Some of my important emails end up in the Spam folder due to incorrect filtering. So, I occasionally check the Spam folder to see if an email that was not spam ended up there. Today, while checking the Spam folder, I came across an email that was a classic example of a phishing message. Hence, I decided to share it here to point out some common tactics used in such messages.

Here is the email:-


One look at the from address should be enough for anyone to judge that this message is not genuine. Messages from most companies are through a no-reply address. Also, most companies contact you from an  email address that is on their main domain, not some random free email provider. Moreover, almost all email providers use an interstitial page in the situation described in this message. None of them sends an email asking for verification.

Another important thing to notice in this message is the Sent to: field. Notice how it mentions undisclosed recipients. This is common in such messages. They are sent to a lot of email ids in one go. Hence, hiding the recipients allows hackers to prevent their targets from knowing that this same message has been sent to a lot of users.




The next thing to notice is that this message does not address me by name. This is uncommon for an email company that already has your name. Most companies add the user's name to add a personalized feeling to their messages. This is something that is quite difficult to manage if you are sending the same message to thousands of users.

One of the most common feature of phishing emails is their use of incorrect grammar. This message is no different. The inappropriate capitalization and spelling mistakes like writing the word 'loosing' in place of 'losing' leaves no doubt about its authenticity.

One more important thing to notice is that at the end of this message, there is no mention of the email provider's website. This is very uncommon considering that most email providers leave no stone unturned to brand their messages.


Lastly, the email address to reply to is different from the one with which this message was sent. A proof that the sender of this message tried to spoof the sender id.

The techniques used in this email were typical and hence it should not be difficult for anyone to detect that it is a phishing message. However, cyber criminals are evolving and most of them don't make such common mistakes anymore. You should always use common sense in such situations and never click on suspicious links.

Most of us find ourselves in situations where a website we wish to visit is blocked by a software or by our ISP (Internet Service Provider). So the question arises, how can we access blocked websites? The answer to this is simple: Proxy websites. Before going into details, let us know a bit about these proxy websites. 

Proxy Websites

A proxy website acts as an intermediate source between the user and server the site being contacted is hosted on. Users send requests to proxy websites which conveys them to the site's server. The reply received by the proxy website is then forwarded to the user's computer. This gives an impression to ISP's and blocking software that the user is visiting the proxy website but in reality, s/he is visiting the site which was blocked. Thus, proxy servers also provide extra security to users by hiding their online activities from their ISP's.

Commonly Blocked Web Sites

The sites which are most commonly blocked at workplaces, schools and offices include websites like Facebook, Orkut, Blogger (blogspot), Google News, Typepad, eBay, MySpace, YouTube, MSN, Yahoo! Messenger, Bebo, Google Talk, Gmail, Photobucket, AOL AIM, Flickr, Twitter etc. In some countries, social bookmarking sites like Digg and Reddit are also blocked. Countries like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, China have even blocked access to mainstream media websites like The New York times. A proxy website can be used to easily access these blocked websites. As proxy websites hide a user's location, they can also be used to access popular websites which are restricted to particular countries and block users from other countries from visiting them.

Types of Proxies

There are two types of proxies. First, there are web proxies which have an interactive interface; and second, the proxy servers which work on the basis of IP Addresses and port numbers. Proxies can also be segregated on the basis of anonymity into Anonymous, Transparent and High Anonymous depending upon the amount of privacy they provide.

How to Find Proxy Websites and Proxy Servers

A simple Google search containing the word "proxy websites" is likely to return a lot of useful results. However, most of them are likely to be lists containing proxy servers which you can setup using their IP Address and Port Number. So, in order to find interactive proxy websites, you will have to search for something like "Facebook Proxy Server" or "Twitter Proxy Server". A search like this is most likely to return interactive proxy websites with which you can access your blocked website by simply entering the URL in URL field. If you want additional security and anonymity, you can opt for a paid proxy server.

If you do not want to search, here are few popular free proxy websites you can use:-

1. http://www.spysurfing.com/
2. http://proxify.us/p/
3. http://kproxy.com/

How to Setup Proxy Servers using their IP Address

If you wish to visit your blocked website using a web proxy, you do not need any setup. However, if you wish to use a proxy server that can only be accessed by using its IP address and port number, you must configure your browser to use it. Follow the instructions given below to setup this type of proxy in your browser:-

Google Chrome and Internet Explorer Users

Google Chrome uses the same network settings as Internet Explorer. So, in order to configure Google Chrome to use a proxy server, you have to configure Internet Explorer. You can configure a proxy server in Internet Explorer by following the instructions given below:-

1. Start Internet Explorer.
2. Click on Tools, Internet Options.
3. Click on Connections Tab, select your Network Connection and click on Settings.
4. Check on Use a Proxy Server for this Connection.
5. In the Address field, add the IP Address of your Proxy server. In the Port field, enter the Port Number.
6. Click on OK and OK again.

Mozilla Firefox Users

Mozilla Firefox users can configure their browser to use a proxy by following the instructions given below:-

1. Start Mozilla Firefox.
2. Click on Tools, Options.
3. Click on Advanced Tab.
4. Click on Network tab.
5. Click on Settings.
6. Encircle Manual Proxy Configuration.
7. Enter the IP Address and Port Number at the appropriate place. In most cases, it will be a HTTP server.  

After you have successfully configured your browser to use the proxy server, you will be able to access blocked websites whenever you browse the internet with your browser