There are basically two options to protect computer systems (and their users) from phishing attacks. The first are protections in programs like email clients or instant messengers that are commonly used to spread phishing links while the second method blocks the web browser from opening those links (when they have already been clicked on). The phishing protection – they call it web forgery protection – in the Firefox web browser belongs to the second protection option against phishing attacks.
Firefox will display a warning whenever the user tries to open a website that is a reported phishing website. Updated phishing and malware lists are automatically downloaded every 30 minutes if the web forgery protection is enabled in the web browser.
The following screen is then displayed if a website is opened that is on that list of phishing and malware websites.
The user still has the option to ignore the warning and proceed with the site loading but it is generally recommended to stop at this point and close the tab. There is however one nagging questions that some Firefox users have. How can they be sure that the phishing protection is working in the web browser?
Mozilla has created a specifically prepared website that will trigger the phishing protection. Users who open the It’s a trap website at Mozilla.com will see the web forgery warning if the phishing protection is enabled and working in the web browser. Everyone else will simply see the test website.
Firefox users who do not see the warning page should go into the Tools > Options > Security in the Firefox options and ensure that the entries Block reported attack sites and Block reported web forgeries are checked.
The phishing test website will not work with other browsers even if they offer phishing protection as well.
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