Hova
07-11-2003, 04:23 PM
Written By: Tony Kontzer, InformationWeek
Date: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
A major anti-spam vendor is warning companies to take precautions against an emerging form of spam designed to take advantage of unsuspecting users.
SurfControl execs say "brand spoofing", in which a spammer disguises email to make it appear as if it's from a trusted company in order to extract personal information such as account details and social security numbers, is a growing and dangerous form of spam. Among the companies that have been brand spoofed in recent months are Best Buy, UPS, Bank of America, PayPal and First Union Bank, according to SurfControl.
Sony Electronics last week warned that it had become aware of a deceptive mass emailing that was sent to consumers with the subject "Sonystyle user and email address". The message, which claimed to come from "SonyStyle Customer Service", requested personal information, including user names and passwords.
Michael Osterman, principal analyst with messaging research firm Osterman Research, says brand spoofing is a newer form of email spoofing, in which spammers disguise emails to look like they come from familiar addresses, such as those of co-workers.
Osterman thinks brand spoofing is most threatening to consumers who don't get a lot of email and thus might be easily fooled, but he also expects it could endanger small businesses where the recipient is more likely to be a decision-maker.
Read the full article here (http://www.itnews.com.au/storycontent.cfm?ID=9&Art_ID=12351)
Date: Wednesday, 09 July 2003
A major anti-spam vendor is warning companies to take precautions against an emerging form of spam designed to take advantage of unsuspecting users.
SurfControl execs say "brand spoofing", in which a spammer disguises email to make it appear as if it's from a trusted company in order to extract personal information such as account details and social security numbers, is a growing and dangerous form of spam. Among the companies that have been brand spoofed in recent months are Best Buy, UPS, Bank of America, PayPal and First Union Bank, according to SurfControl.
Sony Electronics last week warned that it had become aware of a deceptive mass emailing that was sent to consumers with the subject "Sonystyle user and email address". The message, which claimed to come from "SonyStyle Customer Service", requested personal information, including user names and passwords.
Michael Osterman, principal analyst with messaging research firm Osterman Research, says brand spoofing is a newer form of email spoofing, in which spammers disguise emails to look like they come from familiar addresses, such as those of co-workers.
Osterman thinks brand spoofing is most threatening to consumers who don't get a lot of email and thus might be easily fooled, but he also expects it could endanger small businesses where the recipient is more likely to be a decision-maker.
Read the full article here (http://www.itnews.com.au/storycontent.cfm?ID=9&Art_ID=12351)