Getting a Hook on Phishing

Despite increased user awareness, phishing activities represent a serious threat to information security. Phishing sites are increasingly sophisticated and continue to defraud users. Computing professionals need to know how phishing works. This paper presents a series of laboratory exercises to educate future computing professionals about the mechanics of phishing attacks. These laboratories teach students how an email “from ” address can be spoofed, how phishing emails can lure their victims, and how easy it is to produce a fraudulent web site and a phishing email. This paper discusses how future computing professionals can minimize phishing vulnerabilities.