Microsoft and Rogue Dialers

A week late with this, but still shocking enough for a mention: Microsoft’s UK security chief has admitted to be being hit by a rogue dialler, according to ZDNet UK News: Rogue diallers have claimed a high-profile victim — Microsoft UK’s chief security advisor Ed Gibson. Speaking to ZDNet UK on Tuesday, Gibson revealed that … Read more

Another Ratchet Up in the Phishing War

I must confess I’m not sure how it works, but it seems like an interesting, but potentially flawed, approach in the battle against phishing. German bank PostBank, IDG reports, has launched a new system to combat phishing, extending the existing German practice of using transaction numbers, or TANs: Until now, Postbank customers transferring money from … Read more

Anti-Phishing Passwords

An obvious but effective technique against phishing, here: altering each password so it’s tied to the domain name of the site. Then, if you’re trying to sign in to a phishing fake site, the password won’t match and won’t work. Here’s the story from InformationWeek – Stanford Computer Scientists Unveil New Anti-Phishing Software : A … Read more

Which is Bigger? Porn Or Phishing?

Less than two years ago no one had heard of phishing and getting my editors excited about it as a problem wasn’t a cakewalk. Now, according to a report in SiliconRepublic.com, it’s bigger than porn spam: Since the beginning of this year, the number of phishing scams has risen from 1pc to 8.3pc of the … Read more

The Phisher King Goes To Jail

Another phisher jailed, and another example, if any were needed, of the Russian gravitional pull to such tricks. But there’s a backstory to this that all accounts have ignored. Here’s the meat, first, from The Register: An American who masterminded the UK part of a multi-million pound ID theft scam was yesterday jailed for six … Read more