Monday, April 17, 2006

General tips to prevent phishing

  1. Bank sends an email for verifying some information either new account holder, or withdrawal or something like that. Please contact the bank by phone (use the phone number you know) and verify the legitimacy of the mail.
  2. The golden rule is 'don't click the link' to login the bank website. Type the bank website link on your browser by hand and go to the website.
  3. Most big companies will address people with your names; if you get general mails like 'dear valued user' it could be phishing mails.

The weakest link in the security chain? You

Human error was responsible for nearly 60 per cent of information security breaches last year, a new study has found.

According to the fourth annual CompTIA (Computing Technology Industry Association) study on information security and the workforce, released on Tuesday, this figure is significantly higher than the number in 2004, when 47 per cent of security breaches were blamed on human error alone.

Despite the prominent role that human behaviour plays in information security breaches, just 29 per cent of the 574 organisations worldwide that participated in the survey said security training is a must for employees. Only 36 per cent of organisations offer security awareness training, the study found.

"The primary cause of security breaches - human error - is not being adequately addressed," Brian McCarthy, chief operating officer of CompTIA, said in a statement. "The person behind the PC continues to be the primary area where weaknesses are exposed."