Pharming???

Dancinbaer

SGF, Supreme Grumble Framer
Joined
Apr 26, 2002
Posts
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Loc
De Pere, WI
Below is an article that caught my interest from CNET.com. As I do banking and bill paying over the internet I'm a little concerned, so I thought some of you might be interested in the article. Maybe some of the computer gurus (Mike) could comment on what they know.

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CNET Community Hot Topics Newsletter March 15, 2005
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Dear CNET members,

By now, hopefully everyone is aware of phishing scams-- cleverly designed e-mail and Web sites used to gain access to your financial logins and passwords. We've pretty much reached the level of sniffing those out from a mile away. But this fairly new heinous tactic, called pharming, is absolutely frightening. For example, you type in citibank.com in to your Internet browser. The address bar displays as you would expect--citibank.com and you proceed to log on to access your bank account information. No sweat, eh? Well, little did you know that behind the scenes, citibank.com's DNS (domain name servers) just got hijacked--displaying the completely legitimate URL address that you are accustomed to, but directing you to a spoofed site that looks and feels just like your financial institution, so you have absolutely no idea you willingly gave up your personal account info to the hijackers. Is this scary or what? Are you concerned? Are there any preventative measures out there that we can take, or are we just out of luck on this one? Find out more about this all-too-important topic in senior editor Robert Vamosi's article, "Alarm over pharming attacks: identity theft made even easier." And if you have concerns to share or preventative tips to offer, or if you've even been scammed before by this tactic, share your experience with us so that we can all learn how to tackle this issue together. Be safe and be aware out there!

Read about pharming attacks here:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=77553-9055949&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5

TalkBack here:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=77554-9055949&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5

Cheers!
Lee Koo
CNET Community
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In this newsletter, you'll find:

* This week's hot topic
* Speak up!
* Quick hits
* Hot products
* Your feedback
* Managing your subscription
_____________________________________________________________

* This week's hot topic: Pharming attacks

In response to the latest Security Watch column, several of you submitted great suggestions on how steer clear from pharming schemes.

Security Watch: Alarm over pharming attacks:
http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=77555-9055949&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5

Get certified--submitted by libove

Since several of you asked for it, CNET member libove submitted a great "how-to" on making the most of SSL certificates, including a step-by-step guide to enabling certificates in IE 6.0.

http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=77556-9055949&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5


Stick by the IP--submitted by johnnybluenote

Though other members warn it's not 100 per cent foolproof, CNET member johnnybluenote suggests we go to our favorite Web sites by way of their specific IP address, rather than their Web name. He also provides instructions on how to find the IP for your favorite Web sites.

http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=77557-9055949&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5


Make stricter laws--submitted by iogt007

CNET member iogt007 brings up a great point: the laws (and related punishments for breaking them) should be bigger for anyone found guilty of an Internet crime of this magnitude.

http://ct.cnet-ssa.com.com/clicks?c=77558-9055949&brand=cnet-ssa&ds=5
 
Yea this is getting a lot of press lately, and you can feel safe that all the big banks have taken steps to minimize their sites from being hi-jacked. With that said, it's business as usual for me. If something were to happen, i'm sure the bank would be able to correct or reverse it with no personal loss to its customers.

Mike
 
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