Summary
Auction company eBay is working to fix a software flaw in its system that lets phishers exploit the eBay system to redirect unwary customers to a non-eBay site. eBay is a popular target for phishers, and has taken steps to reduce its reliance on e-mail to lower its profile to phishers. As phishers grow more sophisticated, it has become more difficult to discern phishing mail from legitimate correspondence.
Original source:
http://news.com.com/eBay+scrambles+to+fix+phishing+bug/2100-1002_3-5600372.html
Details
eBay is fighting to repair a software glitch that opens the door to phishing attacks using one of its own legitimate URLs.
The online auction giant is working on a fix for the problem, and it hopes to distribute that fix among its Web pages in the next several days, a company representative said on Friday.
The problem, described by the company as a "software bug," could be exploited by criminals to create an actual eBay link that redirects customers to a malicious site, the representative said.
Check here to see whether an e-mail that appears to be from your bank or an online merchant is actually an attempt to defraud you.
eBay is one of the most popular targets of phishing schemes, which typically use e-mail messages that look like they come from a trusted service provider to dupe people into visiting a malicious Web site.
The fraudulent site appears to be legitimate, but has been set up to steal the victim's personal information, such as a credit card number, which could then be used to commit identity fraud.
The company, based in San Jose, Calif., has repeatedly warned its customers not to respond to such e-mails, and has even adopted a messaging system to eliminate the need for most e-mail correspondence with its registered members.
This latest phishing issue for eBay differs in that it uses a legitimate URL to hook victims and send them to a malicious site.
It is becoming significantly harder to discern phishing attempts from legitimate e-mail and Web pages, eBay spokesman Hani Durzy said in previous interviews with CNET News.com.
"Because education only goes so far, we're also working on technology solutions that could help protect against these kind of attacks."
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a strong interest in personal health, the environment and the power of nature to help us all heal He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he has published numerous courses on preparedness and survival, including financial preparedness, emergency food supplies, urban survival and tactical self-defense. Adams is an independent journalist with strong ethics who does not get paid to write articles about any product or company. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He's also the founder and CEO of a well known email mail merge software developer whose software, 'Email Marketing Director,' currently runs the NaturalNews email subscriptions. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
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Thursday, March 10, 2005
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