Free Blue Coat Internet Filtering Software Helps Protect Families from Online Fraud and Identity Theft 
(01/01/2008)
Phishing has resulted in a growing amount of identity theft, robbery and fraud. According to industry researchers, the average losses from phishing are now over $3,000 per incident and the total damages suffered by users victimised by phishing are well over $1 billion per year.
Banking and retail sites, including Amazon.com, eBay and PayPal, have been some of the most popular for criminals to impersonate through counterfeit sites using phishing schemes. Social networking sites, such as MySpace and Facebook, are also key targets for 'social phishing' as personal details published on such sites can be used in identity theft. Experiments conducted at Indiana University show a success rate of over 70% for phishing attacks on social networks.
Blue Coat Systems has announced that its K9 Web Protection Internet filtering software now offers real-time phishing protection against online fraud, thievery and identity theft.
K9 Web Protection incorporates the Blue Coat Real-Time Anti-Phishing protection technology recently introduced in Blue Coat's enterprise-class WebFilter product. This makes it the first consumer Internet filtering software that can warn users about brand new or previously undiscovered phishing Websites by using a real-time rating capability.
The Blue Coat Real-Time Anti-Phishing protection technology assesses the Web page and if the page is not found in the database, a query is sent to a data centre in Blue Coat Labs and the Web page is analysed automatically in real time. The service then categorises the page; if the Web page is categorised as a phishing site, the K9 Web Protection software will block the requested Web page or warn the user. The entire process can be completed in between 250-750 milliseconds.
"K9 Web Protection saved me yet again," wrote Joel Boucree, a K9 Web Protection user, in a note to Blue Coat. "I received a phishing email that told me I needed to confirm my email address on Amazon.com. It looked authentic so I figured I'd give it a try. K9 blocked the phishing site dead in its tracks. I've also noticed it works to block phishing traps accessed through use of the MySpace Web site. I've recommended your software countless times and will continue to do so."
"A majority of first generation Internet parents are still getting up to speed on today's basic online technology and lack experience in dealing with deeper concerns such as phishing and identity theft," said John Carosella, vice president of strategy and outreach, Blue Coat Systems. "The Internet is constantly evolving. K9 Web Protection helps parents stay a step ahead of the harmful content and malicious scams that social networking vehicles, email and Web content bring into the home. Adding anti-phishing capability to K9 Web Protection comes at a critical time as parents gear up for holiday purchases that include desktop and laptop computers."
Related topics: Computer and PC Security Hacking and intrusion prevention Internet and Web security
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