The news is everywhere about the Heartbleed Bug. Basically, it’s a vulnerability in the encryption used to secure many websites, putting information, including passwords, credit card information and emails, at risk. Below is a quick FAQ on the virus and its impact.

Is my Pinnacle account safe?

Our websites, including PNFP.com, were not affected by this breach. While we do have a secure website, we use a different technology that was not included in the Heartbleed attack. We also confirmed that our online banking partner and bill pay services were not vulnerable to the Heartbleed Bug.

Furthermore, please contact us immediately if you suspect any unusual activity. We are monitoring your accounts and use rigorous security standards, encryption and fraud detection services to protect you.

As a precaution, it is a good idea to update your online banking password every few months. Beware of phishing scams – or e-mails with malicious links – that will attempt to get additional sensitive information from you. For more tips on how to keep your account safe, please visit our Fraud and Security Center.

What if I visited an impacted site?

Most active users of the Internet have likely been exposed, since a majority of websites – including Facebook, retail and even government sites – use the Open SSL software that was affected.

According to reports, this is not a case of hackers breaking into a bunch of sites and stealing usernames and passwords; this is a vulnerability that allowed hackers to grab relatively small chunks of data as they flowed through sites. If you happened to be entering your username, password or credit card number as someone was making a grab, it possibly fell into the wrong hands.

What passwords do I need to change?

It’s definitely better to be safe than sorry. For up-to-date information on affected sites and when to change your password, please see http://www.cnet.com/how-to/which-sites-have-patched-the-heartbleed-bug/. 

If you have additional questions regarding this or other issues regarding your Pinnacle online banking account, please contact your Financial Advisor or our Client Service Center at 800.264.3613.