First Phishing, Now Pharming

There are more scams on the Internet today than most people want to admit, and the scams are getting more and more sophisticated. So how can you protect yourself? Get educated.

Many have learned about phishing, now there is pharming. Pharming works in two different ways. First, the "pharmer" infects your computer with a virus. When you type in a web address, your computer sends you to a fake site. Second, the "pharmer" hacks into your service provider's server and changes the numerical address of the website to the numerical address of their fake site. Either way the 'pharmer' captures your personal information without you suspecting any wrongdoing.

Like phishing, pharming coerces victims into visiting a fake website and supplying information. However, instead of tricking recipients into clicking on an email link, you are secretly redirected to another web browser. In this way, pharming effectively eliminates the need for "bait" emails and is therefore potentially more dangerous than "normal" phishing scams and can cast a wider "net" in which to snare victims. Even phishing-savvy web users could fall victim to a pharming scam without realizing it.

Currently, pharming does not appear to be as common as phishing. However, many computer security experts are predicting that pharming attacks will continue to increase as more criminals embrace these techniques.

So how do you protect yourself? Look for authentication, that is where sites can prove who they say they are and through a certificate from a certificate authority, such as VeriSign. When you visit such sites, you see a dialogue box asking you if you want to trust the certificate. If the name on the certificate doesn't match the site you're attempting to reach, you know that something is amiss, and hopefully you leave.

One should also protect themselves by consistently running anti-virus and anti-spyware software, keeping your operating system and browser updated with the latest security patches and using a reliable firewall. As with all aspects of Internet security, simple vigilance is a crucial defensive weapon.

Protection doesn't stop there. There is nothing that but beats education, whether it is for yourself or educating your employees. Keep in mind, banks do not ask for personal information through email or insecure channels. If they have doubts, make a phone call to your bank and verify whether they need the requested info.

You don't have to be a victim of Internet fraud and scams. Whether it is phishing or pharming, defending yourself with knowledge is your best weapon.

About the Author: Stephen J. Richards has 25 years experience in Data Management and Information Technology. This information is provided as a public service by Neon Enterprise Software, a leading provider of mainframe disaster recovery [http://www.neonesoft.com/br.shtm] and data retention [http://www.neonesoft.com/TAR.shtm] technology.