Phishing could cost SA tens of millions of rands a year as identity theft becomes an increasing problem, says Colin Erasmus, Microsoft technology security manager.
Erasmus says phishing is the term given to the attempt to steal a user`s personal information, or spoofing their e-mail address and using it to send a virus or spam to someone else.
He says a Trend Micro report estimates phishing cost consumers more than $400 million globally last year, with some analysts predicting it could cost SA as much as R100 million in the next year.
Erasmus says in the past month, Microsoft had to close down four phishing Web sites that affected Microsoft directly.
"Some of the Web sites tried to fool users into entering their details to pay for the latest patch or to renew their licence agreements. The Web sites were merely a front to attain users` personal information," he says.
Chris Pick, Net IQ chief security architect, says phishing e-mails come in a number of forms and all aim to appear to be legitimate requests for user information.
"The first type of e-mail is called the 'Good Link` e-mail. The e-mail usually claims to be from a bank or financial institution, and when the user clicks on the link in the e-mail, it brings up the bank`s legitimate site with a box in front of it asking users to enter their personal details. When users see the bank`s Web site they think the request for their credit card information is legitimate," he says.
Other phishing e-mails include links to fake Web sites, forms sent in e-mails, which claim to represent banks, and getting a user to reply to an e-mail asking for personal information.
Share
