Alert sounds alarm on phishing imposters

A new online service promises to send an e-mail alert when a Web site is copied and possibly used in a phishing scam.

The free service, dubbed PhishRegistry.org, is run by e-mail security company CipherTrust. Web site owners can use the service to monitor abuse of their brand, while consumers can submit URLs they use, such as a bank Web site, to the list of those monitored, CipherTrust said in a statement on Tuesday.

The Web addresses are submitted via forms on the PhishRegistry Web site. The system then analyses the legitimate site using CipherTrust’s “Phisherprinting” technology, the company said. The technology essentially creates a “fingerprint” of the genuine pages using source code, images and text as markers.

After that, the system scans the Web and when it comes across a site, determines whether it is authentic by comparing the markers. It sends out an alert when attempts to duplicate the legitimate site have been detected. Site owners will receive weekly reports with information about suspect Web sites, the company said.

Full story: ZDNet Australia