Clark - 3:31 pm on Nov 7, 2006 (gmt 0)

IB and DM,

They aren't better than nothing they are worse than nothing. As has been stated, they provide granny with false expectations that it does something. It's a totally different animal than antivirus and I don't know why you aren't getting that point.

The phishing sites get shut down pretty quickly because ebay/paypal etc go after them. So a long term solution isn't needed on a browser. To make granny safe requires either a real-time solution or awareness. This non-solution makes her less alert and feel more secure.

If it takes a week to get into the database, in most cases the site has been shut down. It may help 5 grannies not to get phished and give 10,000 grannies false hope to take down her guard and catch 2,000 of the 10,000 who might otherwise have been alert/too scared to provide login details from an email.