Netcraft Toolbar


Toolbars are add-ons to a web browser that enable quick access to many useful functions that make online surfing easier.

Possibly the most popular is
Google Toolbar. This permits searching with Google from any web page, blocks annoying pop-ups and automatically fills out forms amongst other useful features. There are probably another 20 or more toolbars for MSN, Yahoo, Alexa, Wikipedia etcetera - all of which I can do without. But when I found the Netcraft Toolbar I was instantly hooked.

The Netcraft Toolbar is a safety blanket against malicious URLs that are created - some only for a limited time - for phishing expeditions. These are attempts to
trick people into disclosing their bank account details, so that the attacker may then log in to that person's Internet bank and withdraw their savings.
Users of the Toolbar become members of a community. Once the phishing URL has been reported by any member of the community, it is blocked for community members as they subsequently access the URL.
The Toolbar also traps suspicious URLs containing characters which have no valid purpose; enfo
rces display of browser navigational controls (toolbar & address bar) in all windows, to defend against pop up windows which attempt to hide the navigational controls; clearly displays sites' hosting location, including country, helping you to evaluate fraudulent URLs.

The Toolbar is available for both IE and Firefox, and here it is shown in my browser.
Instructions for installation are specific and explanations for every aspect of the Toolbar are made available as they become pertinent, including this warning:

Note for Firefox users:
To protect your computer, Firefox will prevent this site from installing software by displaying a yellow bar near the top of your browser (see below image not included. ED). Use this dialog to add toolbar.netcraft.com to your list of Allowed Sites before trying to install again.  

Just follow the instructions. They save you having to go to Tools> Options> Content> Exceptions to permit the Toolbar to be installed as a Firefox Extension. There is an excellent tutorial reached from the Download link, and you must read it to have any serious understanding of the information presented.  

You can report a URL by clicking on "Report a Phishing Site" in the toolbar menu, accessed by clicking on the Netcraft logo.

 Email attempts at phishing that do not contain a URL should be sent in their entirety as an attachment to scam@netcraft.com.



Risk Rating
is based on a number of factors including:
 The Risk Rating can be calculated fast enough to be performed for arbitrary sites as people visit them, and does not rely on manual categorization.  All of these factors give us a safe risk rating of green. An unsafe risk rating would have a red bar.

Here is an example of an unsafe website that is new, and does not have a rank.


The Rank rating reflects the popularity of the site among Toolbar users. Google has a rating of 1 in the current Netcraft published list of Most Visited Web Sites, but at this moment it is ranked 74 in my browser.

The Site Report provides a wealth of current information, as indicated below.









The
flag and two-letter ISO code for the hosting country are shown next.

The final entry is the name of the netblock hosting the site. Clicking on this provides a list of sites on the same netblock. In our case it shows chilli/vindaloo/www.tip.net.au plus a handful of others that may be meaningful to our system operators.

Karen's WhoIs has long provided information on Domain Names and IP Addresses, but not with the extent and immediacy of the Toolbar. WhoIs queries the five Regional Internet Registries currently operating in the world, doing a Domain Name Lookup or an IP Address Lookup. It returns information including the domain name's owner, address, and phone/fax numbers where possible. The PCUG falls in the Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC).

The Netcraft Toolbar could be a major contributor to Internet security and should be a Recommended Download.

Enjoy Your Computing.            Terry Bibo


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