Microsoft Internet Explorer Address Spoof
Vulnerability
Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser Address Spoof
Vulnerability
This
vulnerability allows malicious coders to create Web
sites that look exactly like legitimate sites, credit
card companies, or online merchants, and 'spoof' the
web addresses. When a user is at one of these sites
and looks in the address section of IE, it will appear
as if they are at that company's site.
Everything from the
https:// to the little yellow padlock at the
bottom of the 'secure' page can appear complete with
the spoofed company's web address or URL (Universal
Resource Locator) in the proper places.
This
means that you can no longer trust what you see in the
address bar, especially if you are clicking on a link
from an e-mail message or from another web site. The
possibilities are endless and very dangerous for the
less technical Internet going public. The opportunity
for identity theft is enormous and you should take
steps to protect yourself.
You
need to test your browser if you are using Internet
Explorer Versions 5.0, 5.5, and 6.0. You can test the
browser by going to:
http://www.secunia.com/internet_explorer_address_bar_spoofing_test/
Because of this latest method of tricking users into
divulging personal and financial information, it is
important that you do not click on any links in e-mail
that supposedly come from your bank, eBay, PayPal,
Amazon.com or any online merchant or financial
institution.
If
you receive what you think is a legitimate e-mail
message from one of your financial or merchant Web
sites, do not click on any link in the e- mail,
especially if it is asking you to update your
information.
Always go to the company's Web site manually by
opening your browser yourself and typing in the actual
address for the company. If the information sent in
the e-mail is legitimate, then you should be able to
access it through the companies Web site when you
sign-in or login to your account.
Information for this posting was obtained from the
following sources:
1)
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=833786
2)
http://www.secunia.com/advisories/10395/
|
