Microsoft on the Attack Against Phishers

Microsoft has filed 117 lawsuits against people who it charges created phishing Web sites designed to look like pages hosted by Microsoft.

The suits, filed in Seattle in U.S. District Court, are being brought against operators of Web sites that feature trademarked logos or images used by Microsoft on its official Web pages and products. The "John Doe" suits do not identify the individuals involved.

All the sites named in the lawsuits, which were online sometime in the past six months, have already been taken down, according to Microsoft. One of the primary goals of the legal attack is tracking down the individuals responsible for creating the fraudulent sites.

So called phishing schemes typically involve the distribution of e-mail messages constructed to appear as if they come from trusted companies, such as banks, online retailers or even giant companies like Microsoft. These messages attempt to lure people to bogus Web sites, made to appear as the authentic web site, where the victims are asked to divulge sensitive personal information. The phishing sites targeting Microsoft frequently tried to trick people into sharing their billing information or online password data.

The company and law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, expect to gather more detailed information on the individuals during the discovery period of the cases, which will begin over the next several weeks