Security Response

There are several special occasions throughout the year that help to deliver a sense of solidarity and unity among people. Social networking sites have gained popularity by linking people together from different geographic locations; hence, social networking sites promote special occasions because they encourage users to greet one another. In the last couple of months, Symantec has observed phishing websites spoofing Google’s social networking site Orkut. The phishing websites are trying to take advantage of the celebration of special occasions. Keep in mind that these phishing sites do not represent any security issues or failings in the legitimate Google or Orkut sites; phishing sites are created with the purpose of tricking users into giving up personal, secure information.

Legitimate social networking websites promote festivals or special occasions by changing their logo appropriately to reflect the prevailing trend. For example, Google celebrated Earth Day by...