Combating ID Theft on the Internet

Identity theft from phishing and pharming attacks is one of the biggest problems computer users face. It can take ID theft victims four or five years to repair the damage, according to financial consultants. "The most prevalent ID theft threat is the phishing attack, and it is getting worse. Attacks are larger and are more frequent," Peter Schlampp, senior director of product management for Internet security firm IronPort Systems, told TechNewsWorld. "From our view, the major security hole is the anonymous nature of the e-mail protocol."