![\"monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-still2\"](\"http:\/\/hidefideas.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/monty-python-and-the-holy-grail-still2.jpg\")
\n<\/strong> Fans of the venerable Monty Python and the Holy Grail <\/em>will undoubtedly remember the classic scene at the Bridge of Death, when the bridgekeeper confronts the knights of Camelot with three questions each. Brave Sir Galahad, of course, can\u2019t get it straight when the old man asks him, \u201cWhat is your favorite color?\u201d Sir Galahad answers, \u201cBlue\u2026no! Yelloooooww!\u201d and is surreptitiously tossed into the Chasm of Death. Funny stuff, right? Not so funny is the current state of phishing \u2013 similar to Sir Galahad, the IT industry can\u2019t seem to get it right when it comes to the financial impact of phishing, and this week, we call them out for it.<\/p>\n
We all know that somewhere, somehow, spam sucks-in someone for some serious shekels (bet you can\u2019t guess that I\u2019m a fan of alliteration!). It\u2019s been a sad fact of life in the modern era for as long as email has been around. As you read this, some poor, unsuspecting schmuck who doesn\u2019t understand technology enough is about to click a link that represents the gateway to financial doom and destitution; and before you don your fluffy bunny (or, in my case, Spiderman) pajamas tonight, drink your glass of warm milk (or pop an Ambien) and tuck yourself into your feather (race car) bed, an inconceivable host of na\u00efve web surfers will have somehow compromised their safety, all from the perceived safety of the walls of their own homes.<\/p>\n
But is that host of patsies innumerable? Some might think so, but just how far off are the estimates of the untold wealth being bilked from honest citizens? How much money are the creeps who phish really getting away with?<\/p>\n
\u201cI Don\u2019t Get It, and I Don\u2019t Care\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\nAn eye-opening article<\/a> by Terry Zink uncovers some uncomfortable truths about the understanding that we have of this modern-day plague, and it brings to bear an accusatory finger which points squarely at the heart of the problem. It ain\u2019t pretty, either, because the true criminal in the ongoing war is apathy. Zink points out that the huge black eye<\/a> suffered this week by UBS is an example of how law enforcement excels at bringing down white collar criminals; but the other \u2018white collar criminals\u2019 \u2013 spammers and phishers \u2013 go largely unidentified and unprosecuted. Zink points out that \u201cphishers and scammers get away with it because they can: nobody goes after them, and when they do it is extremely rare.\u201d<\/p>\n\u201cI Can Tell You, but You Won\u2019t Like It\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\nHe backs it up with some pretty compelling evidence, too. According to multiple, reliable sources, the financial impact of phishing scams looks like a shopping list made by someone with Multiple Personality Disorder:<\/p>\n
\n- $3.2 billion in 2007 according<\/a> to Gartner<\/li>\n
- $137 million in 2004 according<\/a> to TRUSTean<\/li>\n
- $60 million in 2008 according<\/a> to Microsoft<\/li>\n
- $500 million in 2004 according<\/a> to the Ponemon Institute<\/li>\n
- Not even in the top 5 threats according<\/a> to Paypal<\/li>\n
- $100 million in losses according<\/a> to the FBI<\/li>\n
- $250 million per year over the past couple of years according<\/a> to Consumer Reports<\/li>\n
- $2.3 million per one million customers of banks according<\/a> to Trusteer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As Zink points out, the disparity between these numbers is not only glaring, in fact it\u2019s downright distressing. That no one really understands how big this problem is, is in fact the only takeaway from these numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet Your Act Together\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\nZink considers that no one has really conducted a good study of the financial impact of phishing scams, and while that may be true, there are also other considerations. Some people who get scammed never report it, perhaps because they\u2019re too embarrassed to tell anyone. Corporations normally remain tight-lipped when they\u2019ve been successfully scammed, because that kind of news breeds investor and consumer apprehension. But the malaise which threatens us every day from within the confines of our inboxes grows like a festering wound, and the only way to combat it is to find some sort of solidarity amongst those of us who wish to stamp out the insects.<\/p>\n
In short, if we don\u2019t want to be tossed into the Chasm of Death, then we had better get our act together and come up with a response that will ensure our safe passage. That\u2019s why this week, I\u2019m calling out those groups above, and others not listed in that group (beginning but not ending with law enforcement), who can\u2019t seem to get their story straight and don’t seem motivated to understand what we’re up against. Fix the problem, or remain part of it.<\/p>\n
Now, for an Ambien and a good night\u2019s sleep in my race car.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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\u201cI Can Tell You, but You Won\u2019t Like It\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\nHe backs it up with some pretty compelling evidence, too. According to multiple, reliable sources, the financial impact of phishing scams looks like a shopping list made by someone with Multiple Personality Disorder:<\/p>\n
\n- $3.2 billion in 2007 according<\/a> to Gartner<\/li>\n
- $137 million in 2004 according<\/a> to TRUSTean<\/li>\n
- $60 million in 2008 according<\/a> to Microsoft<\/li>\n
- $500 million in 2004 according<\/a> to the Ponemon Institute<\/li>\n
- Not even in the top 5 threats according<\/a> to Paypal<\/li>\n
- $100 million in losses according<\/a> to the FBI<\/li>\n
- $250 million per year over the past couple of years according<\/a> to Consumer Reports<\/li>\n
- $2.3 million per one million customers of banks according<\/a> to Trusteer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
As Zink points out, the disparity between these numbers is not only glaring, in fact it\u2019s downright distressing. That no one really understands how big this problem is, is in fact the only takeaway from these numbers.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet Your Act Together\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\nZink considers that no one has really conducted a good study of the financial impact of phishing scams, and while that may be true, there are also other considerations. Some people who get scammed never report it, perhaps because they\u2019re too embarrassed to tell anyone. Corporations normally remain tight-lipped when they\u2019ve been successfully scammed, because that kind of news breeds investor and consumer apprehension. But the malaise which threatens us every day from within the confines of our inboxes grows like a festering wound, and the only way to combat it is to find some sort of solidarity amongst those of us who wish to stamp out the insects.<\/p>\n
In short, if we don\u2019t want to be tossed into the Chasm of Death, then we had better get our act together and come up with a response that will ensure our safe passage. That\u2019s why this week, I\u2019m calling out those groups above, and others not listed in that group (beginning but not ending with law enforcement), who can\u2019t seem to get their story straight and don’t seem motivated to understand what we’re up against. Fix the problem, or remain part of it.<\/p>\n
Now, for an Ambien and a good night\u2019s sleep in my race car.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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As Zink points out, the disparity between these numbers is not only glaring, in fact it\u2019s downright distressing. That no one really understands how big this problem is, is in fact the only takeaway from these numbers.<\/p>\n