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McAfee SpamKiller Team Tracks Latest Email Scams
SecurityProNews
Staff Writer
2004-09-29
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McAfee unveiled the latest version of its market-leading consumer spam prevention service, McAfee SpamKiller.
The new version, now available on the Company's website, includes enhanced spam and scam filters that specifically address phishing scams and malicious spam that can lead to identity theft. McAfee has also implemented a dedicated, global McAfee SpamKiller team to track the latest email scams and distribute updates once a new threat is discovered and analyzed.
McAfee SpamKiller uses a multi-layered filtering engine to help keep inboxes clean and free of spam and scams and helps filter out unwanted spam email, thereby increasing the likelihood that users receive only the email that they want in their inboxes. With unsolicited, fraudulent and malicious emails being distributed in record numbers, spam protection is an essential component of a layered security strategy.
One type of email threat that is steadily gaining ground among home users is the "phishing scam," defined as a fraudulent email often disguised as a notification from a respected brand that entices recipients into providing personal or financial information. Some analysts are reporting that nearly two million Americans have given personal information to phishing scams, and over one million more may have fallen victim to phishing scams without realizing it.
"It is well reported that more than 90 percent of all phishing attacks happened within the last year alone, which tells us that home users need to be more educated and aware of what these scams are and how they can protect themselves and their families against this growing threat," said Bill Kerrigan, senior vice president of McAfee Consumer. "Our goal for this latest release of McAfee SpamKiller was to improve the filtering success rate and increase our anti-phishing capabilities to deliver a product that will maintain the reputation of being the most robust and effective spam prevention product on the market."
Due to the rapid growth and consumer threat risk associated with phishing scams, McAfee will be incorporating new phishing scam scanning and detection, commonly referred to in the industry as "anti-phishing rules," into its regularly published rule set updates. These updates will be automatically released early next month for customers using McAfee SpamKiller and will target certain phishing-specific characteristics. Additionally, McAfee recently joined the Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG), an industry association focused on eliminating the identity theft and fraud that results from the growing problem of phishing and email spoofing.
For the new release, McAfee also conducted an extensive review of all McAfee SpamKiller filters to ensure that home users receive first-rate filtering technology. The product filters spam using Bayesian technology, which learns from the user what types of emails it should block and allow, helping to ensure that users are receiving the email they want. A new "rescue email" function allows McAfee SpamKiller users to rescue all past emails from any particular sender in one click, saving the user time and effort. This feature also allows the user to add that sender to a "friends list."
About the Author:
SecurityProNews is a daily online and email publication focusing on internet security issues.
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