Brandimensions Launches StrikePhish, an Identity Theft Management Service for Small and Mid-Sized Financial Institutions.

TORONTO -- Cost-Effective Solution Provides Banks of All Sizes with Best Practices to Combat Phishing and Prevent Online Identity Theft

Brandimensions Inc., an international leader in the online brand protection and market intelligence industries, today announced the release of StrikePhish, a new phishing attack management service designed to help small and mid-sized financial institutions address potential online identity theft concerns.

While global financial institutions have been working to address the issue and educate consumers, phishers are getting smarter and finding new targets that may be more vulnerable to attacks. Brandimensions' StrikePhish service now ensures that banks of all sizes have an effective strategy in place to identify, shut down, and minimize the risks associated with online identity theft from emails and Web sites that mimic legitimate businesses. Brandimensions' offering leverages a unique approach, combining phishing detection technology with human intervention to shut down attacks, providing customers with the most cost-effective solution and the industry's fastest response times.

On the Internet, phishing (sometimes called carding or brand spoofing) is a scam where perpetrators send what appear to be genuine e-mails from legitimate financial services companies to unsuspecting consumers in an effort to "phish" for personal and financial information. Brandimensions' StrikePhish service quickly eliminates the spoofed phishing web page, thereby minimizing the cost in damages that can be inflicted upon the organization and protecting the unsuspecting consumer from identity theft by disabling their access to the page.

StrikePhish is based upon best practices from Brandimensions' work with global financial institutions and law enforcement and delivers a turnkey solution that smaller institutions can employ to protect their brand equity and customer base.

"Large banking institutions have made significant strides to mitigate the effects of phishing. Over the past four months, we have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of phishing attacks moving downstream targeting smaller regional financial and banking institutions," said Bradley Silver, COO of Brandimensions Inc. "If these attacks are not addressed immediately, it can affect a company's revenue stream, brand equity and relationships with their customers. As a result, banks of all sizes need to have a strategy in place to deal with phishing and identity theft before it occurs. Brandimensions' StrikePhish is a cost-effective preventative solution that enables small banks to leverage leading technology and industry expertise to reach levels of management effectiveness achieved by larger financial institutions."

Using StrikePhish customers send potential attacks to a dedicated Brandimensions' phishing team that analyzes and shuts down the attack. Billed on a per-attack basis, customers receive forensic information on the attack including log files, trace routes and Web page snapshots. In order to shut down each phishing scam, Brandimensions follows the actual IP address of the attack and shuts them down immediately using leading technology combined with Brandimensions' team expertise and partnerships with law enforcement organizations and Internet Service Providers. Brandimensions also continuously monitors every phishing site that is shut down to ensure it does not re-launch, preventing further attacks. In addition, customers have the option to subscribe to Brandimensions' full-service, subscription-based phishing attack management service, which is akin to an insurance policy. With this option, while the frequencies of attacks may increase, the subscription cost of Brandimensions' services does not change.

Brandimensions' extensive experience with global banks proves that technology alone is not sufficient to mitigate the risks associated with phishing. For example, the company recently worked with a regional mid-Western bank that was a new phishing target. The bank initially had pulled company resources away from other projects to address the attack, but Brandimensions was able to shut down the attack within minutes and free up those company resources.

Additional features of the Brandimensions StrikePhish Service offering include:

--Technology analysis and review of suspected email and Web site for confirmation prior to alert or acceptance of incident for management;

--Monthly reporting and delivery of forensics for law enforcement, analysis and prosecution;

--Relationships with ISPs worldwide for expediting the closing of fraudulent sites; and

--In-depth analysis of each attack to determine scope and effectiveness, including potentially determining victim identities.

About Brandimensions Inc.

Incorporated in 2000, Brandimensions offers a sophisticated real-time solution to analyze, manage and protect a company's intellectual property, trademarks, identity and customers on the Internet. Combined with its sophisticated online market sentiment analytics offering, Brandimensions offers the only truly integrated brand equity management and protection program on the market. Brandimensions' unique brand equity management programs serves an impressive list of Fortune 500 companies in the automotive, financial services, entertainment, consumer packaged goods, retail, telecommunications and pharmaceutical industries.