making it more secure 
 
October 9th, 2007 by Eimear Buckley

The number of phishing emails sent out each month is continuously increasing, and with it is the quality of the contents of the emails purporting to be from a bank.

The phishing email below, is not the usual text of “a security upgrade has been preformed and you need to confirm your account details” or asking you to login, this is coming from a different angle that initially you would not think that it is phishing for your details. This is inquiring if you might require a loan, and the email provides plenty of relevant information with regard to this Small Firm Loan.

It is not until to click on the link to find out more information, that it redirects you to site in France that requires you to log in with your account details.


Lloyds TSB online for business - Online Notification of New Legal Notices

Dear Customer:

Have a workable business proposal but lack security?

The Small Firms Loan Guarantee (SFLG) enables small businesses with a
workable business proposal, but lacking security, to borrow money from
approved lenders.

Small Firms Loan Guarantee features & benefits

To help get your business off the ground you may need an injection of
capital or cash to help grow your business once its established. For
instance, you may want to buy or update equipment, move to bigger premises
or expand your operation into new markets. In cases like this conventional
finance sources, such as a business loan or overdraft, are not always
available because your business may be too young to qualify, or you cant
offer normal security.

If your business is under 5 years old and your turnover is not more than
£5.6million, you may be eligible for funding under Small Firms Loan
Guarantee. This is a tool that allows businesses to raise finance, through
Lloyds TSB, with 75% of the loans value guaranteed by the Government via the
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

[1]http://www.lloydstsbbusiness.com/finance/smallfirmsloanguarantee.asp

Borrow flexible lump sums: from £5,000 to £250,000

Spread repayments over two to ten years.

Variable or fixed rate interest terms are available depending on your
circumstances.

An early repayment charge is payable if you close a fixed rate loan early.

Apply for a capital repayment holiday up to a maximum of two years.

Flexible draw down arrangements (where total loan is over £25,000).

Tell us about your plans and needs, and we will then agree the interest rate
with you and let you know whether we need any security. As well as the
interest, you will pay an arrangement fee, plus a Government premium of 2
percent a year on the outstanding balance of your loan.

Any property given as security, which may include your home, may be
repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or other debts
secured on it. All loans are subject to status and we will need your
permission to carry out a credit check on you and your business. You should
not apply for an amount that you cannot comfortably afford to repay.

Alternative finance solutions

[2]Business overdraft

Commercial mortgage

[3]Business loans

Further information

For more information on the Small Firms Loan Guarantee please visit the
[4]DTI website

Lloyds TSB Bank plc and Lloyds TSB Scotland plc are authorised and regulated
by the Financial Services Authority and signatories to the Banking Codes.
FSA authorisation can be checked on the FSA’s Register at:
[5]www.fsa.gov.uk/register. Lloyds TSB Bank plc and Lloyds TSB Scotland plc
are members of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and the Financial
Ombudsman Service. Lloyds TSB Group plc.

September 27th, 2007 by Eimear Buckley

With the recent crisis of Northern Rock, customers of banks are in a general state of nervousness, wondering what bank will be next ? Generally, do they have to worry about where they have invested their money.

As customers may be in state of panic regarding their funds they may be prepared to do things they might not do otherwise to ensure their money is secure.

Over the last two weeks we have seen phishing emails playing on this fear by including statements “to assure you that your accounts and your assets are safe with us” and making all efforts to comply with the “requirements of the United Kingdom Financial Services Authority (FSA) “.

As of yet, we have not seen any phishing emails supposedly originating from Northern Rock, this email purports to be from HSBC Bank.

See below for the text of the phishing email.

Every week, we see the quality of the phishing email text and grammar improving, making phishing emails more believable
The email itself, is extremely well written and does not contain the usual spelling mistakes, making it harder for the readers to distinguish what is real and what is not.


AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO HSBC CUSTOMERS
Dear HSBC Bank Plc customer
I want to assure you that your accounts and your assets are safe with us,
and that we put the utmost value on our relationship with you.
As part of our efforts to meet the requirements of the United Kingdom
Financial Services Authority (FSA), we now ask all HSBC users to verify
their account information. It's a smart and simple way to add an additional
level of protection to your account.
Here's How it works :
* [1]Click here to securely log on.
* Complete our quick and simple form.
* Continue with your account session.

We may periodically ask you to provide information in HSBC Online as a quick identity check. That way, when you drop in to do business, we’ll know it’s you.

Thank you for your continued patronage.
Jarrett Lilien
Jarrett Lilien
President, COO and Director, HSBC Bank Plc

Issued for UK use only | © HSBC Bank plc 2002-2007

September 27th, 2007 by Matthew Hall

Ending our Top-Ten is the most often overlooked hole in your security - people like you

1. Ignoring the human element of security
More »»»

September 21st, 2007 by Matthew Hall

The second worst security mistake - thinking about it last

2. Viewing security as an add-on
More »»»

September 13th, 2007 by Matthew Hall

The third worst security mistake - not defining what period of time temporary is

3. Temporary changes that turn out to be permanent
More »»»

September 6th, 2007 by Matthew Hall

Counting our way down the top five security mistakes, we challenge retail therapy

4. Relying upon security products or following the latest vendor-led trends.
More »»»

August 31st, 2007 by Matthew Hall

Entering our top five, how trustworthy is your trusted third-party?

5. Assuming that trusted partners aren’t a threat
More »»»

August 25th, 2007 by Matthew Hall

Counting down the chart, we encounter a common mistake in Incident Response scenarios.

6. Over reacting to an incident
More »»»

August 21st, 2007 by Matthew Hall

A common security mistake is our next subject. In making changes for security systems, most of the time, only the expected outcome is tested - not the unexpected outcome.

7. Not testing your changes
More »»»

August 17th, 2007 by Matthew Hall

The next our series of top 10 security mistakes - something we see all too often, and usually with significant consequences:

8. Thinking hackers don’t exploit test systems
More »»»