In brief: Microsoft to add anti-phishing tool to MSN toolbar

Microsoft plans to release an add-on to MSN Search Toolbar aimed at protecting Web users from phishing scams. The technology is similar to an anti-phishing tool the company previously said will be available in Internet Explorer, which is not yet in public release.

The phishing filter - which issues a pop-up window warning if a user navigates to a Web site that exhibits behavior typical of phishing sites, and blocks access to currently recognized phishing sites - will be available for Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP with SP2 installed. The technology will be available in test release in a few weeks from addins.msn.com, but Microsoft did not give a more specific time frame for the beta release, or a subsequent production release of the filter.

The technology might eventually end up as a permanent feature of the MSN Search Toolbar, but that has yet to be determined, the company says. Rolling it into MSN Search Toolbar also could help the company win some footing in the search market against rivals Google and Yahoo, the company says.

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Microsoft plans to release an add-on to MSN Search Toolbar aimed at protecting Web users from phishing scams. The technology is similar to an anti-phishing tool the company previously said will be available in Internet Explorer, which is not yet in public release.

The phishing filter - which issues a pop-up window warning if a user navigates to a Web site that exhibits behavior typical of phishing sites, and blocks access to currently recognized phishing sites - will be available for Internet Explorer 6 running on Windows XP with SP2 installed. The technology will be available in test release in a few weeks from addins.msn.com, but Microsoft did not give a more specific time frame for the beta release, or a subsequent production release of the filter.

The technology might eventually end up as a permanent feature of the MSN Search Toolbar, but that has yet to be determined, the company says. Rolling it into MSN Search Toolbar also could help the company win some footing in the search market against rivals Google and Yahoo, the company says.

SecureLogix, a maker of telecom and IP telephony security gear, launched an upgrade to its Enterprise Telephony Management box, adding support for H.323 to the telecom firewall device.

The ETM box, which supports Session Initiation Protocol, ISDN-Primary Rate Interface and analog telephone traffic, can filter and block suspicious H.323 traffic, the vendor says. The box, in its fifth version, is used in front of PBXs or IP PBXs to stop toll fraud, VoIP network hacking and other malicious telephony-related activities.

Read more about security in Network World's Security section.