Earlier this morning, thousands of Commonwealth Bank customers awoke to find that their NetBank Accounts and credit cards were no longer working. It's now been more than five hours since the issue was first reported and there doesn't appear to be any fix in sight. Here's what you need to know.

With the Commonwealth Bank's online systems off the air, lots of people have been hit with the inconvenience of not having 365/24/7 access to their funds. As someone who remembers the days when banks were only open from 9:30AM to 4:00PM and never on weekends, I see this a minor hassle although i get why it can be a bigger pain in the butt for others. Fortunately, just because your bank is offline, you don't have to be compelled curt off from being able to buy your lunch or pay a few bills.

Android: When the iOS version of Pocketbook -- our favourite finance management tool because of its ability to automatically sync with all the major banks -- came out in July, an Android version was also promised. That has now hit the Play store, and is well worth downloading if you want to keep a closer track on your finances.

The web is filled with services to track your bank accounts and manage your budget, but most of them are US-centric and don't integrate with Aussie banks. Well-regarded Australian banking and finance tool Pocketbook has added an iOS app, making it easy to check your bank balances and add transactions on the go.

" -- innovations such as real-time payments, the ability to make low-value payments outside business hours and same-day settlements of all "Direct Entry payments".

The Commonwealth Bank is previewing a forthcoming update of its NetBank service on its site. Promised features in the update include the ability to add shortcuts for commonly used features to the home page, integration with other Commonwealth services like CommSec and home insurance, and pre-filled forms for applying for term deposits and home loans. I like the sound of the shortcuts feature, but I'm wondering: what features would you like to see added to your current online banking service? I wish the online statements went back further (it's something of a joke to suggest people should opt out of paper statements when there's only two months history available anyway).

If you're ever online, the chances are good that you access Internet banking services (83% of Internet users in Australia do, according to Sensis). And because it's your money that's involved, you know that security is important. However, there are plenty of myths and misconceptions surrounding Internet banking security. Read on to learn where the risks are.