PandaLabs, Panda Softwares virus detection laboratory, has predicted that theft of confidential data on the Internet will become one of the most significant IT threats over the coming year. For this reason, PandaLabs is offering a set of simple tips to safeguard the confidentiality of users financial data.
Phishing is a type of fraud that involves email messages designed to redirect users to malicious websites especially designed to steal banking data from unwitting users. In this way, phishers can steal passwords and personal details to spoof users identity and use it fraudulently. They use the name and corporate image of real companies in order to gain users confidence and carry off the fraud. To avoid this, it is vital to make sure that all transactions are carried out in secure environments.
The first aspect to take into account is the fact that your bank will never contact you via email to ask you for any passwords. You should delete any messages that you receive asking for your personal details, or including a link that takes you to a web page where you are prompted to enter them. Most probably, these are fraudulent messages.
Make sure that the web page that you are visiting actually belongs to the bank that you want to visit. Pay attention to the web page domain, and check that there are no differences with the real domain of your banks web page. Make sure your connection is safe. To do this, check that there is a little closed padlock displayed on the status bar of the browser, and that the web address begins with https://. These are clear indications of a safe connection. If you are in doubt, check that the web page has a valid certificate by double-clicking on the padlock.
Another way to make sure you have established a safe connection to the companys real website is to type the entitys full web address directly in the browser; never access it through hyperlinks that might point to fraudulent websites that could enable data theft.
It is also advisable to check bank statements periodically to make sure that there havent been any irregular movements or transactions from your account. If you see any unaccountable operations in your statement, we recommend you contact the bank through which transactions were made, in order to get more detailed information about them.
If once you have checked all of these elements you are still in doubt, you can always find out if what you are about to do is safe by making a phone call to the bank explains Mikel Prez, Director of the Malware Detection Department at Panda Sofwtare. In any event, the best measure is to have a good antivirus with anti-phishing technologies that protects against fraud.
Panda Software offers users the new Identity Protect technology, specifically designed to prevent theft of confidential information, to provide maximum security for Internet connections. This technology allows a series of personal data to be classified as non-transferable, and asks the users permission before allowing any such data to leave the computer. Panda Internet Security 2007 is the Panda Software solution that integrates this innovative weapon to combat online fraud. Moreover, it includes the new, proactive TruPrevent Technologies, which, by means of behavioral patterns, prevent malicious code from entering computers even when the code has yet to be identified.
The new year will bring with it new types of fraud and threats to privacy. The new Identity Protect technology offers users the possibility to establish safe connections free from threats. There is no room for spyware and phishing in computers protected with Panda Internet Security 2007, concludes Mikel Prez.
About PandaLabs
Since 1990, its mission has been to analyze new threats as rapidly as possible to keep our clients safe. Several teams, each specialized in a specific type of malware (viruses, worms, Trojans, spyware, phishing, spam, etc), work 24/7 to provide global coverage. To achieve this, they also have the support of TruPrevent Technologies, which act as a global early-warning system made up of strategically distributed sensors to neutralize new threats and send them to PandaLabs for in-depth analysis. According to Av.Test.org, PandaLabs is currently the fastest laboratory in the industry in providing complete updates to users.
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