Leading UK browser business Deepnet Explorer will be the first to offer protection from phishing scams when it releases its latest version 1.3 on Dec 1, 2004.
The new browser’s unique “Phishing Alarm” system will alert surfers automatically if ever they find themselves surfing sites identified as illegitimate by the Deepnet Phishing Alarm system.
“Phishing is about to become the number one weak spot in online security” said Deepnet’s Yurong Lin. “Already our financial institutions have had to refund around 4.5m to some 2,000 customers, according to the Association for Payment Clearing Services (Apacs). Now, as big business toughens up and becomes less sympathetic to phishing victims, consumers need to do more to protect themselves from corruption in e-commerce.
Phishing sites are usually doctored versions of an organisation’s legitimate Web site. Victims are often lured to the sites using sophisticated emails and many are fooled into disclosing online passwords, user names and other personal information.
From Dec 1, 2004, when Deepnet Explorer releases the latest version of its web browser (version 1.3), surfers targeted by phishing scams will be automatically alerted via the internet’s first ever cyber “Phishing Alarm”
With cyber criminals consistently inventing new ways to dupe surfers, Deepnet Explorer promises maximum protection against the fastest moving threat on the internet. “Phishing Alarm” works by using both a blacklist of known phishing sites and by analysing the URLs and Web sites. For example, it will be able to detect insecure Web sites that are forged to look secure used in some phishing scams”, says Lin.
The Deepnet Explorer browser has already attracted considerable interest since it released its first browser in June, according to Lin. He said it is currently experiencing over 2,000 downloads per day, and is talking to various companies to work on partnerships which will generate revenue for the company.
The new browser is available from Deepnet’s Web site. Users downloading the browser before Phishing Alarm is introduced on Dec 1 will be automatically offered free upgrade as soon as version 1.3 is available.
murdok | Breaking eBusiness News
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