Microsoft, eBay join antiphishing initiative

TechRepublic ^ | 2/15/2005 | Matt Hines

[KwasiOwusu]

Microsoft, eBay, PayPal and Visa have joined a new antiphishing initiative spearheaded by WholeSecurity, the companies said Monday.


Dubbed the Phish Report Network, the effort will attempt to slow the spread of phishing attacks by reporting deceptive Web sites to a central database operated by WholeSecurity, an IT security company based in Austin, Texas.

Once a site has been reported to the network and confirmed as fraudulent, the organization notifies all of its members about the URL, allowing companies to block the suspect site and encourage their customers to follow suit.

Phishing schemes typically consist of e-mail messages that appear to come from trusted companies. These messages attempt to lure people to bogus Web sites, where they're asked to divulge sensitive personal information, such as bank account details and Social Security numbers. Once armed with that data, criminals will often use it to commit identity theft.

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"Visa is focused not just on shutting down phishing sites but preventing phishing e-mails from ever reaching consumers worldwide," Brad Nightengale, department head of the emerging-products division at Visa, said in a statement. "Working with the participants in this solution, Visa can play a key role in stopping this crime before it happens and in maintaining global consumer confidence online."

[KwasiOwusu]

Step in the right direction

[NRA2BFree]

This would be a good thing. I get those kind of e-mails all the time. Thank God that I have enough 'street smarts' not to click on the links, but there are some out there who do click on them and give out personal information. It's a good way to get their identity stolen.

[cloud8]

It is a step in the right direction. And it's about time. But what I just don't understand, is why people would give out this kind of information in the first place. I guess there's a sucker born every minute.

[HAL9000]

I get those kind of e-mails all the time.

They're sent from spam-spewing Windows zombie computers that have been infected and taken over by hackers.

If Microsoft had wanted to prevent phishing attacks, they would designed a decent operating system in the first place.

[NRA2BFree]

If Microsoft had wanted to prevent phishing attacks, they would designed a decent operating system in the first place.

That's the truth. I have both a webtv and my computer on MSN. The webtv has absolutely NO spam blocking capability, unless they believe the delete button is a spam blocker. LOL

[KwasiOwusu]

"They're sent from spam-spewing Windows zombie computers that have been infected and taken over by hackers."


So all phishing e-mails come from "zombie" Windows Servers huh?
Please be good enough to provide the proof for that outrageous statement will you?

[TommyDale]

It's always Microsoft's fault, and Bill Gates PERSONALLY oversees their workmanship.

[KwasiOwusu]

"It's always Microsoft's fault, and Bill Gates PERSONALLY oversees their workmanship."

Yep.
The open source crazies will ALWAYS find a way to blame Bill Gates for any problem that props up in the world.
There is no end to their ingenuity when it comes to coming up with ways to blame Bill Gates for something, no matter how contrived.
Heck they'd blame Bill Gates for the tsunami in Asia given half a chance.

[HAL9000]

So all phishing e-mails come from "zombie" Windows Servers huh? Please be good enough to provide the proof for that outrageous statement will you?

Windows desktop PCs are the most common type of spam-spewing zombie, but some Windows servers are probably involved too.

Google search - spam zombies windows phishing

Here is a typical article -

The Register - June 2004 - Zombie PCs spew out 80% of spam

Four-fifths of spam now emanates from computers contaminated with Trojan horse infections, according to a study by network management firm Sandvine out this week. Trojans and worms with backdoor components such as Migmaf and SoBig have turned infected Windows PCs into drones in vast networks of compromised zombie PCs.

[HAL9000]

It's always Microsoft's fault, and Bill Gates PERSONALLY oversees their workmanship.

Bill Gates is the Chief Software Architect at Microsoft.

He was a good programmer 25 years ago - but that's ancient history. Given his abysmal track record in software design over the last several years, he would have been fired a long time ago at any other company where he was not also the chairman.

[kevkrom]

even then it says 80%, which is not bad considering that Windows PC's make up over 90% of all personal computers connected to the Internet

Be careful with your statistics -- that's 80% of all spam, not 80% of spam as a result of an infected computer. Without knowing the ratio of spam sent as a result of a trojan/virus to all spam, it's meaningless to compare those 80% and 90% numbers.

Plus, Windows PCs make up less than 50% of internet servers, which also needs to be factored in.

[HAL9000]

So..umm I take it you lied as usual, when you claimed that all phishing e-mails come from "zombie" Windows Servers , huh?

No, that is a distortion of my statement.

And once again, your message contains a personal attack which violates the posting guidelines of this forum.

[TommyDale]

"Bill Gates is the Chief Software Architect at Microsoft."

Oh, please!

[HAL9000]

Congratulations, your two-week suspension is over.

I hope you will respect the forum rules and refrain from personal attacks in the future.