Design Notes: A CSS Web Developer’s Blog

Browser Toolbars Help Catch Scams

Paypal and eBay phishing scams have been on the rise recently.

This type of crime usually consists of two main components: a branded email message that looks like it comes from the company (in most cases eBay or Paypal) and a web based form used to steal information. The email message contains a link to the Web based form, and in some cases a form is embedded in the actual email message.

A news brief in Practical eCommerce pointed me towards some resources that might help increase your security as you read email and browse. Several companies have released toolbar plugins for Internet Explorer that claim to block these scams.

The toolbars are:

• Netcraft Anit-Phishing Toolbar
• GeoTrust TrustWatch Anti-Fraud Toolbar: According to the Register though, GeoTrust has had some accuracy problems.
• Microsoft Anti-Phishing Toolbar

Some excellent information on phishing and pharming can be found at the Anti-Phishing Working Group Web site. Also, Core Compenence has an excellent page on Anti-Fraud Resources.

February 10th, 2006

Adobe, Macromedia Merger Marries Flash and PDF Technologies

According to a recent Business Week article, the new Adobe is using its newly acquired Macromedia expertise to meld PDF, HTML, and Flash into a new engagement platform.

While I’m not clear exactly what an engagement platform is, it is clear that the future of Adobe’s PDF technology will begin to look more like Flash, with increased interactivity. It seems that Flash will also increase its print capabilities (though Macromedia Flash Paper was a pre-exisiting print technology).

The result? Perhaps a more interactive Web that handles print capability more smoothly without the long wait as an external plugin loads. Along with a host of innovative applications that take advantage of the increased speed and interactivity offered.

Does this mean that Adobe/Macromedia will be creating a new defacto standard in Web development that will look not submit to the direction of governing bodies such as the Web Standards Project and W3C? I doubt it, but with near monopoly power, the new Adobe is poised to influence the future of Web development profoundly.

February 10th, 2006