UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA

CSC134 COMPUTER AND INFORMATION PROCESSING

ASSIGNMENT 3

PREPARED BY:

STUDENT ID

Saidatul Nor Athira bt

Shamsul Anuar
: 2013462304

GROUP

: AS120 4A

NAME

PREPARED FOR:
Mdm Siti Nursarjana Malim

SUBMISSION DATE:
17/3/2015

Table of Content:
1

Contents:

Page:

Introduction

Phishing

Pharming

Comparison between Phishing and Pharming

Countering Phishing and Pharming

Conclusion

References

Introduction:

When dealing with technology there are many risks and as a user we need to be prepared
and at least have a bit of knowledge on computers and how dangerous it can be. Even though
technology has many advantages and to be honest technologies are not evil, technologies only
becomes harmful when a specific individual misuse it or uses it for there own gain.

There are many ways for this specific individual to misuse a computer such as implanting
viruses or worst phishing and pharming. Phishing and pharming are ways for these individual to
con another user. They do so just to get personal information about the user and uses it for their
personal gain such as steal money or identity theft.

Therefore as a user we need to know the basics or at least some knowledge on this in
order to protect ourselves if or when this problem ever arises. Therefore we need to know the
differences of phishing and pharming and ways to avoid or countering them, and if we have
established that than, as a user you will feel safer and can actually evade these problems.

Phishing:

Phishing is the attempt to attain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and
credit card details and sometimes, indirectly, money by impersonating as a trustworthy person in
an electronic communication.

Communications claiming to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, banks,
online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure unsuspecting public
or users. Phishing emails may contain links to websites that are infected with malware. Phishing
is typically carried out by email spoofing or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter
details at a fake website which looks and feel like legitimate one.

Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to deceive users, and

manipulates the poor usability of current web security technologies.

Signs you may have receives a Phishing Email:

If you receive an email from a website or company urging you to provide your personal
information, you might be the target of a phishing scam. The tips Ive given should be taken
seriously so you can avoid being taken in phishers. Apart from that, the fraudsters often include
urgent calls to action to try to get you to react immediately. The fraudsters often send
thousands of phishing emails at one time, but they seldom have your name. Be skeptical often
email sent with a generic greeting

Pharming:

Pharming is a form of online fraud very similar to phishing as pharmers rely upon the
same false websites and theft of confidential information. However, where phishing must lure a
user to the website through bait in the form of a phony email or link, pharming re-directs
victims to the false site even if the victim has typed the correct web address. This is often applied
to the websites of banks or e-commerce sites.

While there are several ways to pharm, the primary method stems from an older attack
called DNS cache poisoning in which an attack is made against the Internet naming system that
allows users to enter meaningful names for websites rather than a series of numbers.

The naming system relies upon DNS servers to handle the conversion of the letter-based
website names, which are easily recalled by people into the machine-understandable digits that
whisk users to the website of their choice.

When a pharmer mounts a successful DNS cache poisoning attack, they are effectively
changing the rules of how traffic flows for that portion of the Internet. It is from this practice that
pharmers found their namesake herding large numbers of Internet users to a false site rather
than planting the bait of the phishers.

Comparison between Phishing and Pharming:

Pharming is the hijacking of an official website's address, usually by hacking a Domain

Name System server and altering the legitimate website's IP address so that users who enter the
correct Web address (for example, www.bankersonline.com) are directed instead to a 'knock of'
of the correct page, where user names, passwords and perhaps additional personal information is
collected for later illegal use.

Phishing omits the step of hacking into a DNS server, and instead sends illicit email
messages that appear to come from a legitimate source. The emails attempt to lure the reader into
clicking a link that appears to go to a legitimate web address, but the actual link is to a false,
look-alike site, again designed to trick the user into providing personal information. Phishing and
pharming are two slightly different strategies to the same illicit end.

Countering Phishing and Pharming:

IMPACT

DEFENCES

EMAIL PHISHING
Individuals

General user

awareness
Anti-spam technology
Technical security

training for IT staff

Secure development

PHARMING
Customers of large well-

known businesses
Lost of customer confidence

in corporate brand
Potential corporate liability
A documented and holistic

approach for DNS

Sophisticated technical
security training for senior

practices

IT engineers
Customer training on
methods for detecting web-

site validity
Customer awareness
General security training for
all employees

Conclusion and Suggestion:

In conclusion, as a user we need to be less gullible to all the advertisement or be more

cautious when opening a website and not trust fully any website unless it is recognized by the
authorities. The user should not click on links, download files or open attachments in emails
from unknown senders. It is best to open attachments only when you are expecting them and
know what they contain, even if you know the sender. Protect your computer with a firewall,
anti-virus and anti-spyware software and do some research to ensure that you are getting the
most up-to-date software, and update it regularly to ensure that you are blocked from new viruses
and spyware.

References:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing
http://malaysia.norton.com/cybercrime-pharming
http://www.computereconomics.com/article.cfm?id=1099
http://www.bankersonline.com/technology/guru2006/gurus_tech091806a.html
http://www.identitytheftkiller.com/prevent-phishing-scams.php