AOL Launches Anti-Phishing Campaign NewsFactor Jay Wrolstad, newsfactor.com
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=75&e=1&u=/nf/20050420/tc_nf/33192
America Online is adding new weapons to its arsenal for fighting Internet phishing attacks with the introduction of a 24/7 Web site monitoring service and an effort to improve the ability to identify and block phishing operations.
In this latest security campaign, AOL (NYSE: AOL - news) joined forces with online security firm Cyota to evaluate potential phishing sites based on member feedback through a "Report Spam" button, among other techniques.
Cyota's list of bogus sites is combined with a similar list compiled by AOL to create a master directory of suspicious sites.
24-Hour Watch
When a potential phishing site is pinpointed, AOL will block access to the site through the AOL client and issue a warning to members who attempt to visit that location.
In addition, AOL is working to block access to fraudulent Web sites that imitate legitimate companies like banks, credit card issuers, online auctions and online payment facilitators.
"This is a round-the-clock swat team that will identify and block access to phishing sites even before a user logs on," said AOL spokesman Andrew Weinstein.
Phishing is a serious problem, he said, because even savvy Internet users can be duped into giving up passwords and other sensitive information, and added that attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Attacks on the Rise
Indeed, the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) recently released a report noting that the number of phishing e-mails increased by 42 percent in January.
According to the watchdog organization, some 13,000 new and unique phishing e-mails were reported during that month, putting the number of attacks at their highest level ever.
The group also noted that the number of unique phishing Web sites has increased from 1,740 in October to 2,560 in January, representing a 47 percent rise.
To help stem the problem, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT - news), eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY - news) and Visa International recently joined the Phish Report Network, an anti-phishing aggregation service introduced by endpoint security firm WholeSecurity.
The initiative allows a company that has been subject to a phishing attack to report suspect and fraudulent Web sites immediately to a central database. WholeSecurity will be tasked with maintaining the database and disseminating the information.
In addition to its latest efforts, AOL offers a range of tools and strategies to help protect members from phishing scams, Weinstein said.
They include AOL PassCode, which uses a token to continuously change the code required to access an account, Money Alerts that notify members of unusual activity on registered bank accounts or credit cards, and Account Lockdowns that block access and alert the member to confirm their identity and help them secure their account.
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