Microsoft IE7’s phishing false alarms
The Redmont-based software giant is reported to have initiated 129 lawsuits in Europe and the Middle East in its effort to help law enforcement curb phishing. That’s very good of Microsoft, playing a very nobel role as a corporate citizen. For those who are not yet aware, Microsoft had launched a Global Phishing Enforcement Initiative in March, as part of its effort to combat phishing, an online trick that has mushroomed over the last few years, with the number of attempts to dupe citizens into handing over their bank account details almost doubling in the first half of 2006 to 157,000, according to a recent report from security software vendor Symantec.
On another front, the latest IE7 browser by Microsoft also incorporates an anti-phishing feature which gives out warning to users of a potential phishing website. But the anti-phishing feature has contributed to a somewhat negative effect when it wrongly flags legitimate websites as suspected phising sites. Reports have been submitted by the website owners to Microsoft but I wonder if there were responses by Microsoft on the false alarms. I was just wondering, would Microsoft be liable for phishing false alarms? Anyone want to test the water?
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While fighting phishing scam is great, the IE7 anti-phishing tool is not smart enough (yet?) to tell which ones are real, which ones are not.
I’m one of those victims of the false alarm, and I’m not happy at all that it has affected my business in a way. One of my customers has asked me question about the phishing statement that he saw on the page, and I’m not sure how many more potential clients I’ve lost due to this false warning alone.
Open IE7 and just look at http://www.RahsiaMLM.com and you’ll see the phishing statement in your browser. (still there as of today).
I sent a report to Microsoft by clicking “Report The Website” but until now, I’ve no clue what has happened to my cry for help.
Zamri Nanyan
on November 30, 2006 at 12:04 PM - LINKLike Zamri my website is a victim of this false reporting, and it is very widespread, in fact discussions for a class action suit against Microsft is underway. This is terrible for legitimate websites, to be labelled as phishing, it is like calling an honest businessman or blogger a criminal.
This software is junk and imperfect to the point of uselessness. Not only that, Microsofts’ “report a phishing site” reminds me of reporting Communists during the McCarthy, or witches at Salem, in that they must not check for themselves.
on January 25, 2007 at 05:09 AM - LINK