pharming?

 hello friends, in this blog me and my other
friends will
write about various things like security, vista, xp etc. so today I am
starting
from security, and I am explaining about
Pharming.

No,
I didn’t
spell it wrong! Pharming (with a “ph”) is actually a term used in the
computer
world. I know you’ve heard of phishing before, and well, pharming sort
of goes
along with that. It’s just another example of how hackers try to
manipulate
computer users via the Internet. Keep reading for a more detailed
definition!

Basically,
pharming is the act of redirecting users to fake Web sites, without them
ever
knowing it happened. When you want to visit a Web site, you type its
domain name
into your Web browser and that is then translated into an IP address by
the
means of a DNS server. After all of that goes through, the information
is then
stored in your computer’s DNS cache. Hackers then use that to redirect
you to a
false site, one determined by the hacker.

Pharming can also
occur as an e-mail virus that can destroy a user’s DNS cache. Other
pharmers can
ruin whole DNS servers as well. Luckily, most DNS servers have good
security
features, but it still doesn’t make them immune. So, if you’re on a Web
site
that looks strange, you may be caught in a pharming incident. If that
happens,
restart your computer to reset your DNS settings, run your antivirus
scan and
then try going to the same site again. If it still looks odd, contact
your ISP
and tell them what’s been going on. No, pharming is not as commonly
known as
phishing scams, but it can still be very dangerous. So, always be on the
lookout
and keep yourself safe! .