Let’s Go Phishing (?)
August 14, 2008 by Antivirus Ware.com - Download Norton Antivirus software instantly!
We’re not referring to the normal kind of fishing with a fishing pole, bait, and tackle. The fraudulent process of attempting to obtain personal or sensitive information in computing — e.g. credit card details, passwords, usernames, etc. — by pretending to be a trusted entity in any electronic communication is known as “phishing.”
In most instances, eBay, PayPal, YouTube, or numerous online financial institutions seem to be the cover that the “phishers” like to use the most to lure in unsuspecting victims. The act of phishing is normally done through e-mails or instant messaging and normally instructs the unsuspecting visitor to enter their information at a particular website. Additionally, phishing is one of the best examples of social engineering where computer security is concerned.
There have been numerous attempts to implement measures that deal with phishing, specifically legislative measures, public awareness, technical security measures, and user training. The first known phishing incident was reported in 1987, but the first recorded usage of the term never happened until 1996. Just as the actual act of fishing implies, phishing implies the use of “bait” to catch certain information such as passwords and that of a financial nature.
Phishing appears to have initially been associated with the warez community at AOL that became known for the exchange of pirated software. AOL implemented measures as early as 1995 to deal with the warez community and fake credit card numbers being used to open fictitious accounts. So rather than continuing to pursue the manufacture of counterfeit accounts, the hackers started phishing for legitimate information.
