Help Me, Laptop: Are Chromebooks Safe for Banking?

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There's nothing worse than discovering your bank account's been attacked. Gotta pay the rent, after all. So, if you're unfamiliar with a certain operating system, it's understandable why you'd want to make sure it's secure before banking on it. Reader rcarroll5252 wants to know if a Chromebook is safe for managing money online.

The answer is an easy one: yes. It's just as safe as doing online banking on your Windows 10 PC or a MacBook. Chrome OS is, more or less, just Google Chrome, and chances are you're using that on a Mac or PC anyway. So, if you're doing online banking in the browser, there really is no functional difference.

In fact, it might be even safer on a Chromebook. There are very few vulnerabilities out there targeting Chromebooks specifically, and Chrome OS updates automatically, just like the browser for other operating systems.

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If you prefer an app, some Chromebooks can run Android apps, though you'll want to make sure to keep those up to date in the Google Play store.

All of the other general security recommendations still apply: Use two-factor authentication and create strong passwords that you don't reuse anywhere else.

Of course, if you're worried about banking online, I suppose you could always just stick to balancing your checkbook by hand. But a Chromebook is no worse than any other computer for banking.

Credit: Laptop Mag

Andrew E. Freedman

Andrew is a contributing writer at Laptop Mag. His main focus lies in helpful how-to guides and laptop reviews, including Asus, Microsoft Surface, Samsung Chromebook, and Dell. He has also dabbled in peripherals, including webcams and docking stations. His work has also appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, PCMag, Kotaku, and Complex. He fondly remembers his first computer: a Gateway that still lives in a spare room in his parents' home, albeit without an internet connection. When he’s not writing about tech, you can find him playing video games, checking social media and waiting for the next Marvel movie.