Security - News

A new survey of 1,335 US Internet users, conducted by think tank the Ponemon Institute and sponsored by TRUSTe, an online privacy non-profit organization, and NACHA, an electronic payments association, found that US consumers have lost approximately $500 million to phishing scams. According to the study, released on September 29, 2004, 70% of respondents have actually visited a spoofed website linked to a phishing attack; 15% of these individuals even admitted to providing "sensitive private information including credit card numbers, checking account information and Social Security numbers". Over 2% of respondents suffered a direct monetary loss resulting from a phishing attack. Phishing attacks usually arrive in an e-mail message purporting to be from a trusted business like a bank; users are asked to visit a website, made to look like the real business's site, and provide private information for 'security purposes'. This information is then used to commit credit card fraud and identity theft. The findings of the survey will be presented to the Anti-Phishing Working Group in Washington, D.C.

Autor: VK