• Published: Aug 31, 2005
• Updated: Aug 31, 2005
• Section: Network Security Library :: Web Security
• Author: Gunter Ollmann
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• Rating: 4.7/5 - 6 Votes

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Exploiting well known flaws in DNS services and the way in which host names are resolved to IP addresses, Phishers have upped the ante in the cyber war for control of a customer’s online identity for financial gain. A grouping of attack vectors now referred to as “Pharming”, affects the fundamental way in which a customer’s computer locates and connects to an organisations online offering. Enabling the Pharmer to reach wider audiences with less probability of detection than their Phishing counterparts, pharming attacks are capable of defeating many of the latest defensive strategies used customer and online retailer alike. This paper, extending the original material of “The Phishing Guide”, examines in depth the workings of the name services of which Internet-based customers are dependant upon, and how they can be exploited by Pharmers to conduct identity theft and financial fraud on a massive scale.

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