If the NSA can hack your bank account, who else can?

If the NSA can hack your bank account, who else can?: Revelations that the National Security Agency can break through web site encryptions and access huge amounts of personal data has raised questions about how safe our day-to-day financial dealings really are.

Many people carry out their entire financial lives online — doing everything from paying their bills to managing their investments. And while financial institutions have put layers of protections in place to prevent fraud and hacking, security experts say that if the NSA is able to find a way in, other sophisticated cybercriminals could do the same.

But because of the skill, time and money needed to launch such large-scale attacks, getting your bank account drained by a big hacker group like the Syrian Electronic Army or Anonymous is a lot less likely than getting targeted by a small-time fraudster or identity thief, says Credit.com chairman Adam Levin, who specializes in privacy and identity theft.