I’ve been a fan of the network consulting group Netcraft for something like ten years now. I’ve been following their web server surveys for ages, and at one time I managed to get tcp.com into their most requested sites list. One of their newer services is the Netcraft Toolbar which is designed to warn you when you visit risky sites, and also blocks known phishing sites.
When they recently released their Firefox version, I installed it. As a test I pulled up some recent phishing emails and tried it out. Most of the sites were detected, but a few were new enough that they weren’t. I then noticed that it allowed you to submit new phish sites to them. After submitting a few I got an email saying that if I was first to report a phish site, I’d be eligible for a prize. I submitted a few where I was the first reporter and Netcraft asked me for an address to send me a prize.
It’s been a bit busy, so I had almost forgotten about it. Today I got a package from CafePress which had me scratching my head wondering who was sending me something. I opened it up and found a nice mug with a Netcraft logo emblazoned on it. This will be nice for making nice steaming cups of hot chocolate as the weather grows cold. Thanks Netcraft!
(I also got the October/November issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine today.)