What is Pharming?

Pharming is the practice of redirecting internet traffic from a legitimate web site to a fradulent one. This redirection is done without the knowledge and consent of the computer owner.

There are two ways that a pharming attack can happen. First, a victim's computer can be infected by a worm, trojan horse or virus program that modifies your host files on your computer. Your browser is then tricked into thinking it's going to the right website. Even if you type the correct address into your web browser, the compromised host files will send you to the fradulent web site.

The second way a pharming attack can take place is through DNS Poisoning. DNS stands for domain name server. Each web site has a corresponding DNS entry. The DNS entry translates the web site name into numbers. A cyber criminal can "poison" or change the DNS entry for a web site of a bank, retail store, etc. The cyber criminal steals the user names and passwords for their own use.

How can I stop a pharming attack?

There are a few things you can do to protect yourself from a pharming attack.

Check the security certificate for each web site you visit. Make sure the name on the certificate is the same as the company.
Use "https" when you access a secure web site such as an online banking site.
Use a good anti-virus program. Keep your updates current, and run a full system scan on a regular basis.
Use a good anti-spyware program. Keep the definitions up to date and run a full system scan on a regular basis.
Keep your windows security patches up to date. Make sure you have your security settings to automatically download and install windows patches.
Use the most recent version of your internet browser.
Use a good personal firewall. We recommend that you use an alternative to the built in Windows XP firewall because it is controlled through the windows registry. There are programs that can get on your computer that will corrupt your registry settings to compromise the firewall.

You can protect yourself from a pharming attack by following the steps noted above. Cyber criminals are getting more daring and more sophisticated so make sure you keep yourself and your computer protected using this advice.