Phishing And How To Block It... Anti-Phishing Software And Reporting

Phishing And How To Block It...
Part 2

This second part of 'phishing and how to block it' focuses on antiphishing software and how you can report phishing... either as a victim or to take action.

So, armed with the knowledge and tips in this article, you'll find that you are easily able to spot those phishing emails and deal with them confidently.

Here's what we'll be covering...

Software Tips

Reporting Phishing

Supporting Articles

1. Phishing And How To Block It... Software Tips

Besides acting on the practical advice in Part 1 of this article, you can also limit your risks and damage by ensuring you have basic security software installed and topped up with some specific anti-phishing tools...

I. Phishing And How To Block It... Basic Security Protection

If you have installed effective anti-virus, firewall, anti-spam, browser and antispyware software, then you already have in place some protection against the impact of phishing emails, and the malware that they can introduce into your computer.

If you haven't done so already, then take a look at Software Steps To Improve the Effectiveness Of Your Spam Blocker. This takes you through what's required to protect you against spam and so applies equally well for phishing... after all, it's spam with theft in mind.

II. Phishing And How To Block It... Anti-Phishing Software

Bear in mind that if you have an excellent spam blocker, then your program will identify phishing emails as spam anyway. I use MailWasher Pro which has all sorts of safety protection from malware, phishers and spammers. You can read about my experience of MailWasher Pro at Spam Spammers With MailWasher Pro.

There is also specific software that will aid you in your identification of phishing emails and phishing websites. The software I recommend is free, so no excuses for not installing any protection!

(i) Google Safe Browsing

Google has released an extension for the Firefox browser that alerts you when there’s a good chance that the page you are visiting is a part of a phishing scam. Google Safe Browsing places a red “Do Not Enter” icon in the location bar when you are visiting such sites.

In 'enhanced protection' mode, Google says it will be capturing the URLs that are entered together with information about the content of the site 'for evaluation'. If you want to guard privacy, you can turn off 'enhanced protection'.

You can download the extension for free from Google Safe Browsing

(ii) Netcraft Toolbar For Internet Explorer

Once the first recipients of a phishing mail have reported the target URL, it is blocked for community members using this toolbar if they subsequently access the URL.

The program also traps suspicious URLs containing characters meant to deceive. It enforces display of the toolbar and address bar in all windows, to defend against pop up windows attempting to hide the navigational controls.

Another useful feature is that the toolbar displays the hosting location of the website, including country. This helps evaluate fraudulent URLs. For instance, if you see PayPal hosted from Russia, it's likely to be a fraudulent site.

Get your free download from Netcraft Toolbar

(iii) McAfee SiteAdvisor

Using Internet Explorer or Firefox, McAfee's free SiteAdvisor safety button at the bottom of your browser changes color based on whether the site you are visiting is safe or unsafe. When you enter a search for specific information, each of the websites listed on your browser page will be marked safe or unsafe to use.

Find out more and get your free download from SiteAdvisor

2. Phishing And How To Block It... Reporting Phishing

Scam e-mails can be submitted to...

The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), which stores the information in a database used by makers of security software, but takes no further action. The APWG, an effort backed by security companies, financial services providers and others, includes Symantec, McAfee and Microsoft as sponsors.
According to APWG data, industry efforts have reduced the average time a phishing Web site is online -- five days in January 2006, compared with 6.1 days in July 2004.

If you want your report to produce a little more action,then Sunbelt and CastleCops have launched a volunteer group, dubbed the Phishing Incident Reporting and Termination Squad, or PIRT.
The PIRT team is taking on the most difficult part of the phishing fight in trying to persuade the Web host to take phishing sites offline. However, PIRT claims that they have been able to shut down a number of phishing sites in just a few hours.
To report a phishing scam to PIRT, go to The PIRT Home Page for instructions.