DIY phishing kits hit the Net

My little fraudster

By John Leyden • Get more from this author

Posted in Spam, 19th August 2004 09:42 GMT

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Do-it-yourself phishing kits are being made available for download free of charge from the Internet, according to anti-virus firm Sophos.

Anyone surfing the Web can now get their hands on these kits, launch their own phishing attack and potentially defraud computer users of the contents of their bank accounts. These DIY kits contain all the graphics, web code and text required to construct bogus websites designed to have the same look-and-feel as legitimate ecommerce sites. They also come with spamming software.

Scam emails that form the basis of phishing attacks commonly pose as 'security check' emails from well-known businesses. These messages attempt to trick users into handing over their account details and passwords to bogus sites. Hundreds of thousands of phishing emails are sent across the internet each day and the ready availability of phishing kits can only spur this trend.

However would-be fraudsters should be aware of the recent success of UK police in arresting phishing suspects. Police and the banking industry recently combined to produce a check list advising consumers on how to avoid falling victim to phishing attacks. ®