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Broadband users warned against 'drive by pharming'
22/02/2007 – Broadband internet users are potentially at risk from a new form of identity theft that preys on curious web users. The attack, known as "drive-by pharming" could affect up to 50 per cent of broadband users.Drive by pharming works by directing a web surfer to a rogue website that affects the users' router and gets it to re-direct them to a new server controlled by criminals. The next time the user logs onto their bank account the criminal server will direct them to fake replica site allowing the criminals to gain their passwords and account details.
Not all broadband routers are susceptible to drive-by pharming as they use different systems but experts believe at least half of wireless routers will be vulnerable.
Dr Zulfikar Ramzan, from the software company Symantec, told the American Association for the Advancement of Science that the people behind the attacks prey on users' curiosity. "The attacker will try to get you to go to his website. It might be a new video of Britney Spears with her bald head; gossip, celebrity pictures, or pornography. All you have to do is look at it. They say curiosity killed the cat; now it may also kill your bank account," he said.
Experts advise that the best way to guard against drive-by pharming is to change the default password on the router. This is because the attackers use a JavaScript code to manipulate the settings of broadband routers, the device that provides the link with the server, in order to redirect users to the fake sites.
Dr Ramzan said that they were looking for a way to prevent the attacks but it was proving difficult. "We're literally working night and day to find ways of defending against these threats. You have to keep one step ahead and be able to react quickly. But the problem is how to prevent it being triggered by legitimate activity," he advised.
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Published Date: 2007-03-07 14:56:15Subscribe to our RSS News feed:
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