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Do you feel smug? That would be a mistake.
 technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

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Is your Mac completely safe? Not with phishy Web sites around


Nov. 16, 2005


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2005, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2005, The Post-Standard

   Like many other "crossover" families, we have both Macs and Windows PCs at home. The Windows computers are used for only two functions, playing Windows games and testing Windows software.Ê
   Everything else is done on our Macs. We have multiple Macs, also like many of you. I have a G4 with dual internal drives and maxed-out RAM, along with a current-model iBook, and my wife has an iMac with a gorgeous 20-inch wide-screen display.
   Mac OS X computers are so much safer than Windows PCs that we wouldn't dare go out onto the Internet on any of our Windows computers. (In one of my tests, in fact, one of my Windows PCs was overcome by spyware the first time I connected it to the Internet. I hadn't done anything except to run Internet Explorer, which showed the built-in home page. It took only a few minutes to be infected. And, yes, I have a firewall.)
   The level of safety we enjoy with our Macs might make us feel justifiably smug. But that would be a mistake.
   Macs are not immune to phishing attempts. They're just as likely as Windows PCs to suffer from the "Nut Behind the Wheel" syndrome, too. And they won't protect you from identity theft.
   Let me explain.
   When you see a Web address on a Web page or in an e-mail, you're probably not reading the actual Web address. You're seeing the link text -- the human-friendly part of the HTML code. The actual address might be an insufferably long string of words and characters, but the Web designer (or the person who wrote the email) might be trying to do you a favor by creating link text that is short and memorable.
   As an example, the address of a Web site you might want to go to for instruction on how to use something might not be easy to remember, so the Web designer might create link text that says simply, "Click here for help."
   You might be able to see where this is heading. Someone who is trying to fool you could create a link that goes to "stealyourmoney.com" while creating a link text that says "microsoft.com/update." That's phishing -- faking the real address in order to get you to click on a link.
   Why does that matter? Because you and your Mac can give away your secrets if you go to a Web site set up by phishers. Phishing sites -- the ones that hide behind innocent names -- can track visitors using various methods. They can coax you to type personal information, too.
   So be careful. Having a Mac isn't a ticket to Internet heaven. It's a safer way to do things, that's all. You have to add a heaping spoonful of caution.