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Anti-Phishing Guide
Friday, November 20, 2009
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Washington Mutual - "Urgent Security Notice"
This phishing scam appeared as if it was sent from Washington Mutual Bank.
Read below to discover why it's an imposter.
Clues that this email is phished:
- "Planned software upgrade" sounds legitimate but they don't give any reason why
they needed to upgrade their software.
- They ask you to follow a link to verify your personal information.
- The copyright date is wrong.
How do you protect yourself from a Phishing scam?
First, it is important to understand that legitimate businesses should never ask for
your personal information through an email. But since not all legitimate businesses follow
this protocol, you should have some extra protection to know the difference between an
honest email and a hoax.
With Secure IE Browser Security you can rest assured that no phisher will be able to
fool you.
Secure IE's Security Manager allows you to corral your favorite sites (like your bank or
eBay etc) into security zones that you can see at the bottom of your browser
window. Think of security zones like you would a traffic light. Green means "Go",
Yellow means "Caution" and Red means "Stop". If you click on a link in an email and it
sends you to what you think is your bank's website, simply check the security zone at the
bottom of the page.
Since you trust your bank lets say you have categorized it as:
However, the link you clicked on takes you to a page that looks like either of these:
Since the security zone is different, this immediately warns you that you are in
dangerous waters and it is likely the site is an imposter.
Phishing is just one of the ways that a hacker can attack your computer.
Here's how Secure IE's multifaceted security protects your computer:
- Stops Spyware at the point of entry by restricting ActiveX to a
"safelist" of authorized software
- Blocks popups that are often used by hackers as a gateway to installing
programs you don't want on your system.
- Features an automatic security tune-up that scans your PC, detects and
corrects current browser security problems.
Get the Protection You Need
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