Internet Security Is Getting Harder
Internet security is getting harder and if you are reading this you really do have to pay attention. The volume of email spam is back up,and you can see at the bottom of this page how many spam comments are blocked on this blog but the worst trend I am seeing is the mass increase in Phishing.
Phishing is when you are sent emails supposedly from your bank, or ebay or some other trusted source but it actually misdirects you to another domain where happy criminals take your information or credit card numbers. A good example story can be found here.
The long and short of this is I regard any email as suspect. I will always check with the institution to see if it is legit, normally I look up a phone number offline and call them, and if it is legit I try to get the issue resolved off line. These notes are getting better and better at fooling people. Even very smart people like you, my hyper-intelligent readers. Please be very, very careful when you get an unexpected email from anyone asking you to go somewhere on the web and submit personal information. This doesn’t mean you can’t shop online, it doesn’t mean you have to fear the web, but if it comes in via email, be very careful, don’t get bit by the phishermen.