I work for a major antivirus company and I use online banking. I can't speak for other banks but I use HSBC and have found them really hot on security
The reason that you want an antivirus/anti spyware program is because of the huge expansion over recent years in trojans that are capable of picking up things like credit card numbers which are then sold on to criminal gangs.
You should use a desktop firewall too (that will alert you to programs trying to use the internet behind your back and could be a trojan)
However you chance of getting infected are not all that high if you (and every one else using your computer) tends to stick to mainstream sites and uses the same programs.
If you tend to download dodgy software from websites you found on Google you're much more likely to get into trouble than if you tend to use the same programs all the time.
The other thing you need to to is to keep your computer up to date. People find ways to exploits problems in things like windows all the time so keeping "patched" is important
If you don't have automatic updating happening go to windowsupdate.microsoft.com regularly to get new patches. (Microsoft regularly releases them on the 2nd Tuesday of every month)
I've worked in IT since 1980, I regularly make purchases on-line, but I wouldn't touch on-line banking with a firewalled, av-protected, bargepole. I use a dialup modem direct to LloydsTSB's system in the UK. It costs me 10 quid a month and (IMHO) is a lot safer than using the internet.
Yeah, but on-line banking is only as safe as the guys that run it. There have been numerous cases of accidental release of customer data into the public domain, including incidents of customers logging in, only to be shown all the details of an account belonging to someone else.
All the AV, AS and firewalls in the world won't save you from plain old human incompetence.
neildownx,
Silicon.com is an opt-in news site for IT professionals. It's part of the CNET and ZDNet goup.
Although the question was about Internet banking, my argument was that the dangers lie not with the Internet itself but with the poor security awareness of the banks that run internet banking sites. I linked to the article as an example of the practices of the banks that you had singled out for praise.
The rubbish was not taken away by reporters, but by bin men.
The rubbish was outside the branch in the bank's own bins - put there by bank staff, not by customers - hence the investigation by the data commissioners office.
I'm not sure why you seem to be so angry - have a nice Christmas.