Secret antiphishing tools developed

Phishing has become a major problems for banks and online merchants, but there is one financial institution that has come up with a very good solution for it, Symantec CEO John Thompson said during a panel discussion at PC Forum.

Unfortunately, he won't give the name.

"One bank in the U.S. has had a remarkably succcessful experience in stopping phishing...but they'd rather people not know about it," he said. "It is a very simple technique."

The main fear is that phishers will figure out who it is and then begin to try and undermine the technology. The bank, though, has been less victimized by phishing than competitors. Phishing hits a bank financially but also hurts its brand.

The always suave Thompson added that "it is certainly a possibility" that Symantec will buy the technology. Thompson, who shared a panel with Microsoft's Scott Charney, said that he welcomes the entry of Microsoft into the security market.