Phishing Site to Warn About Phishing Sites

Sometimes s aren't as big and bad as they're made out to be. Sometimes they just want to help make the Web a safer place for everyone. That benevolent spirit is on display on a phishing site that was recently to tch gullible Internet users about the dangers of — you guessed it — phishing sites.A modified a phishing website to tch people about phishing scams. Credit: DrmstimeResrchers at the security firm GFI Labs found an email used to lure people to a phishing site, www.canal-i.com. The message attempts to scare unsuspecting rders by telling them they have exceeded the storage limit on their inbox, and says, "You will not be able to send or receive new mail until you upgrade your email. Click below link and fill the form to upgrade your account." When clicked, that link directs users to a Web page that asks for their username, email address and .
For one — he or she has not been identified — this was not just an ordinary phishing scam, but also a chance to tch others. The white-hat — "white hat" refers to s who security bugs to improve security — stripped the phishing page of its malicious content and replaced it with a stern eduional message about the perils lurking in the online world.
"There is no such thing as a central Email service update," the website was manipulated to rd. "A stupid criminal crted this to stl your email account. I have modified it to edue you about online crime. He does not like that but that is too damn bad. You can submit this form to see a helpful about phishing. Stop letting stupid criminals like this one hijack your account. Have a grt day."
The altered phishing page included a "Submit Form" button at the bottom, the same way the original fraudulent page did, except this button redirected users to an instructional about phishing scams. (The canal-i website currently shows an "under construction" message.)
As a eral rule, any unsolicited emails that ask you to download software to fix a problem or restore any kind of service should not be trusted. Emails that appr to come from a bank or financial institution such as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) should also be handled with a hvy dose of skepticism; online crooks know that people are likely to fall for scams when they fr their personal finances may be in trouble. If you suspect such an email is out for your personal details, delete it and contact your bank directly. Running up-to-date anti-virus and anti-malware software on your computer will also help detect phishing sites and malicious emails as thrts.
Source: Internet