Surf safely with Windows Live OneCare Advisor Add-in for Windows Live Toolbar
Can you tell when a Web site that looks legit is actually a phishing scam? Many phony sites mimic well-known online stores and other Web sites, but they're really just after your personal information so they can use it to commit credit-card or bank-account fraud.
The free Windows Live OneCare Advisor Add-in for the Windows Live Toolbar helps keep you safe from these types of criminals.
It offers three types of protection, right from your Web browser: Microsoft Phishing Filter, Phish Detective, and Windows Live OneCare safety scan reminder.
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What does it mean?
phishing A method of identity theft using phony Web sites or deceptive e-mail messages.
What does the Phishing Filter do?
When you're surfing or shopping on the Web, it's not always easy to know when it's safe to enter your name, password, or credit card number and when it isn't. Microsoft Phishing Filter helps eliminate the guesswork by checking the Web sites you visit against a constantly updated list of known phishing sites. If it finds a match, it protects your information by preventing you from entering any text on the site, and it displays a red warning message notifying you that the site has been blocked for your safety.
If, on the other hand, it only suspects that the site was set up by a phisher, it will display a yellow warning message, giving you the opportunity to report the site to Microsoft for further investigation.
What does Phish Detective do?
Phish Detective is a data collection system that helps Microsoft identify the URLs of Web sites potentially engaging in phishing. When you use a password on a Web site, the Phishing Filter will encrypt it and store it securely on your computer. (Your passwords are never sent to Microsoft.)
When Phish Detective determines that you’ve reused a password on a different Web site, the URLs of both sites will be sent to Microsoft to help identify potentially fraudulent sites that are disguised as legitimate sites. This data will not be used to identify you and is used only in the aggregate to help improve our services.
You don't have to sign up for Phish Detective to get the benefits of Microsoft Phishing Filter. This is an optional feature that helps us improve our anti-phishing features for everyone who uses Windows Live OneCare Advisor.
What does the Windows Live OneCare safety scan reminder do?
For general PC health, we recommend running a full-service Windows Live OneCare safety scan at least once a month. The Windows Live OneCare Advisor Add-in lets you know when it's time to run a scan and clean your PC. You'll notice that the shield icon in the Advisor portion of the toolbar will change color, from blue (indicating that you've run a scan in the past 30 days) to yellow (indicating that it's been more than 30 days since your last scan).
Try Windows Live OneCare
For always-on security for your PC, check out Windows Live OneCare, which provides virus protection, a two-way firewall, backup and restore, and monthly tune-ups for routine maintenance and optimal PC performance. Windows Live OneCare is subscription-based software that, once installed on your PC, runs quietly and continuously in the background to give you confidence and peace of mind.
