BuzzBites: When Phishers Go Fishing

When Phishers Go Fishing

do internet phishing scammers take the weekend off? That's one possible conclusion from a report on phishing activity. Symantec found that phishing e-mails drop 31 percent on Saturdays and Sundays. The company also found a significant drop-off in phishing activity in July and August--prime vacation months.

A more plausible explanation is that people tend to use e-mail and the Internet more during the week than weekends. Given that the average life of a phishing Web site is 4.5 days, according to the Anti-Phishing Working Group, scammers are likely to be most active at the same time as potential victims. --Andrew Conry-Murray, [email protected]