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Broadband security expert advises on 'screen scraping'
Thursday 26th November 2009, by Daniel King
Consumers have been advised to be wary of the growing trend of 'screen scraping' on the internet.
While more Britons become increasingly aware of the need to be security-savvy when using the internet, it has been suggested that online criminals are also becoming increasingly sophisticated in their methods.
In particular, some online retailers - as well as the owners of various other sites - are still leaving themselves vulnerable to screen-scraping, where criminals copy the contents of a site and use it to set up their own fraudulent version.
Not only does such a practice place commercial operators at risk of having their intellectual property stolen, but it can also place consumers at risk from fraud and ID theft.
Tony Neate, managing director of Get Safe Online, explained: "They have the ability to steal data from your website, or even impersonate you.
"You need to make sure you've got sufficient advice and software protection to make sure that sort of thing doesn't happen to you."
At the same time, however, consumers safety is becoming an increasingly pressing concern for commercial website owners, with growing numbers signing up to Get Safe Online, the internet security awareness campaign established by the government and the Serious Organised Crime Agency in partnership with private sector sponsors five years ago.
Just this week the online trading community website Gumtree announced that it has become the latest sponsor of the initiative.
The site joins the likes of HSBC, PayPal and Microsoft in backing the campaign and has launched its new Gummies Guide to help its users to trade safely.
Categories: Broadband, Internet Security
