Online Security

Protecting you and your information is paramount to Student Finance England. We have partnered with 'Get Safe Online' to promote online safety and security.

www.getsafeonline.org has useful information, and helpful advice about online safety.

Passwords and Secret Answers

When you register on Student Finance England we provide you with security details; a user name- 'Customer Reference Number' (formerly known as ART ID), a password and a secret answer. When you first log in you will need to change your password.

You can change your password and secret answer at any time by using our online service.

Always, choose a password and secret answer that you will remember, but will not be easily guessed by anyone else.

'Phishing'

We will never email you asking for login or user details. If you receive an email that claims to be from us and asks you to visit our site and confirm your details, forward it on to security@slc.co.uk and then delete it. This email will direct you to a fake website so please do not follow the link.

This kind of fraudulent email is called 'phishing', by letting us know you have received one we can work to help protect you and others who may be affected.

If you think that someone might have guessed or found your login details, or you have disclosed them after a phishing email, you can use our online password reset service to change your details.

Cookies

Cookies are small files that are often created when you visit a website, which are stored in the cookies directory of your computer. A cookie is created on your computer when you visit Student Finance England.

The cookie we use is only valid when you have an active session with our site. It expires when you log out and close your browser. It contains no information personal to you and is not used to track your useage or return visits to our site.

Protecting Your Computer

Viruses, spyware and malware

Any computer connected to the internet may be vulnerable to viruses, malware or spyware.

Viruses come in many forms; attached to emails, contained in innocent looking programs or spread by websites. Viruses try to either damage your computer by removing important files or altering data, or to collect information about you and send it on to an unauthorised third party. Viruses will try to spread themselves by attempting to send themselves to your email contacts or other users of file-sharing sites.

Firewalls

A firewall is an essential barrier between your computer and the internet, preventing anyone connecting to your computer without your permission.

Most current computer operating systems, such as Mac OS X, Windows XP or Vista, have inbuilt firewalls. There are firewall products that can be downloaded from the internet. Make sure that your computer's firewall is active.

Anti-Virus Scanners

A good anti-virus scanner will check incoming emails and files you open.

New viruses are discovered daily by anti-virus makers so it is important that you update the 'definition files' (the list of viruses the scanner knows about) every 2 or 3 days.

Operating systems

Regularly check that your computer's operating system and the running software on it is up to date.

Most operating systems have an update facility which will automatically update their software on your computer.

For other software packages or programs you use, visit the manufacturer's website for available updates.

Using Our Service Safely

The Student Finance England website is designed to ensure that when you access your account or send us information it is secure.

When you log in and access your online account, you are protected by a secure encrypted session. You will see the web address starting "https" rather than just "http" and a small padlock icon in the status bar at the bottom of your browser window.

Always log out of our site when you have finished using it, and close the browser window. This ensures that your user session is closed properly.

We recommend that when you visit Student Finance England that you type the  www.direct.gov.uk/studentfinance address into your browser. This ensures you are going to the correct site and not a spoof or fraudulent site.