Spear phishing is latest form of ID threat

August 11, 2010 – 11:11 am

Most people have heard about phishing, the practice of using fraudulent e-mails to gain access to personal information for the purpose of identity theft. But like anything else in life, occasional updates are needed. Spear phishing is just such an update.

The term phishing comes from the way criminals “cast” in order to steal your information – they cast a wide net, using a lot of “bait,” in the form of fraudulent e-mails, and wait to see who bites. Spear phishing is much more targeted.

Spear phishing targets individuals, rather than a mass group of people, like phishing. Spear phishing e-mails usually contain personal information such as a name or some tidbit about employment. They are unique, not like the mass e-mails commonly used in phishing.

Spear phishing works like this: an e-mail is received that includes a link to a fake Web site that requests personal information. It looks legitimate. When the recipient clicks through to the link, he’s taken to a page on the Web that also look legitimate. The e-mail could also contain a downloadable file, which appears to come from an employer or some other legitimate source. Once it’s downloaded, however, it can collect you personal information and transmit it to a thief.

Spear phishing is particularly disturbing because it requires the thief to spend extra time researching the victims. Criminals would have to spend the time and effort to gain access to enough information to make you believe the spear phishing e-mail is real.

There’s no guarantee that you can protect yourself from a spear phishing attack. Criminals who use this tactic are very crafty, and know how to create Web sites and e-mails that look so real they even fool the experts.

But there is good news. It seems apparent that currently, the targets for this type of e-mail are corporate. But that’s no reason to let your guard down.

Don’t take any chances. If you receive an e-mail that seems “phishy,” scan it for viruses and keep a close watch on your credit reports. The extra effort an be well worth it – if it protects your personal information and your good name.

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