Checking URLs using the databases of suspicious and phishing addresses
Web Anti-Virus can scan HTTP traffic for viruses and also check URLs to make sure they are not present in the lists of suspicious or phishing web addresses.
Checking the links if they are included in the list of phishing addresses allows avoiding phishing attacks, which look like email messages from would-be financial institutions and contain links to the websites of these organizations. The message text convinces the reader to click the link and enter confidential information in the window that follows, for example, a credit card number or a login and password for an Internet banking site where financial operations may be carried out. A phishing attack can be disguised, for example, as a letter from your bank with a link to its official website. By clicking the link, you go to an exact copy of the bank’s website and can even see the real address in the browser, even though you are actually on a counterfeit site. From this point forward, all your actions on the site are tracked and can be used to steal your money.
The lists of phishing URLs are included with the Kaspersky Anti-Virus delivery set. Since links to phishing web sites may be received not only in email, but also from other sources, such as ICQ messages, Web Anti-Virus monitors attempts to access a phishing web site on the level of HTTP traffic and blocks access to such locations.
To configure Web Anti-Virus to check URLs against the databases of suspicious and phishing web addresses, perform the following steps:
- Open the application settings window.
- In the left part of the window, in the Protection Center section, select the Web Anti-Virus component.
- Click the button in the right part of the window.
The Web Anti-Virus window opens.
- In the Scan methods section of the General tab, make sure that the boxes Check if URLs are listed in the database of suspicious URLs and are selected.