Web of Trust (WOT), the world’s leading website reputation rating service, and Mail.ru Group, Russia’s largest Internet company, have partnered together to improve online protection for 300 million people using Russia’s leading free e-mail service, Mail.ru. All links contained in emails received by Mail.ru users are checked through WOT’s reputation database to warn users from following untrustworthy links that could lead to scams, identity theft, malware and other online threats.
The integration of WOT reputation ratings into Mail.ru is similar to WOT’s collaboration with Facebook, published in May. WOT will give customers who receive unfamiliar links in their email information to identify dangerous messages and avoid clicking on URLs that might lead to compromised websites or malware downloads. If a user follows a risky link, an explanation of why it does not satisfy WOT’s rating criteria will appear so they can make an informed decision whether to continue, go back or learn more. Mail.ru will not block any links.
“We know that for a majority of Mail.ru users, email is the main tool for communication with friends, colleagues, clients and acquaintances. Of course, we want to make mail.ru as safe as possible. Our cooperation with WOT is the next step in creating the safest email system which warns users about untrustworthy and malicious sites,” said Anna Artamonova, Vice President for Strategic Projects at Mail.ru Group.
Targeted email attacks are on the rise
Antivirus companies report an 80 percent reduction in overall spam volumes. Instead of traditional spam, cybercriminals are focusing on higher-value actions, including increased scams and malicious attacks, spearphishing and targeted attacks.
“In recent months, targeted email attacks have increased significantly worldwide,“ said Vesa Perälä, CEO of WOT Services. “Cybercrooks gather personal information from social networks and other web sources to craft tempting emails that users will click. WOT’s real-time reputation ratings provide Mail.ru customers a safe environment from phishing, scams and other forms of email threats.
Read the press release here.