Guidelines From SonicWALL Help Users Steer Clear of Phishing Traps2 December 2006
SonicWALL, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNWL), a leading provider of network, Web, email security and backup and recovery solutions, has issued a new set of guidelines to help users avoid online fraud during the holiday season. SonicWALL data indicates that the volume of spam, the prime delivery mechanism for security threats and scams, rose more than threefold during 2006. Although public awareness of phishing is growing, the risk to consumers continues to rise. A recent survey by Gartner Group indicates that the average catch by phishers increased almost five-fold, from $257 per victim last year to $1,244 in 2006.
"Phishers manipulate an individual's trust in a brand, a company, or a person to persuade or scare them into revealing sensitive information. Phishing attacks using well known brand names tend to spike during the holiday season, but it's a year-round problem," says Gleb Budman, senior director of Email Security at SonicWALL. "Anyone using email is a potential victim at any time of year, so it's important to keep abreast of avoidance techniques."
SonicWALL's top 10 guidelines for mitigating online risk are:
1. If you are not a customer of the company that appears to be sending
you an email, ignore it.
2. Even if you are a customer, never respond directly to an email request
from a company for personal or financial information, especially if
you are asked to provide your Social Security number. Instead, verify
the authenticity of the request by using an email or telephone contact
that you know is legitimate.
3. Never go to a web site from a link in an email. Instead, open up a new
browser window and enter URLs that you know to be legitimate directly
into your browser.
4. Distrust emails demanding an immediate response. Many phishing scams
succeed by creating a false sense of urgency.
5. Check your credit card and bank statements immediately after receipt.
Look for charges or transactions that you don't expect, even small
ones. Cybercriminals often test their victims by stealing a nominal
sum first, before going for bigger prizes.
6. If you think you have unwittingly supplied sensitive information to a
possible fraudster, tell your bank and credit card companies
immediately that you might be at risk. They will work with you to
prevent your information from being used against you.
7. Look out for look alikes. Many undesirable sites rely on commonly
mistyped URLs to lure the unsuspecting. These sites are hotbeds of
threats like keystroke loggers, spyware and spam.
8. Don't download email attachments unless you trust the sender
completely.
9. Become familiar with the tricks of the trade so you can spot
fraudulent emails. Take SonicWALL's free Phishing IQ test
(http://www.sonicwall.com/phishing/) and learn from the results
analysis how to tell a phish from a legitimate email. Or listen to
the Phishing Patrol podcasts on http://www.sonicwall.com/alert/, six
short tutorials on practical steps that users can take to help protect
themselves.
10. Stay up to date. Make sure your operating system and critical
security software applications -- such as anti-spam, anti-phishing,
anti-virus and anti-spyware -- are current.
"Every individual needs to recognize that good security practices are a necessary part of using the Internet," concludes Budman. "Cybercriminals exploit our sense of trust, and count on the fact that many of us leave computer security to other organizations rather than taking personal responsibility for keeping safe online. Protect yourself to ensure this remains a happy holiday season."
About SonicWALL, Inc.
Founded in 1991, SonicWALL, Inc. designs, develops and manufactures comprehensive network security, email security, secure remote access, and continuous data protection solutions. SonicWALL is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California and trades on the Nasdaq under the symbol SNWL. For more information, contact SonicWALL at +1 (408) 745-9600 or visit the company web site at http://www.sonicwall.com/.
Safe Harbor Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding techniques used to mitigate on-line risks. These forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management at the time the statements are made and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements. In addition, please see the "Risk Factors" described in our Securities and Exchange Commission filings, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2005, for a more detailed description of the risks facing our business. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to SonicWALL as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. All forward-looking statements included in this release are based upon information available to SonicWALL as of the date of the release, and we assume no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement.
NOTE: SonicWALL is a registered trademark of SonicWALL, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
Source: prnewswire
All trademarks and copyrighted information contained herein are the property of their respective owners.
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