTWW")
- Common words transformed by moving one letter over or shifting rows on the keyboard
Effective Password Management
- Use a new password each time you register
- Do not share your password with anyone
- Do not store passwords on your computer
- Change your password regularly
- If you write your password down, file it in a secure place
Secure Page Certificate
During sessions in our site's secure sections, you can verify that you are actually dealing with Desjardins Financial Security, and not with an unsolicited third party by examining a secure page certificate:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer (PC users):
- Select "Properties" from the "File" menu and click on the "Certificates" button
- Netscape (PC and MAC* users):
- Select "Page Info" from the "View" menu
Your Browser's Encryption Level and Security Settings
Your browser security preference is another of your lines of defense. Browsers like Microsoft Internet Explorer and Netscape Navigator offer you the ability to receive an alert or notification if any of the following happens or is about to occur:
- Receiving an invalid site identification for the site to which you are about to transmit
- Sending a transmission over an "open" or unsecured connection
Browser security signals: There are two ways for you to know via your browser whether a Web page uses security measures for data entry:
- The URL identifying the page will always begin with "https://" instead of the regular "http://".
- A security symbol indicates operation in a mode that supports secure transmissions:
- A "closed lock" icon is present in the bottom right-hand corner of your Microsoft Internet Explorer browser screen (PC users)
- A "closed lock" icon appears in the lower left-hand corner of your Microsoft Internet Explorer browser screen (Mac* users)
- A "closed lock" icon is present in the bottom left-hand corner of your Netscape browser screen (PC and Mac* users)
You can check your browser's encryption level by-
- Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 and higher:
- Select "About Internet Explorer" from the "Help" menu to display the cipher strength that your browser supports.
- Netscape Navigator or Communicator:
- Clicking on the lock in the bottom left corner to display the Security Info dialog box then selecting "Navigator" from the side menu and clicking on the "Configure SSL v2" (PC users) or "Configure SSL v3" (MAC* users) button under Advanced Security Configuration (SSL). The dialog box will indicate whether your browser is using a 40 bit cipher (encryption level) or 128 bit cipher.
Clearing Your Browser Cache
One good maintenance tip is to clear your browser cache (where cookies are located). Clearing these files helps your browser run more efficiently and will not change any of your browser's settings.
To clear the cache:
- Microsoft Internet Explorer (PC users)
- Under "Tools", select "Internet Options"
- Select "General"
- Click on button "Delete Files"
- Select "Delete all Offline Content"
- Click on button "OK"
- Microsoft Internet Explorer (MAC* users)
- Under "Edit", select "Preferences"
- Select "Web Browser"
- Select "Advanced"
- Click on button "Clear Disk Cache Now"
- Netscape Navigator (PC users)
- Under "Edit", select "Preferences"
- Select "Advanced" and "Cache"
- Click on button "Clear Memory Cache"
- Click on button "Clear Disk Cache"
- Netscape Navigator (MAC* users)
- Under "Edit", select "Preferences"
- Select "Advanced" and select "Cache"
- Click on button "Clear Disk Cache Now"
If you continue to encounter memory problems, you may need to quit and restart the program.
*Not supported by the Individual Network's Extranet (Webi)