Lycos launched a co-branded anti-phishing toolbar for consumers yesterday, making it the latest search engine to alert consumers about phishing and identity theft while they are surfing online.
Lycos and iS3 Inc., which makes anti-spyware solution STOPzilla, said they are launching a co-branded Lycos “securitybar” that consumers can download for free.
“We get calls from people all the time [on phishing sites]. Now, you can automatically report a site that is phishing,” said Ed Noel, senior director of business development, Lycos.
The securitybar bases alerts on a list of known phishing sites from the Anti-Phishing Working Group as well as several other indicators.
The toolbar also uses spyware protection, a “secure search” feature that erases users’ search history and an ID Theft Prevention Package.
Microsoft recently added a Phishing Filter to the MSN Live toolbar beta, and the filter will be included in Internet Explorer 7. The opt-in Phishing Filter, an “early warning system” that operates in the background of Microsoft’s browser, notifies people of suspicious Web sites that could be engaging in identity and data theft.
Google also has a feature-Google Safe Browsing-in its Google Toolbar for Firefox, which alerts consumers if a Web page appears to be asking for personal or financial information under false pretenses.
