One Time PasswordsPhishing and Spoofing? It's all about identity theft.
Phishing is a variation on "fishing," the idea being that bait is thrown out with the hope that someone will be tempted into biting. It is a criminal activity whereby phishers attempt to fraudulently acquire confidential information such as usernames, passwords or credit card details. They masquerade themselves as an established legitimate enterprise and scam you into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.
Usually phishers use e-mail communication whereby you are directed to a website to update personal information such as your credit card information, social security data and bank account numbers. The bogus website looks exactly like the one from the enterprise the phisher claims to be. The attacker gains unauthorized access to your computer or network by making it appear that the malicious message comes from a trusted entity. This technique is called spoofing.
Say "NO" to phishing with VASCO's Digipass
Authentication is the key principle against phishing attacks. Authentication enables the server or user to verify the digital identity of the sender. In other words, it allows you to be sure that the user effectively is who he claims to be. There are 3 main authentication categories:
- something only you know: a PIN-code or password
- something only you have: a token or an identity card
- something only you are: retina scan or fingerprint identification (biometrics)
Often two or more of these categories are combined, thus enhancing security.
VASCO's Digipassline provides you with a secure and strong authentication solution protecting you against various kinds of attacks.