CYBERSECURITY CHECKLIST
Consider taking these steps if your
family’s devices have been targeted
Best practices to help you respond to a cyber event
Don’t delay. Acting quickly aer an event can minimize damage to you and your family.
Disconnect your devices from the internet. Immediately unplug your internet cable
or turn o your Wi-Fi router.
Scan your network and devices. Once you’re oine, check for infected les or malicious
programs with a strong antivirus program. Apply soware patches and security updates to your
devices. If you don’t have an antivirus program on your system or it’s outdated, consider calling
a cybersecurity professional to eradicate any suspicious programs and set up better defenses
before you go back online with any connected device.
Determine what happened. Identify (if possible) what kind of event occurred, whether it
was successful and what was lost or damaged.
Restore lost les. Recover corrupted les from backups.
Change all your passwords. Using a device that hasn’t been compromised, change the
passwords on all sites that contain personal or nancial information. Also change passwords for
any apps on your devices that may have been aected.
Contact your bank and other nancial institutions if you believe your
accounts have been compromised.
Report fraudulent transactions as soon as you can,
and have your nancial institutions put a freeze on any accounts that might be aected.
Investment products:
Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value
See important information on page 2
1 •ml.com
Call the credit bureaus. Ask them to place a fraud alert on your credit report and freeze your
credit.
Notify the company on whose platform the threat originated.
Document everything about the event. The more information you have, the better
armed you will be to assist an investigation, and the better prepared you will be against future events.
Contact law enforcement. File reports with police and other relevant local authorities.
-
For more tips and insights, visit
ml.com/privacy-and-security-center/additional-resources.html
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Neither Bank of America nor its affiliates provide information security or information technology (IT) consulting services. This material is provided “as is,“ with no
guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this material, and without warranty of any kind, express or implied,
including, but not limited to warranties of performance, quality and fitness for a particular purpose. This material should be regarded as general information on
information security and IT considerations and is not intended to provide specific information security or IT advice nor is it any substitute for your own independent
investigations. If you have questions regarding your particular IT system or information security concerns, please contact your IT or information security advisor.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated (also referred to as “MLPF&S” or “Merrill”) makes available certain investment products sponsored, managed,
distributed or provided by companies that are affiliates of Bank of America (“BofA Corp.”). MLPF&S is a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser,
Member SIPC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp. When you visit the Securities Investors Protection Corporation (SIPC) website at sipc.org, that website
may have a different privacy policy and level of security. Please refer to SIPC’s policies for the privacy and security practices for their website.
Merrill Private Wealth Management is a division of MLPF&S that offers a broad array of personalized wealth management products and services. Both brokerage and
investment advisory services (including financial planning) are offered by the Private Wealth Advisors through MLPF&S. The nature and degree of advice and
assistance provided, the fees charged, and client rights and Merrill’s obligations will differ among these services. The banking, credit and trust services sold by the
Private Wealth Advisors are offered by licensed banks and trust companies, including Bank of America, N.A., Member FDIC, and other affiliated banks.
© 2024 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.
6577324
2 • ml.com
- - -
