Microsoft to release antiphishing tool before IE 7

Microsoft plans to release an add-on to MSN Search Toolbar aimed at protecting Web users from phishing scams. The technology is similar to an antiphishing tool the company previously said will be available in Internet Explorer (IE) 7, which is not yet in public release.

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The phishing filter -- which issues a pop-up window warning if a user navigates to a Web site that exhibits behavior typical of phishing sites, and blocks access to currently recognized phishing sites -- will be available for IE 6 running on Windows XP with SP2 installed, said Justin Osmer, MSN product manager.

The technology will be available in test release in a few weeks from http://addins.msn.com, but Osmer could not give a more specific time frame for the beta release, or a subsequent production release of the filter. The technology may eventually end up as a permanent feature of the MSN Search Toolbar, but that has yet to be determined, he said.

Published reports Wednesday said that the phishing filter that is expected to be included in IE 7 would soon be released as a download to MSN Search Toolbar for use with IE 6. However, these reports are only partly true, Osmer said in an interview Thursday.

While the underlying technology of the antiphishing tool that is currently available in a beta test version of IE 7 for Windows XP also drives the add-in release that is forthcoming for IE 6, the way the MSN Search Toolbar filter is presented in the user interface (UI) is different, he said.

In IE 7, the phishing filter "is part of the whole menu bar structure" across the top of the browser, whereas the add-in that will be available for IE 6 "will obviously be connected to the toolbar," he said.

"The opportunity with Toolbar is to provide the folks with IE 6 the phishing filter technology because we want to reach as many people as we can," Osmer said.

Though they appear differently in the UI, both incarnations of the phishing filter will block phishing sites in much the same way, he added.

The MSN Search Toolbar phishing filter add-in can be disabled if a user wants to have access to a site that is recognized by the filter as a potentially dangerous site, Osmer said.

Microsoft introduced MSN Search Toolbar in May as a free download. It runs below the Web address box in IE and allows users to search and organize Web site preferences.

Industry analysts see IE's reputation for poor security as one of the reasons the open source Firefox browser has risen in popularity over the past year. Third-party antiphishing technology is currently available for Firefox.

Microsoft's plan to release its technology to combat phishing to the market before IE 7 is fully baked is a good competitive move for the vendor, said Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director for Jupiter Research.

Rolling it into MSN Search Toolbar also could help the company win some footing in the search market against rivals Google and Yahoo, he added.