PayPal, eBay's electronic payment service, plans to take the dramatic step of locking out people using older versions of Web browsers in order to stem phishing attacks.
PayPal said a "significant" group of people still use Microsoft's Internet Explorer 3, released in 1996, and IE 4, which debuted in 1997. Those browsers lack a phishing filter, which can block users from accessing a reported phishing Web site.
"In our view, letting users view the PayPal site on one of these browsers is equal to a car manufacturer allowing drivers to buy one of their vehicles without seatbelts," according to a paper released during the RSA security conference in San Francisco earlier this month.
It also could mean eventual trouble for users of Apple's Safari browser, which has no phishing filter. In February PayPal warned users to stay clear of Safari.
Phishing sites are designed to look like the legitimate Web sites of major brands such as banks and seek to elicit financial and personal information. Users are often lured to the sites through unsolicited e-mail, or can unwittingly land on one if a phisher has bought a domain with a convincing-looking name or one with slightly differently spelling.
PayPal has been one of the brands hit hard by phishing since the service allows people to transfer money. The company has taken steps to strengthen authentication controls and worked with ISPs
(Internet service providers) to block e-mails purporting to be from PayPal but lacking a valid digital signature.
PayPal said it plans to warn users who come to its site that they are using an old browser. Eventually, those users will be blocked, although the company did not say when.
The plan won't necessarily prevent a person from being victimized by a phishing attack. A user could still be duped by an e-mail with a link to a phishing site and then divulge their details.
But by preventing access to its site, PayPal hopes those users will then upgrade their browsers, which will then give them an additional security protection against phishing.
Internet Explorer 7, Firefox 2, and Opera 9 have phishing filters, but Apple's browser -- Safari -- does not. Safari also does not support Extended Validation SSL (Secure Socket Layer) Certificates, issued to Web sites that have been vetted as legitimate.
For Web site with that certificate, IE shows a green bar. Firefox's address bar changes with white to beige and Opera denotes a safe site.
This whitepaper explains the terminology and concepts behind Data Replication technologies and establishes some sizing rules through worked examples. Learn the new paradigm in disaster tolerance—protect data anywhere.
Download now »
Server virtualization is a popular option for dealing with mounting datacenter costs. Another equally promising approach is the use of an Application Delivery Controller. Citrix NetScaler provides a low-cost way for organizations to reduce their server count and accrue cost savings from a reduction in space, cooling, power and personnel.
Download now »
The emergence of WLANs has created a new breed of security threats to enterprise networks.
Included in HP ProCurve WLAN solutions is security technology that alleviates threats from WLANs through:
* Monitoring wireless activity inside and out of the enterprise
* Classifying WLAN transmissions into harmful and harmless
* Preventing transmissions that pose a security threat to the enterprise network
* Locating participating devices for physical remediation
Effectively address data protection challenges, implementing solutions that help store and protect business–critical data while cutting costs and improving efficiency and reliability.
Download now »
Sign up to receive Security Resource Alerts
This white paper provides guidance on how to develop a strategic approach to managing and monitoring logs, a key function required for compliance with many regulatory mandates and a critical defense against security threats.
Download now! »
Learn about the processes and technologies that support security information management (SIM) operations, as well as the business case for SIM. The series examines different options for implementing SIM and gives you evaluation criteria for selecting the best option for your organization.
Download now! »
Learn the strategies, actions, and capabilities that Best-in-Class organizations employ and technologies they choose to obtain superior performance against various security performance metrics. This report provides guidelines for identifying which security solutions to consume as a MSS and defines best practices for choosing and managing MSSPs.
Download now! »
Recommend This
