FBI director banned from internet banking by wife after foiled phishing attempt, scams continue
Monday, November 30, 2009
Robert Mueller, the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was partially taken in by a phishing scam that attempted to steal his online banking credentials. He was subsequently banned from using internet banking by his wife.
CNET's Elinor Mills says that phishing attacks frequently use the imprimatur of the very institutions that are supposed to prevent such fraud. Some of the most common phishing emails purport to be from the fraud prevention departments of PayPal or the FDIC, as well as Facebook administrators asking users to "verify" their information.
The New York Times writes that, although phishing scams are more prevalent than ever, zero liability guarantees are more or less standard for any financial services firm that allows web access. This means that any money lost to successful phishing attacks will be refunded by the bank.
Broad-spectrum phishing attacks are still in common use, though carefully targeted spear phishing campaigns have also been seen in recent months. Security professionals say that legitimate inquiries from financial institutions or any other online service will never ask for user information.
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