Phish on Friday: ePhish on eBay

How long is too long when responding to a phishing threat? eBay is taking a bit of heat for waiting approximately an hour after a fraudster began posting the confidential data on their site.

Yesterday’s ComputerWorld article reports that over 1,200 members had confidential information listed, included credit card numbers. eBay believes that the data was falsified to cause public concern and has contacted all affected users via telephone. According to an eBay spokesperson, the company shuts down more than two-thirds of phishing spoof sites within 24 hours.

Here are a couple points to avoid potential problems:

CUSTOMERS

• Be wary of online activity – be certain that your information is accurate (email, phone etc.) so that companies can reach you if necessary.
• Also be mindful of phishing scams as well as how to avoid falling victim.

VENDORS

• Realize that there is no silver bullet to stop phishing – just be prepared for how to act when it occurs. BUILD A PLAN!
• There are third party organizations that focus on protecting companies against phishing; research and collaborate if you’re not ready to devote internal resources.
• Read best-practices and the latest in the trends to help avoid possible phishing scams.