Phishing (f-sh'-ng) n. A method of fraudulently obtaining personal information by sending spoofed emails that look like they come from trusted sources.
Whether you're a casual web surfer or immersed in a cyber lifestyle, all Internet users are under assault by phishing emails,pharming sites, and crimeware. Because cyber criminals use botnets—groups of hijacked PCs—to launch untraceable spam-basedphishing attacks, the number of phishing and pharming schemes has grown immeasurably. Criminals are using blended or multifaceted attacks—which combine multiple crimeware techniques—to steal identities and hijack systems, often fooling even savvy users.
Financial services are by far the most targeted industry. Indeed, cyber prowlers frequently build fraudulent web sites that closely mimic legitimate banking and Wall Street sites, tricking users to turn over their online account names, passwords, Social Security numbers, and other personal information. |
