As soon as almost all computer users already got used to -- or at least heard about -- the word "phishing", another somewhat confusing word appeared. Pharming. Does it differ from phishing -- if yes, how?
<b>Two Pharmings</b>
Actually, two completely different fields use the term "pharming" now. We can say there exist two separate "pharmings".
If genetics or businessmen from pharmaceutical industry are talking about pharming (spelled like that) it might have nothing to do with computers. This word has long been familiar to genetic engineers. For them, it's a merger of "farming" and "pharmaceutical" and means the genetic engineering technique -- inserting extraneous genes into host animals or plants in order to make them produce some pharmaceutical product. Although it is very interesting matter, this article isn't about it.
As for PC users, the term "pharming" recently emerged to denote exploitation of a vulnerability in the DNS server software caused by malicious code. This code allows the cybercriminal who contaminated this PC with it to redirect traffic from one IP-address to the one he specified. In other words, a user who types in a URL goes to another web site, not the one he wanted to--and isn't supposed to notice the difference.
Usually such a website is disguised to look like a legitimate one -- of a bank or a credit card company. Sites of this kind are used solely to steal users' confidential information such as passwords, PIN numbers, SSNs and account numbers.
<b>Dangerous Scams</b>
A fake website that's what "traditional" phishing has in common with pharming. This scam can fool even an experienced computer user, and it makes pharming a grave threat. The danger here is that users don't click an email link to get to a counterfeit website.
Most people enter their personal information, unaware of possible fraud. Why should they suspect anything if they type the URL themselves, not following any links in a suspiciously-looking email?
Unfortunately, "ordinary" phishers are also getting smarter. They eagerly learn; there is too much money involved to make criminals earnest students. At first phishing consisted only of a social engineering scam in which phishers spammed consumer e-mail accounts with letters ostensibly from banks. The more people got aware of the scam, the less spelling mistakes these messages contained, and the more fraudulent websites looked like legitimate ones.
Since about November 2004 there has been a lot of publications of a scheme which at first was seen as a new kind of phishing. This technique includes contaminating a PC with a Trojan horse program. The problem is that this Trojan contains a keylogger which lurks at the background until the user of the infected PC visits one of the specified websites. Then the keylogger comes to life to do what it was created for -- to steal information.
It seems that this technique is actually a separate scam aimed at stealing personal information and such attacks are on the rise. Security vendor Symantec warns about commercialisation of malware -- cybercriminals prefer cash to fun, so various kinds of information-stealing software are used more actively.
Spy Audit survey made by ISP Earthlink and Webroot Software also shows disturbing figures - 33.17% PCs contaminated with some program with information stealing capability.
However, more sophisticated identity theft attempts coexist with "old-fashioned" phishing scams. That is why users should not forget the advice which they all are likely to have learned by heart:
<ul>
<li>Never follow a link in an email, if it claims to be from a financial institution</li>
<li>Never open an attachment if the email is from somebody you don't know </li>
<li>Protect your PC from malware </li>
<li>Stay on the alert </li>
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Summary:
As soon as almost all computer users already got used to -- or at least heard about -- the word "phishing", another somewhat confusing word appeared. Pharming. Does it differ from phishing -- if yes, how?
Showing posts with label phishing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phishing. Show all posts
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Phishing, Fraudulent and Malicious Websites
Whether we like it or not, we are all living in the Information Age. We have nothing left but adapt to rapidly developing information technology, no matter who we are and what we do for living.
The Internet, in particular, means for us boundless opportunities in life and business – but also lots of dangers unheard of just a decade ago. We should be aware of these dangers if we want to use the huge potential of the Internet and to avoid the hazards it brings us.
<b>Warning: There are Websites You'd Better Not Visit</b>
<b>Phishing websites</b>
Thanks to authors of numerous articles on this topic, "classic" phishing technique is relatively well known. This scam involves setting bogus websites and luring people to visit them, as a rule, by links in emails. Phishing website is disguised to look like a legitimate one -- of a bank or a credit card company, and users are invited to provide their identifying information. Sites of this kind are used solely to steal users' passwords, PIN numbers, SSNs and other confidential information.
At first phishing consisted only of a social engineering scam in which phishers spammed consumer e-mail accounts with letters ostensibly from banks. The more people got aware of the scam, the less spelling mistakes these messages contained, and the more these fraudulent websites resembled legitimate ones. Phishers are getting smarter. They eagerly learn; there is enough money involved here to turn criminals into earnest students.
Since about November 2004 there has been a lot of publications of a scheme which at first was seen as a new kind of phishing. This technique includes contaminating a PC with a Trojan horse program. The problem is that this Trojan contains a keylogger which lurks at the background until the user of the infected PC visits one of the specified websites. Then the keylogger comes to life to do what it was created for -- to steal information.
It seems that this technique is actually a separate scam aimed at stealing personal information and such attacks are on the rise. Security experts warn about commercialisation of malware -- cybercriminals prefer cash to fun, so various kinds of information-stealing software are used more actively.
<b>Fraudulent websites are on the rise</b>
Websense Security Labs -- a well-known authority in information security -- noticed a dramatic rise in the number of fraudulent websites as far back as in the second half of 2004. These sites pose as ones for e-commerce; they encourage users to apply for a reward or purchase something, of course never delivering the product or paying money. The most popular areas for such fraud are online pharmacies, lottery scams, and loan / mortgage sites. Experts predict there will be more fake merchants in future and their scams will become more sophisticated.
<b>Malicious websites</b> are especially dangerous. Cybercriminals create them exclusively to execute malicious code on the visitors' computers. Sometimes hackers infect legitimate sites with malicious code.
Bad news for blog readers: blogs can be contaminated, too. Since January, Websense Security Labs has discovered hundreds of these "toxic" blogs set by hackers.
When unsuspecting users visit malicious sites, various nasty applications are downloaded and executed on their computers. Unfortunately, more and more often these applications contain keyloggers--software programs for intercepting data.
Keyloggers, as it is clear from the name of the program, log keystrokes --but that's not all. They capture everything the user is doing -- keystrokes, mouse clicks, files opened and closed, sites visited. A little more sophisticated programs of this kind also capture text from windows and make screenshots (record everything displayed on the screen) – so the information is captured even if the user doesn't type anything, just opens the views the file.
In February and March 2005, Websense Security Labs researched and identified about 8-10 new keylogger variants and more than 100 malicious websites which are hosting these keyloggers EACH WEEK. From November of 2004 through December 2004 these figures were much smaller: 1-2 new keylogger variants and 10-15 new malicious websites per week. There is by all means a disturbing tendency--the number of brand-new keyloggers and malicious website is growing, and growing rapidly.
<b>What a user can do to avoid these sites?</b>
As for phishing, the best advice is not to click any links in any email, especially if it claims to be from a bank.
Opening an attachment of a spam message can also trigger the execution of malicious program, for example a keylogger-containing Trojan horse.
As for fraudulent websites, maybe buying goods only from trusted vendors will help -- even if it is a bit more expensive.
As for malicious websites… "Malicious websites that host adult entertainment and shopping content can exploit Internet Explorer vulnerabilities to run code remotely without user interaction."(a quote from Websense's report). What can a user do about it? Not much, but avoiding adult sites and buying only from known and trusted online stores will reduce the risk.
Hackers also attract traffic to malicious websites by sending a link through spam or spim (the analog of spam for instant messaging (IM). So a good advice never follow links in spam is worth remembering once more.
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Summary:
Warning: There are Websites You'd Better Not Visit.
The Internet, in particular, means for us boundless opportunities in life and business – but also lots of dangers unheard of just a decade ago. We should be aware of these dangers if we want to use the huge potential of the Internet and to avoid the hazards it brings us.
<b>Warning: There are Websites You'd Better Not Visit</b>
<b>Phishing websites</b>
Thanks to authors of numerous articles on this topic, "classic" phishing technique is relatively well known. This scam involves setting bogus websites and luring people to visit them, as a rule, by links in emails. Phishing website is disguised to look like a legitimate one -- of a bank or a credit card company, and users are invited to provide their identifying information. Sites of this kind are used solely to steal users' passwords, PIN numbers, SSNs and other confidential information.
At first phishing consisted only of a social engineering scam in which phishers spammed consumer e-mail accounts with letters ostensibly from banks. The more people got aware of the scam, the less spelling mistakes these messages contained, and the more these fraudulent websites resembled legitimate ones. Phishers are getting smarter. They eagerly learn; there is enough money involved here to turn criminals into earnest students.
Since about November 2004 there has been a lot of publications of a scheme which at first was seen as a new kind of phishing. This technique includes contaminating a PC with a Trojan horse program. The problem is that this Trojan contains a keylogger which lurks at the background until the user of the infected PC visits one of the specified websites. Then the keylogger comes to life to do what it was created for -- to steal information.
It seems that this technique is actually a separate scam aimed at stealing personal information and such attacks are on the rise. Security experts warn about commercialisation of malware -- cybercriminals prefer cash to fun, so various kinds of information-stealing software are used more actively.
<b>Fraudulent websites are on the rise</b>
Websense Security Labs -- a well-known authority in information security -- noticed a dramatic rise in the number of fraudulent websites as far back as in the second half of 2004. These sites pose as ones for e-commerce; they encourage users to apply for a reward or purchase something, of course never delivering the product or paying money. The most popular areas for such fraud are online pharmacies, lottery scams, and loan / mortgage sites. Experts predict there will be more fake merchants in future and their scams will become more sophisticated.
<b>Malicious websites</b> are especially dangerous. Cybercriminals create them exclusively to execute malicious code on the visitors' computers. Sometimes hackers infect legitimate sites with malicious code.
Bad news for blog readers: blogs can be contaminated, too. Since January, Websense Security Labs has discovered hundreds of these "toxic" blogs set by hackers.
When unsuspecting users visit malicious sites, various nasty applications are downloaded and executed on their computers. Unfortunately, more and more often these applications contain keyloggers--software programs for intercepting data.
Keyloggers, as it is clear from the name of the program, log keystrokes --but that's not all. They capture everything the user is doing -- keystrokes, mouse clicks, files opened and closed, sites visited. A little more sophisticated programs of this kind also capture text from windows and make screenshots (record everything displayed on the screen) – so the information is captured even if the user doesn't type anything, just opens the views the file.
In February and March 2005, Websense Security Labs researched and identified about 8-10 new keylogger variants and more than 100 malicious websites which are hosting these keyloggers EACH WEEK. From November of 2004 through December 2004 these figures were much smaller: 1-2 new keylogger variants and 10-15 new malicious websites per week. There is by all means a disturbing tendency--the number of brand-new keyloggers and malicious website is growing, and growing rapidly.
<b>What a user can do to avoid these sites?</b>
As for phishing, the best advice is not to click any links in any email, especially if it claims to be from a bank.
Opening an attachment of a spam message can also trigger the execution of malicious program, for example a keylogger-containing Trojan horse.
As for fraudulent websites, maybe buying goods only from trusted vendors will help -- even if it is a bit more expensive.
As for malicious websites… "Malicious websites that host adult entertainment and shopping content can exploit Internet Explorer vulnerabilities to run code remotely without user interaction."(a quote from Websense's report). What can a user do about it? Not much, but avoiding adult sites and buying only from known and trusted online stores will reduce the risk.
Hackers also attract traffic to malicious websites by sending a link through spam or spim (the analog of spam for instant messaging (IM). So a good advice never follow links in spam is worth remembering once more.
===========================================
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Summary:
Warning: There are Websites You'd Better Not Visit.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Phishing Scams, A Growing Identity Theft Menace
There is no doubt that identity theft is a growing problem and we should all try to educate ourselves to avoid being a victim of this often devastating crime. It seems that criminals are using increasingly ingenious methods to gain access to our private and valuable personal information and computer users must be aware of criminal information gathering techniques known as phishing.
You may have heard about phishing scams in the news recently because so many have fallen prey to this clever methodology employed by tech savvy criminals. We are all busy in todays fast paced world and it's hard to keep up with every new threat and development so the purpose of this article is to describe what phishing is, and how you can avoid being a victim.
Phishing attacks employ social engineering and technical subterfuge in the attempt to obtain an individual's personal identity data and financial account information. Social-engineering schemes use fraudulent e-mails which attempt to direct consumers to counterfeit websites, often perfectly replicating legitimate business sites to trick recipients into releasing financial data such as credit card numbers, account passwords, user names and social security numbers. Hijacking brand names of banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers regularly obtain this private data. Technical subterfuge schemes usually plant spyware and crimeware onto user computers to access personal data directly, most often utlizing Trojan keylogger spyware.
What can we do to avoid such clever deceptions? First of all just knowing that the threat exists is very important and many victims report that they had never heard of phishing before becoming a victims. In addition there are several practical precautions we can all take to minimize our exposure to risk.
1. Be wary of any email containing urgent requests for financial information suggesting your immediate response is required, statements designed to upset and excite the respondent are often included to elicit a quick reply. These emails often demand user names and passwords as well as SSN's. Legitimate businesses never ask for confidential data via email and none of this information should ever be sent by email as security is severely compromised.
2. If you question the authenticity of an email don't use the links embedded in the email to access the company webpage, instead type the URL of the company in your browser to insure you are looking at the legitimate website. You can also phone the company to insure an email request is authentic and companies today are aware of phishing threats and will generally appreciate being informed of a potential problem.
3. Financial information should only be communicated through a secure website or by telephone and never by an email request. Secure websites always have the https:// preceding the web address rather than just http:// in the browser address window.
4. Check your online accounts on a regular basis even if you have no transactions, dormant and little used accounts are common targets for online predators. Carefully review your credit card statements for unauthorized transactions and make sure your shred them if not retained for your records.
5. Make sure your browser is updated regularly with the latest security patches and you should also have an anti-spyware program installed and running at all times.
Take these necessary precautions to avoid your exposure to the identity theft problem known as phishing.
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===========================================
Summary:
There is no doubt that identity theft is a growing problem and we should all try to educate ourselves to avoid being a victim of this often devastating crime. It seems that criminals are using increasingly ingenious methods to gain access to our private and valuable personal information and computer users must be aware of criminal information gathering techniques known as phishing.
You may have heard about phishing scams in the news recently because so many have fallen pre...
You may have heard about phishing scams in the news recently because so many have fallen prey to this clever methodology employed by tech savvy criminals. We are all busy in todays fast paced world and it's hard to keep up with every new threat and development so the purpose of this article is to describe what phishing is, and how you can avoid being a victim.
Phishing attacks employ social engineering and technical subterfuge in the attempt to obtain an individual's personal identity data and financial account information. Social-engineering schemes use fraudulent e-mails which attempt to direct consumers to counterfeit websites, often perfectly replicating legitimate business sites to trick recipients into releasing financial data such as credit card numbers, account passwords, user names and social security numbers. Hijacking brand names of banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers regularly obtain this private data. Technical subterfuge schemes usually plant spyware and crimeware onto user computers to access personal data directly, most often utlizing Trojan keylogger spyware.
What can we do to avoid such clever deceptions? First of all just knowing that the threat exists is very important and many victims report that they had never heard of phishing before becoming a victims. In addition there are several practical precautions we can all take to minimize our exposure to risk.
1. Be wary of any email containing urgent requests for financial information suggesting your immediate response is required, statements designed to upset and excite the respondent are often included to elicit a quick reply. These emails often demand user names and passwords as well as SSN's. Legitimate businesses never ask for confidential data via email and none of this information should ever be sent by email as security is severely compromised.
2. If you question the authenticity of an email don't use the links embedded in the email to access the company webpage, instead type the URL of the company in your browser to insure you are looking at the legitimate website. You can also phone the company to insure an email request is authentic and companies today are aware of phishing threats and will generally appreciate being informed of a potential problem.
3. Financial information should only be communicated through a secure website or by telephone and never by an email request. Secure websites always have the https:// preceding the web address rather than just http:// in the browser address window.
4. Check your online accounts on a regular basis even if you have no transactions, dormant and little used accounts are common targets for online predators. Carefully review your credit card statements for unauthorized transactions and make sure your shred them if not retained for your records.
5. Make sure your browser is updated regularly with the latest security patches and you should also have an anti-spyware program installed and running at all times.
Take these necessary precautions to avoid your exposure to the identity theft problem known as phishing.
===========================================
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===========================================
Summary:
There is no doubt that identity theft is a growing problem and we should all try to educate ourselves to avoid being a victim of this often devastating crime. It seems that criminals are using increasingly ingenious methods to gain access to our private and valuable personal information and computer users must be aware of criminal information gathering techniques known as phishing.
You may have heard about phishing scams in the news recently because so many have fallen pre...
Friday, May 23, 2014
Phishing Is Fraud
Phishing is a very sneaky type of fraud conducted over the Internet. Its name is a throw back to the early days of hacking and identity theft and the practice of phone phreaking. While there can be very complicated schemes devised, they are all based on a very simple concept.
Phishers try to persuade you, or trick you into giving them sensitive information which they can then use to make money out of the system. For example, one very attractive target for phishers would be your paypal account. Paypal is an online payment system that allows you to put money in your account with your credit or debit card, and then basically email the money to other people’s paypal accounts. It is very simple, cheap and fast and very popular for online shoppers as they do not have to give their credit card details away over the internet.
If you wanted to take money out of other people’s paypal accounts, all you would really need is their email address and password. Then you sign in to their account, and send the money to an account you have set up.
What phishers will do is email paypal customers with an email that looks like an official email from paypal. It will have the paypal logo and format and will look exactly like official paypal emails to customers. It may even come from an address that looks like paypal’s official website. It will go on to say it is a random security check or some other technical procedure and that you are required to type in your user name and password. It will then thank you and say the check or whatever other scheme it claims to be is complete. In the meantime, the phisher will have your password and can clear out your account.
While this is a basic example, there are countless variations of increasing complexity that will be used to try and entice customers to give out bank account details, credit card details or other sensitive information. It can often be next to impossible for the average customer to detect that the email or website is not the official one of the company it is supposed to be from and they are therefore very dangerous.
If you do suspect that an email you receive is a phishing attempt then notify the appropriate company immediately. The other thing to remember is that most banks, credit card companies and other institutions now inform their customers that they will never ask their customers for their passwords in an email, nor will any of their employees ever ask for a password and therefore never give it to anyone who asks you for it.
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===========================================
Summary:
Phishing is a very sneaky type of fraud conducted over the Internet. Its name is a throw back to the early days of hacking and identity theft and the practice of phone phreaking. While there can be very complicated schemes devised, they are all based on a very simple concept.
Phishers try to persuade you, or trick you into giving them sensitive information which they can then use to make money out of the system. For example, one very attractive target for phishers would be your paypal account. Paypal is an online payment system that allows you to put money in your account with your credit or debit card, and then basically email the money to other people’s paypal accounts. It is very simple, cheap and fast and very popular for online shoppers as they do not have to give their credit card details away over the internet.
If you wanted to take money out of other people’s paypal accounts, all you would really need is their email address and password. Then you sign in to their account, and send the money to an account you have set up.
What phishers will do is email paypal customers with an email that looks like an official email from paypal. It will have the paypal logo and format and will look exactly like official paypal emails to customers. It may even come from an address that looks like paypal’s official website. It will go on to say it is a random security check or some other technical procedure and that you are required to type in your user name and password. It will then thank you and say the check or whatever other scheme it claims to be is complete. In the meantime, the phisher will have your password and can clear out your account.
While this is a basic example, there are countless variations of increasing complexity that will be used to try and entice customers to give out bank account details, credit card details or other sensitive information. It can often be next to impossible for the average customer to detect that the email or website is not the official one of the company it is supposed to be from and they are therefore very dangerous.
If you do suspect that an email you receive is a phishing attempt then notify the appropriate company immediately. The other thing to remember is that most banks, credit card companies and other institutions now inform their customers that they will never ask their customers for their passwords in an email, nor will any of their employees ever ask for a password and therefore never give it to anyone who asks you for it.
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Summary:
Phishing is a very sneaky type of fraud conducted over the Internet. Its name is a throw back to the early days of hacking and identity theft and the practice of phone phreaking. While there can be very complicated schemes devised, they are all based on a very simple concept.
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Phishing And Fraud – What Is It?
Phishing is a very sneaky type of fraud conducted over the Internet. Its name is a throw back to the early days of hacking and identity theft and the practice of phone phreaking. While there can be very complicated schemes devised, they are all based on a very simple concept.
Phishers try to persuade you, or trick you into giving them sensitive information which they can then use to make money out of the system. For example, one very attractive target for phishers would be your paypal account. Paypal is an online payment system that allows you to put money in your account with your credit or debit card, and then basically email the money to other people’s paypal accounts. It is very simple, cheap and fast and very popular for online shoppers as they do not have to give their credit card details away over the internet.
If you wanted to take money out of other people’s paypal accounts, all you would really need is their email address and password. Then you sign in to their account, and send the money to an account you have set up.
What phishers will do is email paypal customers with an email that looks like an official email from paypal. It will have the paypal logo and format and will look exactly like official paypal emails to customers. It may even come from an address that looks like paypal’s official website. It will go on to say it is a random security check or some other technical procedure and that you are required to type in your user name and password. It will then thank you and say the check or whatever other scheme it claims to be is complete. In the meantime, the phisher will have your password and can clear out your account.
While this is a basic example, there are countless variations of increasing complexity that will be used to try and entice customers to give out bank account details, credit card details or other sensitive information. It can often be next to impossible for the average customer to detect that the email or website is not the official one of the company it is supposed to be from and they are therefore very dangerous.
If you do suspect that an email you receive is a phishing attempt then notify the appropriate company immediately. The other thing to remember is that most banks, credit card companies and other institutions now inform their customers that they will never ask their customers for their passwords in an email, nor will any of their employees ever ask for a password and therefore never give it to anyone who asks you for it.
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Summary:
Phishing is a very sneaky type of fraud conducted over the Internet. Its name is a throw back to the early days of hacking and identity theft and the practice of phone phreaking. While there can be very complicated schemes devised, they are all based on a very simple concept.
Phishers try to persuade you, or trick you into giving them sensitive information which they can then use to make money out of the system. For example, one very attractive target for phishers would be...
Phishers try to persuade you, or trick you into giving them sensitive information which they can then use to make money out of the system. For example, one very attractive target for phishers would be your paypal account. Paypal is an online payment system that allows you to put money in your account with your credit or debit card, and then basically email the money to other people’s paypal accounts. It is very simple, cheap and fast and very popular for online shoppers as they do not have to give their credit card details away over the internet.
If you wanted to take money out of other people’s paypal accounts, all you would really need is their email address and password. Then you sign in to their account, and send the money to an account you have set up.
What phishers will do is email paypal customers with an email that looks like an official email from paypal. It will have the paypal logo and format and will look exactly like official paypal emails to customers. It may even come from an address that looks like paypal’s official website. It will go on to say it is a random security check or some other technical procedure and that you are required to type in your user name and password. It will then thank you and say the check or whatever other scheme it claims to be is complete. In the meantime, the phisher will have your password and can clear out your account.
While this is a basic example, there are countless variations of increasing complexity that will be used to try and entice customers to give out bank account details, credit card details or other sensitive information. It can often be next to impossible for the average customer to detect that the email or website is not the official one of the company it is supposed to be from and they are therefore very dangerous.
If you do suspect that an email you receive is a phishing attempt then notify the appropriate company immediately. The other thing to remember is that most banks, credit card companies and other institutions now inform their customers that they will never ask their customers for their passwords in an email, nor will any of their employees ever ask for a password and therefore never give it to anyone who asks you for it.
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Summary:
Phishing is a very sneaky type of fraud conducted over the Internet. Its name is a throw back to the early days of hacking and identity theft and the practice of phone phreaking. While there can be very complicated schemes devised, they are all based on a very simple concept.
Phishers try to persuade you, or trick you into giving them sensitive information which they can then use to make money out of the system. For example, one very attractive target for phishers would be...
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