Symantec Joins The Anti-Phishing Working Group
Symantec, the global leader in information security, today announced its membership in the Anti-Phishing Working Group, an industry association committed to eliminating phishing scams. As a premium member of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, Symantec will sit on the steering committee and contribute to setting the organization’s operational activities, research emphasis and solutions development focus.
Phishing attacks are a growing Internet threat that use e-mails, pop-ups and fraudulent Web sites to deceive recipients into disclosing personal financial data, such as credit card numbers, bank account information and social security numbers. Phishing scams often appear to come from legitimate e-commerce sites or from consumers’ bank, credit card company, e-mail provider or Internet service provider, and they can lead to identity theft and fraud. A recent survey that Symantec conducted with InSight Express found that 42.5 percent of consumers are very concerned about online fraud, and the majority of respondents have changed the way they use the Internet because of their concerns. About 32 percent of respondents said that they don’t use the Internet for online banking and almost 15 percent of respondents stated that they don’t trust the Internet.
“Statistics from Symantec’s recent consumer online fraud survey underscore the need to stop phishing attacks from spreading and to strengthen consumers’ trust in the Internet,” said Matthew Moynahan, vice president of consumer products and solutions, Symantec Corp. “As a member of the Anti-Phishing Working Group, Symantec is committed to developing solutions to stop phishing, and we are also actively working to educate consumers about how to spot phishing scams and avoid becoming victims of online fraud.”
“Since its inception, the Anti-Phishing Working Group, with the help of its distinguished members, has not only been a source for information about trends related to phishing, but we have also been hard at work researching technologies to help eradicate phishing attacks,” said Peter Cassidy, the Anti-Phishing Working Group’s secretary general. “We are proud and honored to have Symantec join us in this effort, especially given the growing role of worms, viruses, Trojan horses and other Internet threats as a medium for delivering phishing attack payloads. As a trusted name in information security and an industry leader, we are confident that Symantec’s addition to the Anti-Phishing Working Group will help us continue to move forward in our effort to eliminate phishing.”
About Symantec
Symantec is the global leader in information security providing a broad range of software, appliances and services designed to help individuals, small and mid-sized businesses, and large enterprises secure and manage their IT infrastructure. Symantec’s Norton brand of products is the worldwide leader in consumer security and problem-solving solutions. Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in more than 35 countries. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com.
About the Anti-Phishing Working Group
The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) is focused on eliminating the problem of phishing and e-mail spoofing attacks by developing and sharing information about the problem, and promoting the visibility and adoption of industry solutions. Membership in the group is open to qualified financial institutions, corporations, law enforcement agencies, public policy groups and solution vendors.