FBI warns users to be wary of phishing sites abusing HTTPS
This week the FBI issued a warning that too many web users view the padlock symbol and the ‘S’ on the end of HTTP as a guarantee that a site is trustworthy.
The alert notes that phishing attackers are more frequently incorporating website certificates – third-party verification that a site is secure – when they send potential victims emails that imitate trustworthy companies or email contacts.
People can carry out additional checks for trustworthiness, beyond looking for a padlock, such as checking for poor grammar, punctuation and spelling, or odd requests for information (such as your mother’s maiden name).
Duncan is a technology professional with over 20 years experience of working in various IT roles. He has a interest in cyber security, and has a wide range of other skills in radio, electronics and telecommunications.