Criminal phishing in 2007 escalated in both the number of attacks and the financial losses resulting from them, according to a study from Gartner.
Phishing Attacks Increased In 2007
Phishing attacks in the U.S. rose in 2007 as $3.2 billion was lost to these attacks, according to a survey by Gartner.The survey found that 3.6 million adults lost money in phishing attacks in the 12 months ending August 2007, as compared with 2.3 million who did so the previous year. Phishing attacks were more successful in 2007 than they were in the past two years. Of those who received phishing emails in 2007, 3.3 percent said they lost money because of the attack, compared with 2.3 percent who lost money in 2006, and 2.9 percent who did so in 2006.
Grocery Store Falls For $10 Million Phishing Scam
Supervalu, a large grocery store chain was involved in a phishing scam that duped the company into sending $10 million to fraudulent bank accounts, according to federal court filings.
PayPal, Yahoo, Expand Phishing Net
Earlier today Yahoo, eBay and PayPal announced that they were partnering to protect users from phishing scams, with technology developed by Yahoo called DomainKeys.
Microsoft Applies For Anti-Phishing Patent
In a recent bevy of application disclosures, it was discovered that in September of last year, Microsoft applied for a patent regarding methodology for notifying Internet users whether or not a particular URL is associated with a list of known phishing sites.
We’ve all gotten the e-mails before. In what appears to be correspondence from a legitimate company, a letter comes across our respective e-mail client urging us to “verify our account information” by giving up the skinny on our bank accounts, credit cards, and social security numbers.
Fake Google Toolbar Goes On Phishing Trip
A new trick for Internet thieves to pry through one’s personal affects on a computer has appeared. It would seem a mimicked version of the Google Toolbar is floating around with loads of gimmicks to rob the user blind.
The Phishing’s Good At Work
A Trend Micro study suggests people engage in far more risky business at work than they do at home.
Yahoo A Popular Phishing Host
The Spamhaus Project, a clearinghouse for spammer and online scam information, claims almost 5,000 phishing sites reside at Yahoo.
MSN Chips Phishing Filter Into Toolbar
Two new add-ins for the MSN Search Toolbar provide phishing protection and one-click access to online MSN games.
Earthlink Versus Microsoft: Phishing Contest
Microsoft announced yesterday the launch of the first ever add-in phishing protection, currently in a beta version. It helps provide “powerful dynamic protection” against the phishermen of the net. Earthlink has a bone to pick with the Seattle slew however. They say they’ve had a free tool available for over a year.