Open Proxy: A road block for Phishing investigations

Vol.2 No.1

Year: 2013

 
Issue: Dec-Feb

Title: Open Proxy: A road block for Phishing investigations 

  

Author Name: Swapan Purkait

Synopsis:

When a hacker sends a phishing email or host a phishing website, investigators must locate the source of the communication, they must trace the electronic trail leading from the email or the web server back to the perpetrator. Traceability is a key to the investigation of the cyber crime such as phishing. It is impossible to prevent all internet misuse but may be possible to identify and trace the user, and take appropriate legal action. Different phishing detection mechanisms have been addressed in research papers, but with little being focused on open proxy usage rather, misusages. This paper addresses the security concern for mushrooming of open proxy servers in the globe. This work highlights how anonymity provided to the phisher by an open proxy is becoming a major roadblock for cyber crime investigating agencies in India. We conducted personal interviews with various law enforcement officers involved in Cyber crime cases mainly, Phishing and prepared a flow chart how all these cases getting stalemate because of the open proxy servers. Helpless condition of theses investigating agencies proves that easy availability of free and easy anonymous proxy servers motivates phisher to plan the attack knowing very well that they will not be traced back. In our solution framework we propose two dimensional approach combining technical solution and legal cooperation among international law enforcement agencies. Our technical solution will be able to flag all emails that are using an open proxy, also it will be able to locate any website usage or update through an open proxy.