Phishing

Phishing

Phishing is essentially an online con game and phishers are nothing more than tech-savvy con artists and identity thieves. They use SPAM, malicious Web sites, email messages and instant messages to trick people into divulging sensitive information, such as bank and credit card accounts.
How Do You Know
· Phishers, pretending to be legitimate companies, may use email to request personal information and direct recipients to respond through malicious web sites
· Phishers tend to use emotional language using scare tactics or urgent requests to entice recipients to respond
· The phish sites can look remarkably like legitimate sites because they tend to use the copyrighted images from legitimate sites
· Requests for confidential information via email or Instant Message tend to not be legitimate
· Fraudulent messages are often not personalized and may share similar properties like details in the header and footer

Vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities are flaws in computer software that create weaknesses in the overall security of the computer or network. Vulnerabilities can also be created by improper computer or security configurations. Threats exploit the weaknesses of vulnerabilities resulting in potential damage to the computer or personal data.
How Do You Know
· Companies announce vulnerabilities as they are discovered and quickly work to fix the vulnerabilities with software and security “patches”
What To Do
· Keep software and security patches up to date
· Configure security settings for operating system, internet browser and security software
· Develop personal security policies for online behavior
· Install a proactive security solution like Norton Internet Security to block threats targeting vulnerabilities

Courtesy :- Symantec