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Filed under: Internet, Security, E-mail, Web services

PhishTank: Open phishing site database

PhishTank

This week the folks behind OpenDNS launched PhishTank, a new database for tracking and defending against phishing sites. It's a pretty slick-looking site that allows you to submit suspected phishing sites, verify (or not) sites that other people have submitted. What really sets PhishTank apart, though, is that the database is totally open via a free API. This is intended to allow developers to build anti-phishing tools into their own programs and web apps at no cost. I've really been enjoying OpenDNS over the past few months, so I hope PhishTank will become as mature and useful.

[Via Paul Stamatiou]

Filed under: Internet, Web services, Freeware

OpenDNS: Teaching the DNS dog new tricks

OpenDNSEvery one of use uses DNS every time we connect to the internet, yet it's been decades since anyone has made any improvements to the end-user experience. In case you're scratching your head (or saying, "DNS? Isn't that the thing that happens when Internet Explorer can't connect?"), DNS is the system that, among other things, translates the addresses you type into your browser into the IP numbers that let your computer to connect to web (or e-mail, or IM, etc.) servers. So how can such a basic service be improved for the end-user? Direct your gaze toward OpenDNS, which adds some features to DNS that immediately make the lives of users easier. In particular, it adds phishing protection and address spell-checking to every web site request your browser makes, without you having to install any software. All you have to do is configure your browser or OS to point to OpenDNS' DNS servers, and the next time an email points you to a phishing site, OpenDNS will block it, and the next time you accidentally type downloadsquad.cmo, OpenDNS will automatically direct you to .com. On top of that, OpenDNS claims to be faster than other DNS servers. On top of that, you can configure which features you want to use (e.g. if you don't want phishing protection, turn it off) without even registering. It's also totally free to use--OpenDNS makes money by placing advertisements on those typo pages. WordPress developer Matt Mullenweg wrote a mini-review of the service and says it's "a great idea, well-executed" and "invisible in all the right ways." I'm sold.

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