Gone Phising?

After eight weeks of discussing the various benefits to digital media, we took a look at one of its downfalls - the potential for your personal information to be stolen.

From the telemarketing phone calls to spam e-mails, we are confronted with a variety of unwanted messages. Yet, I hate to say it, we need to pay careful attention to spam messages because they could really be a phishing attack, and if you fall victim your personal information could be stolen from you in the blink of an eye.

Phishing is the fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Many phishing attempts are disguised as messages from reputable businesses including financial institutions. Many of today’s phishing attacks include malware (“malicious software”) that can install keystroke loggers on the user’s computer and capture sensitive information such as user IDs and passwords.

Yet, as technology becomes more sophisticated so do a cyber-crook's ability to tap into your personal information. The latest phishing attack struck Twitter just a few weeks ago. This latest attack comes in the form of a direct message and states “rofl this you on here?” and provides a link to a supposed video site. Instead, it captures your personal information. Here is more information about the attack: http://blogs.zdnet.com/feeds/?p=1725

I am sure this latest attack will not be the last. So, I thought it was important to remind everyone of some important phishing safety tips so you don't fall victim:

• Never open an e-mail from a user you do not know


• Do NOT click on any links in an e-mail; instead place your cursor over the link to see the true origination of the Web address


• Phishing e-mails are not typically personalized. Valid messages usually are

Here are some additional tips: http://www.antiphishingscams.com/phishing-prevention.html

The most important thing to remember is to be alert and be aware because phishing attacks can happen to anyone at any time.