Monday, November 21, 2011

Recent Phishing Attack

We have been noticing an increase in spam lately. This is not unusual, the volume of spam goes up and down as botnets that create spam are taken down, then replaced.

The increase in spam appears to at least in part be from a phishing attack that is nearly a year old already. A phishing attack is when an email uses false identity to attempt to gain access to sensitive information, usually financial in nature.

The attack purports to report an issue with an electronic funds transfer. You are requested to click through to a web site. The message is a fraud. NACHA, an industry organization that supports the ACH network, has reported on this fraud as early as February, yet it persists.

Here are some tips on how to avoid being a victim of Phishing scams:

Tips from the Federal Trade Commission:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt127.shtm

Tips from CNet:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-3000_7-6459186-1.html

Tips from the Anti-Phishing Working Group:
http://www.antiphishing.org/consumer_recs.html

Tips from Microsoft on how to recognize a Phishing message:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/online-privacy/phishing-symptoms.aspx

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