Keeping the neighborhood safe from phishers

An IT security firm has unveiled an online "neighborhood watch" website in a bid to clamp down on phishers.

Dubbed PhishRegistry.org, the free online resource offers legitimate organizations the opportunity to register websites and receive notifications of online fraud attempts.

The site also aims to help safeguard organizations and end users by detecting phishing scams that fraudulently use a company's name.

Created by CipherTrust, PhishRegistry.org monitors the content of legitimate websites and alerts companies when attempts to duplicate their websites are detected. Users are also able to register their own websites to help ensure their sensitive information is protected.

"Online fraud is a race between the bad guys, who rush to post false sites to snare unsuspecting users, and the good guys - legitimate businesses protecting their brand and their customers," said Paul Judge, chief technology officer at CipherTrust. "Think of PhishRegistry.org as a 'neighborhood watch' that dramatically speeds the pace at which organizations are notified of phishing attempts - a significant advantage in the race to ensure trust in the internet and in online communications."