Online banking customers urged to protect their passwords after login error

An online banking customer has urged others to update their passwords after they couldn’t access their account.

A Commonwealth Bank online customer has urged others to update their passwords after experiencing a log-on error.

The customer said they tried to log into their account on the bank’s website and app on Monday about 11.30pm but was denied access to their account.

“Neither my password nor my pin was correct,” the customer said on social media.

“I haven’t changed both of these since I opened the account in 2018 — which now I’m thinking is not a good practice.”

A Commonwealth Bank online customer has urged people to update their passwords after experiencing a log-on error. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

The person stated they were able to successfully log into their account an hour later with their money untouched and notifications about changing password attempts.

“Luckily, I can reset it easily and there was no suspicious transaction and my money is still in there,” they said.

The customer urged other online bank users to reset their password and pin, something they’d been meaning to do for years.

The warning came after the customer said they were “too scared to sleep” out of fear they’d been hacked.

“Other than resetting my password and pin, I’ve locked my card temporarily and changed the withdrawal limit to $100,” they said.

“I don’t have a lot of money and I have no family for a safety net.

“That’s all I have, and I’ve worked so hard for it.”

Taking to social media, the customer asked if any other customers had cyber security advice.

“It’s important (CommBank) are made aware of this ASAP,” one person said.

CommBank users are urged to use two-factor authentication to protect their accounts. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Gaye Gerard

Another explained the bank had a 24/7 help line for customer issues like this.

“They will be able to tell you if there were any new log ins or changes to pins/password,” the said.

“If not, most likely just a server or internet error, doesn’t have to be maintenance. It happens.

“But yes, banks go down all the time now and sometimes for ages, so having a back up account is a good idea.

“Also make sure you have a strong password.”

One user said they had similar things happen to them when they tried logging on.

“Yeah, I get incorrect password sometimes,” one customer said. “It usually works 15-20mins later.”

A CBA spokesman told 7 News there were no internal issues reported on Monday night that could have caused the login issues.

CBA was not able to comment on this particular incident without more information to help them identify the customer.

CBA provides general guidance on its website on how to stay safe online, including with regards to passwords.

CommBank customers are encouraged to use two-factor authentication and people shouldn’t reuse the same passwords for multiple accounts.

Originally published as Online banking customers urged to protect their passwords after login error