Pasadena, California (PRWEB) May 2, 2006 – PhishGuard Corporation (http://www.phishguard.com) has released a free version of their anti-phishing service that protects users of the popular Firefox open source browser from phishing attacks. PhishGuard™ for Firefox utilizes the collective observations of Internet users plus a very rapid submission and update system to short-circuit new scams.

According to Donald McLennan, founder and co-president of PhishGuard Corporation,  “Firefox is a significant and growing force in the browser market. PhishGuard is pleased to offer the same level of protection to Firefox users that our Internet Explorer users have relied on for the past year and a half.”

Phishing attacks use fraudulent email messages and websites that mimic well-known organizations. Their goal is to trick unsuspecting Internet users into revealing personal or financial information such as credit card numbers, bank accounts, passwords, and social security numbers. This style of attack is very difficult for the typical person to detect, as the scammer’s email and website utilize the exact style and graphics of the spoofed company, and appear genuine. Sensitive information unwittingly disclosed to phishers is used to execute fraudulent financial transactions and to enable long-term identity theft.

PhishGuard for Firefox is a simple, free software service. PhishGuard utilizes the collective observations of Internet users plus a centralized reporting and updating system. This minimizes the chance that any phishing scam can “slip through the cracks” and blindside an unsuspecting Internet user.

Anyone discovering a phishing scam submits the offending email or website to PhishGuard for validation. Within minutes, the PhishGuard monitoring team verifies the scam and adds it to the ScamBase™ database of fraudulent websites. Updates to the database are rapidly distributed to every participating computer, immunizing them against the newly discovered scam.

Attempts to open the phishing website are immediately blocked by the PhishGuard software, preventing Internet users from divulging confidential information to the scammers. PhishGuard for Firefox is free and is now available for download at http://www.phishguard.com.

Open source Mozilla Firefox has been downloaded more than 100 million times and features exceptional security, tabbed browsing, blazingly fast page loads, and extensive customizability. Firefox can be downloaded for free at http://www.mozilla.com/firefox.

About PhishGuard Corporation

PhishGuard Corporation is a privately held, leading provider of anti-phishing security solutions, with corporate offices in Pasadena, California and data centers in California, Texas, and Florida.

PhishGuard, ScamBase, and ‘Neighborhood Watch for the Internet’ are trademarks of PhishGuard Corporation, all rights reserved.

Contact Information

Cyndia Zumpft
PhishGuard Corporation
Tel: 1-626-396-9400 ext 107
http://www.phishguard.com

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