Phishing, Pharming, and Identity Theft
Identity theft now affects more than 10 million people each year. The annual cost to the economy reaches $50 billion.
Phishing, a fast-growing method of identity theft, is typically performed through email or Web sites that appear to represent legitimate organizations. Victims are asked to provide personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers in reply email or at bogus Web sites.
Phishing Proliferation
According to the Anti-Phishing Group the frequency of phishing attacks increases 24% each month. Traditionally, phishers have mostly targeted larger financial institutions. Today, however, anyone doing business online is a potential target – including credit unions, hotels, retail, associations, and insurance companies.
“Spear phishing”, i.e. the practice of targeting attacks to specific groups, is also gaining in sophistication and frequency.
Pharming Exposure
Often called “phishing without a lure”, this scamming relies on malicious code that is installed on personal computers or servers. Users are then misdirected to fraudulent Web sites without their knowledge or consent.
Learn about Cyveillance Anti-Phishing Solutions:
- Enterprise solutions: Anti-Phishing
- OEM Partner Solutions: Anti-Phishing