Phishing

Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. (1 Peter 5:7-9 ESV). An article in Newsweek Business say that cyber criminals are masquerading as legitimate banks and online retailers to collect personal information from unwitting customers, “phishing.” Here’s an excerpt from the article: You may have received one of these emails. The e-mail seems legitimate. The logo and the return address match your bank’s, and the official-looking letter below warns that fraudulent activity has been detected in some of the bank’s accounts. It asks you to click on a link below, check your account balances, and report any signs of fraud. Should you follow the instructions, however, you may unwittingly become the victim of fraud. The e-mail is actually a counterfeit `spoof’ and the link leads to a Web site that looks like your bank's, right down to the URL address that appears in the window. But it’s actually the creation of tech savvy cyber-criminals who are forging legitimate logos, Web sites, and links, even URL addresses (hiding the actual Web address and substituting a fake URL that matches a legitimate address) to try and get recipients to give up personal and financial information. The first of these so-called "phishing" attacks were publicized in 2004 when an Australian bank was targeted. Other banks, insurance companies, e-commerce sites and online retailers around the world from eBay to PayPal to Visa International have since been hit. But security officials say criminals have stepped up their efforts in recent years, with increasingly sophisticated and pervasive attacks. The Devil also has his ways of “phishing” in our lives. It is not necessarily electronic subterfuge, but every bit as dangerous and destructive. His temptations always seem to be justifiable. In his book, Men at Work, George F. Will takes a close look at four baseball players. One of those examined is Orel Hershiser, who talks about his philosophy of pitching. He said, “There are two theories of pitching. One is that you try to convince the batter that a particular pitch is coming and you throw something different. The other theory that you don’t hear as much, but that I use is that if the batter expects a particular pitch, you throw it, but you throw it in a place where he can’t hit it. That is: Know what a batter wants or expects and throw the ball almost there. If he is a highball hitter, throw it a bit too high. His eagerness will prevent him from laying off it, but it will be hard to hit well.” Isn’t that the way the devil works in our life? He knows just what kind of pitch that we are a sucker for and then throws it our way. But, it is just a little higher or just a little bit more outside than where we like it, and most likely we will bite on it every time. After all, it looks so good. It feels so right. Be careful of his “phishing” attacks!