Phishing is an Internet security attack that manipulates people into divulging their sensitive information such as their passwords or credit card numbers. The phisher obtains sensitive information by luring Internet users to a fraudulent Web page that emulates the appearance of a corresponding legitimate page. The initial contact with victims is usually done via e-mail messages that contain a link to the fraudulent page, along with a fabricated reason for the message recipients to login. By enticing users to fill out Web forms on the fraudulent page, the phisher can record the sensitive information entered by these users, and then use this information to gain access to the legitimate page.

iTrustPage is a Web browser extension that implements a new approach to prevent users from entering any information into suspicious Web forms. iTrustpage prevents users from filling out phishing Web forms and then assists them to find the corresponding legitimate page. When encountering a suspicious Web page, iTrustPage does not simply warn the user but offers them corrective action.

When you begin typing into a page that has not been validated, iTrustPage will assist you in determining whether or not the page is legitimate. First, you will be asked to provide search terms describing the page (use the same terms you would use to find the page on Google). iTrustPage will then send these search terms to Google. If the page you are visiting is in the top 10 search results, the page will be added to your personal list of validated pages. iTrustPage will never again interrupt your usage of that Web page.

If the page is not in the top results, you might be using an illegitimate page. iTrustPage will assist you in finding the legitimate corresponding page. To do this, you will be shown the top two results from the Google search results. You will be asked to either pick the best match from these two results or to refine your search. Once you choose a page, iTrustPage will automatically navigate you there.

iTrustPage uses two mechanisms to validate a page. First, we check a list of popular Web pages, which is stored on your computer. If the page is on the list, then you will be allowed to use the page without interruption. Second, we check your personal list of validated pages (see the previous question on this FAQ). Again, if the page is on the list, then you will be allowed to use the page without interruption.

When the indicator displays a checkmark, the page has been validated. Pages can be validated by you or from our list of popular Web pages.

When the indicator displays a questionmark, the page has not been validated. Be very careful when using these pages.