New Phishing Tactic Uses Real URLs, Fake Pages

The Internet Patrol default featured image
Share the knowledge

A new phishing tactic discovered by Internet security company SurfControl allows the phisher to take advantage of a weakness in a targeted company’s website, permitting them to use the company’s real URL, while serving up bogus look-alike content.

According to Susan Larson of SurfControl, “This is definitely one of the most sophisticated phishing techniques we have ever seen. Up until now, an informed computer user stood a chance or being able to identify a suspicious URL if they were wary. This new technique demonstrates how computer criminals are engaged in a constantly evolving series of increasingly sophisticated efforts to defraud the public.”

The way that it works is that the phisher exploits a flaw in the search script native to the targeted site. This allows them to display their own content as a search result, thus leaving the legitimate URL intact in the address bar. Non-legitimate URLs are one of the ways that intended victims of phishers have typically been able to identify a potential scam before being taken in by it.

Get New Internet Patrol Articles by Email!

The Internet Patrol is completely free, and reader-supported. Your tips via CashApp, Venmo, or Paypal are appreciated! Receipts will come from ISIPP.

CashApp us Square Cash app link

Venmo us Venmo link

Paypal us Paypal link

 


Share the knowledge

5 thoughts on “New Phishing Tactic Uses Real URLs, Fake Pages

  1. Well I thought it was just me and my antique IE 5.0 on Windows 98, but now I see other people have the same problem: this site is unreadable! Why does it have a horizontal scrollbar in this column with plenty of unused space on the right hand side of the screen?

  2. Your right hand column covers most of the left. So I am unable to read this article or even be sure of what I am typing right now. Let’s go back to frames!

    I am using SlimBrowser v4.02 build 004.

  3. i’m trying to subscribe to your newsletter the box link is dead please subsribe me

    THanks

  4. Dear Aunty Spam- this big orange box to the right
    covers part of your articles and it can’t be
    read. It would be nice to be able to read ALL your
    comments.
    Thanks

  5. Aunty Spam- this big orange box on the right
    covers part of the words in your articles.
    It would be nice to be able to read the whole
    thing.
    Thanks

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.