UGN safenet UGN safenetcriminals want your identity... they'll stop at nothing to get it. BEWARE
The following are the latest developments in the computer industry's war on Phishing -- which has now become one of the most dangerous threats against computer users. Understand what it is, and help your friends, neighbors and relatives learn and understand as well...
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If you havent read Why Phishing Works (850Kb PDF) - written by Rachna Dhamija, JD Tygar, and Marti Hearst - stop what youre doing now and go get it. (or at the very least, read a short summary). In just 10 pages, your eyes will be opened to just how much of a problem the public - and the security people tasked with protecting them - really face. I knew it was bad, but I had no idea it was this bad. Register - London,England,UK
One of the new laws allows private companies, nonprofit groups and the state attorney general to bring civil actions against "phishing" scam artists. A second measure allows New Yorkers to freeze their credit files, blocking access to consumer credit reports and preventing thieves from taking out new loans and credit under a victim's name WCAX - Burlington,VT,USA
They are phishing scams, said Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, Extension family economics specialist. ... "They are phishing for information," she said. But don't believe a word of them, said a Texas Cooperative Extension expert. They are 'phishing' scams, said Dr. Joyce Cavanagh, Extension family economics specialist. AgNews - TX,USA
Attacks on regional banks in the United States accounted for 33 percent of all phishing attacks on banks last month, with credit unions taking up 29 percent of all attacks. Non-American banks were 26 percent of all banking brands attacked by phishing in May, with nationwide U.S. banks only accounting for 11 percent of phishing attacks. SC Magazine - London,UK
Security experts at MicroWorld Technologies inform that a new Ohio Bank Phishing mail in circulation tells users that the bank is introducing a new online security mechanism for which they need the confirmation from account holders. Security Pronews - Lexington,KY,USA
Q. I've heard about people getting duped into giving out personal information through "phishing" e-mails. How do I spot these kinds of scams and avoid getting caught in them?
A. "Phishing" may sound like a silly word - more on its origins later - but the threat that this kind of fraud poses to ordinary Internet users is dead serious. Hartford Courant - United States By SETH SUTEL, Associated Press.
The phishing e-mail, which contains a realistic Google logo but with the two "o"s replaced with blue Viagra pills, was spotted by the Internet security firm Indiatimes - New Delhi,India
A new round of phishing emails targeting AIB have appeared over the past number of days, siliconrepublic.com has learned Siliconrepublic.com - Dublin,Ireland
Recent advances in browsers as seen in Netscape 8 or IE7 have made it harder for the bad guys to succeed with their phishing schemes. In the malware world, technological advances stimulate the development of new ways to evade detection. And we've came by some interesting e-mails which seem to indicate the same is happening in the phishing area as well. Help Net Security - Croatia
The mainstream press is beginning to pick up on a major breach to the banking system that has so far gone under-reported. Fellow blogger George Ou and I gave the story the attention it deserved: George Ou: 300+ Bank homepages hacked and redirected! -- David Berlind: Massive, under-reported online banking breach raises serious disclosure and remedy questions.. Now, some local papers in communities whose banks were affected are reporting the story. But judging by the coverage, the organizations that are best served by downplaying the problem ZDNet - USA
"The Japanese police should be applauded for taking a tough stand against organized phishing criminals," The Tokyo-based gang is alleged to have stolen a total of 100 million yen ($900,000) from about 700 people by setting up a fake Yahoo Japan auction website. SC Magazine - London,UK
solutions utilise patented based-based technology to proactively repel all types of threats arriving via the web, such as Spyware, Phishing, Trojans and other ... patent covers systems and methods for protecting end user machines from undesirable or otherwise malicious operations performed by mobile code Yahoo! News (press release) - USA
Security firm Websense reports that a phishing attach is attempting to steal account information from Myspace users. Instant Messaging Planet - Darien,CT,USA
As Internet Explorer tries to get serious on security, you have to find out how to make sure you don't look like one of the bad guys. When it comes to security, things are rarely black and white: my handy IM Web client is your potential security hole. The issue is, who is in control: you as the site developer; or the user who owns the PC Internet Explorer is running on. Register - London,England,UK
The Federal Trade Commission cautioned U.S. veterans last week to be on the lookout for scams after a recent data breach at the Department of Veterans Affairs. DM News - New York,NY,USA
Socially-engineered phishing attacks, which trick innocent people into revealing sensitive information, rose 73 percent in 2005 (Anti-Phishing Working Group). ... The dramatic increase in Web-borne threats, such as spyware, has become a chief concern for network administrators. As technologies continue to develop at a rapid pace and hackers are motivated by business interests, attacks are becoming more clever and stealthier in order to avoid detection TMCnet - USA
The hook: is is a classic "phishing" scam in which scammers try to steal your personal information by sending you warnings purporting to be from a major bank. These e-mails can look quite sophisticated. But I got two at the same time with the subject: "Transcation failed." (Yes, with the typo!) Kansas City Star - MO,USA
"People should always take heed when they receive any unsolicited e-mail that claims to be from their bank, credit card companies, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. or anything like that," said Mark Heffernan, regional security officer for Associated Bank. Belleville News-Democrat - Belleville,IL,USA
The European Union leads the world in the number of computers that are controlled remotely by hackers. So-called zombie PCs are infected with viruses or penetrated through poor patching and used to send spam or launch denial of service attacks. Iain Thomson, vnunet.com
SurfControl is currently tracking an email phishing scam targeting 2006 FIFA World Cup enthusiasts. The email is in Japanese and claims to provide information on how to get Premium/Platinum tickets to the World Cup in Germany for a small fee. The scammer attempts to persuade recipients to send 1,000 yen (approx. $10USD) to one of three specified accounts. The email claims that once the money has been received text information on how to receive World Cup tickets will be sent back. Press Method (press release) - Plto,CA,USA
The Anti-Phishing Working Group has joined the Federal Trade Commission's Avoid ID Theft campaign, distributing the FTC's new 'AvoID Theft: Deter, Detect, Defend' tutorials from the APWG's popular website to advance consumer education on the complex issue of identity theft through APWG member institutions and direct-to-consumer communication. TMCnet - USA
Phishing works for so many reasons, we need to rethink browser and user interface design to provide some real-life security to the average user who doesn't see or understand the security cues. Occasionally a criminal is so, well, clever that you have to admire him even as you wish that he spends the rest of his life in jail. SecurityFocus - Cupertino,CA,USA
Security watchers have discovered a phishing attack targeting users of MySpace, the social networking website. The attack comes in the form of a hyperlink sent to potential marks in an AOL instant messaging message. (Also at IT Backbones Register - London,England,UK
Please share your concerns or discoveries, we're listening.
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