Introduction - What is Phishing
From CastleCopsWiki
Phishing is sometimes called Carding or Brand Spoofing and starts with stealing logos and images, spoofing emails and creating fake websites all in an attempt to get the unsuspecting to click on that link and hand over their personal information which eventually turns into identity theft. It isn’t a new enterprise. Before the internet was ever in existence it was called “Social Engineering” and was done over the phone. The more high-tech our society becomes, the more the criminal element gravitates to that technology, because people feel more secure in the technology and they believe it wont happen to them, so it is easier and more lucrative for the criminal element. Also, because of the delivery method, they can attempt to hit a lot more people in a shorter period of time.
Typically you’ll get an email requesting a verification of your account information which appears to come from a legitimate source. The account in question happens to be with a financial institution or trader, an online entity such as Paypal or Ebay, an ISP (MSN, AOL, Earthlink, Comcast, Telus, Adelphia etc), an online retailer, insurance company, online Tax filing, or a Credit Reporting Agency (Equifax, Transunion, Experian, and Novus/Innovis). More recently tactics have evolved and expanded phishing expeditions don’t just encompase trusted brands anymore. Caveat emptor, Latin for “let the buyer beware” leaves the majority of people in a position where they will be victimized, if they do not make a conscious effort to educate themselves. The majority of people still believe “it wont happen to me” “bad things don’t happen to good people” etc.
The truth is, the ONLY way it won't happen to you or someone you love is if you don’t allow it. If Aunt Martha isn’t aware that she has a virus protection running on her computer, and she can barely make use of her email client, what do you think is going to happen when she gets an email asking for confirmation of her account information? This morning started like any other morning. When I got to my desk and started to go through the 100s of emails that came in over the night, I was greeted by yet another phishing scam. I started looking at the email because I don't recall seeing this particular one before. Obviously being that this site is a security and privacy site, if this is a new scam I wanted to make sure the information about it got out asap, and hopefully prevent some unsuspecting person from being ripped off.
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Introduction: | What is:
Phishing? |
Pharming? |
Social Engineering? The Anatomy of a Phishing Scam: |
Signs of a scam Reporting Phishing Scams: |
Fried Phish Retrieving Email Source Code: | MWP | OE | Outlook | TB | Gmail | Hotmail |
