Phishing

Phishing (say fishing) is the act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft.

The e-mail, normally disguised under the legitimate company’s banner and logo, directs the user to visit a bogus website where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, bank account numbers etc that the legitimate company already has.

Keyloggiing

Keystroke logging or keylogging is the act of using a software to record all the keystrokes a person makes, which application he opens and which website he visits. Very often, the process is so fast that the user doesn’t even know that they have downloaded something extra and nasty.

To neutralize the threat, a good and up-to-date anti-virus software and a firewall are required. The anti-virus software screens viruses in your incoming mail and stops them in their tracks. A firewall filters hidden programs that do unauthorized things while you surf and also prevents your computer sending out information without your permission.

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