Technofriends

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have developed an Online game to teach users about the various issues and dangers that revolve around Phishing.

In one of my previous post Spoofing Explained : Another attempt to cover Hacking fundas, I tried to explain how Spoofing or Phishing as it is called in general context can be achieved using Simple Tricks. Everytime the idea actually revolves around Education.

Being educated about an issue is the best way to stay protected. This post revolves around the game developed by CMU Scientists to help users stay protected from the evil clutches of phishing.

The game which is called Anti-Phishing Phil features a cartoon fish called Phil. The game definitely helps the players discern fraudulent Web sites than those who simply read tutorials about the threat. Play the game by clicking here

In general these are the basic steps you should be following to stay away from Phishing scams :

• Always go through the URL of the website. A closer look at the URL can certainly give you clues with regards to the fraudulent websites.

• Never reply to emails asking for your bank account number, internet user details etc. Remember NO BANK asks you for such information. If they do, CHANGE YOUR BANK.

• The old saying “When in doubt, talk”, holds true here as well. If you are in a doubt about the email/website, just take the phone and call up the call center of the service to get an explanation on your doubt.

• Forward spam that is phishing for information to spam@uce.gov and to the company, bank, or organization impersonated in the phishing email. Most organizations have information on their websites about where to report problems.

• Don’t open email attachments sent to you by strangers. Email attachments can have programs which can affect your computers once opened.

• Always follow steps to a healthy PC. You can read my previous post 4 steps to a Healthy PC to learn more on this.

• Always keep your Anti Virus Softwares, Spywares and Firewalls updated. You can use Update Checker which happens to be a free service for this. Also read my previous post Use Update Checker to Keep your Softwares UPDATED.

Also check out the below embedded video which talks about Phishing Scams and how they work.

Related Posts: Spoofing Explained : Another attempt to cover Hacking fundas

Anti Spyware Applications: Here goes the ranking.

Top 3 FREE Antivirus Applications

Cheers,

Vaibhav

Related posts:

1. [Phishing Scams] Wells Fargo is the Worlds Most Exploited Brand
2. Suspect a site to be Phishing Net? Report it with Phishing Tank
3. [Warning] Twitter Phishing Scams are Spreading
4. Email Spoofing and How to protect your online identity
5. Gmail’s phishing alerts warns you of suspected messages.