1. Done by… Hanoof Al-Khaldi Information Assurance

2. Introduction.. Author Name: Maynard. Name of research paper: Phishing.
Date : March 15, 2008

3. Introduction..
Phishing is a rapidly growing form of internet fraud, which leads to identity theft.
Identity theft is taking someone else’s personal information and using it for an unlawful purpose.

4. Cont..
Phishing is sending out phone or messages in an effort to obtain confidential information from unsuspicious victims. Messages can be in group mailings or in the form of spam to thousands of victims, or can be targeted to a specific group of recipients. Most s are disguised and resemble those of legitimate organizations such as banks, credit card companies, retailers and sometimes even government agencies.

5. Example of phishing:

6. Ways to receiving phishing:
contain a message to the recipient warning them about some kind activity or change on their account and requests them to respond to the by providing them with confidential information. These s also may also contain a link to another website to make their look more authentic, this web site is of course also a counterfeit site set up to look genuine

7. The executor of the attempts to get information such as account numbers, pins, social security and drivers’ license numbers, and any other information they may need in order to steal the person’s identity..

8. :background
Phisphing is one way thieves get the information they need to steal identities. Thieves also target account information embedded in ATM, debit and credit cards. Wireless networks that are not blocked also allow access to one’s computer and personal information or planting software on a computer that records everything the user types.

9. Cont…
Authentication of the web site can prevent this from happening. “Authentication is the ability to identify an individual user or device. Authentication creates trust in the identity of the person communicating. Without authentication, online identity may be counterfeit and unreliable. “Phishing” and “spoofing”, where a fraudulent web site or disguises itself as a credible site, is a serious problem stemming from failed authentication”. (Hanson & Kalayanam 2007)

10. Conclusion..
Identity theft is a serious crime that has increased greatly in recent years. It can cost people lots of time and money, destroy credit and ruin a person’s good name.
Identity thieves uses a number of methods to steal personal information including looking through trash for papers with personal information, stealing credit and debit cards, and sending phishing s or spam s.

11. My recommendation:
Communicate personal information only via phone or secure web
Do not click on links, download files or open attachments in s from unknown senders..
Never personal or financial information, even if you are close with the recipient.
Beware of links in s that ask for personal information,
Protect your computer with a firewall, spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software.