| If you operate an online business, but have never | | | | some anti virus software companies that are able to |
| heard of the term "pharming", you'll want to read this | | | | detect some of these sites, but not all. As an individual |
| article as I'll show you what it is, how it can impact your | | | | user, the best advice for avoiding falling victim to a |
| business and how to help avoid these malicious | | | | pharming attack include: |
| attacks. | | | | 1. Keep your firewall updated and in operation at all |
| Pharming attacks take place when a hacker has | | | | times. |
| poisoned your DNS servers via a virus of some type | | | | 2. Be sure your anti virus software is up to date in in |
| and redirects visitors to your site to another site. Your | | | | operation at all times. |
| customers still think it's your site because the domain | | | | 3. Be sure to subscribe to automatic updates from |
| name remains the same in their browser. When your | | | | your OS provider. This way, any and all security |
| customer decides to make a purchase and enters | | | | patches will be installed on a regular basis. |
| their information into the order form, the hacker grabs it | | | | As a business owner, protecting your site from a |
| and cleans out their credit card or bank account. | | | | pharming attack isn't all that easy to be honest. At this |
| The two most common ways for hackers to get the | | | | point in time, there is no sure fire method for stopping |
| virus onto your server is by sending you an email and | | | | them from happening to you. The best defense is to |
| by a hacker is able to alter your DNS causing your | | | | contact your hosting company to make sure that the |
| domain to be redirected to a bogus domain when | | | | servers your site are running on are up to date with |
| anyone types in your URL. The second method is far | | | | the latest DNS software and that all security patches |
| more damaging because it can impact a much larger | | | | are installed. With most of the major hosting |
| number of visitors. This can be an especially expensive | | | | companies, this is standard operating procedure, but it |
| problem to resolve once you are hit by a pharming | | | | only makes good sense to verify this with them. |
| attack. | | | | If you are running off of your own in house server, be |
| Unfortunately, there is no standard way for visitors to | | | | sure that the person who is handling this part of the |
| know for sure they are visiting a legitimate site or a | | | | business for you has done the same thing. |
| fake site. There are programs that are in place by | | | | |