Rao to collaborate on anti-phishing research

By Kevin Manne

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- H. Raghav Rao, SUNY Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Management Science and Systems in the University at Buffalo School of Management, will collaborate to launch a research project to learn just how people fall victim to cyber-phishing attacks and what tools can be used to protect them.

Phishing is the familiar scam in which Internet fraudsters send spam or pop-up messages aimed at drawing personal and financial information from unsuspecting victims. Once they acquire personal information, phishers can sometimes get into the victim’s other online personal and business accounts as well.

Rao will partner with Arun Vishwanath, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Communication at UB, and other organizations, including the National Consumer League, in conducting the study. Funding is provided by a three-year $320,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Read more about the study and grant at the UB News Center.