DIY phishing kits hit the Net

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Dewayne Hendricks <dewayne () warpspeed com>
Date: August 19, 2004 7:03:28 AM EDT
To: Dewayne-Net Technology List <dewayne-net () warpspeed com>
Subject: [Dewayne-Net] DIY phishing kits hit the Net
Reply-To: dewayne () warpspeed com

Original URL: <http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/08/19/diy_phishing/>

DIY phishing kits hit the Net
By John Leyden (john.leyden at theregister.co.uk)
Published Thursday 19th August 2004 09:42 GMT

Do-it-yourself phishing kits are being made available for download free 
of charge from the Internet, according to anti-virus firm Sophos.

Anyone surfing the Web can now get their hands on these kits, launch 
their own phishing attack and potentially defraud computer users of the 
contents of their bank accounts. These DIY kits contain all the 
graphics, web code and text required to construct bogus websites 
designed to have the same look-and-feel as legitimate ecommerce sites. 
They also come with spamming software.

Scam emails that form the basis of phishing attacks commonly pose as 
'security check' emails from well-known businesses. These messages 
attempt to trick users into handing over their account details and 
passwords to bogus sites. Hundreds of thousands of phishing emails are 
sent across the internet each day and the ready availability of 
phishing kits can only spur this trend.

However would-be fraudsters should be aware of the recent success of UK 
police in arresting phishing suspects. Police and the banking industry 
recently combined to produce a check list 
(http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/10/22/uk_banks_and_police_proffer) 
advising consumers on how to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks.


Archives at: <http://Wireless.Com/Dewayne-Net>
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