How free Web hosters profit from phishing sites

[mandy]

Here's a tell-all tale about how free Web hosting providers profit handsomely from phishing sites - even those they eventually shut down - and why this one hoster, in particular, has all but weaned himself off the juice.

Scott Smith and his wife Jamie run a mom-and-pop - as in four kids and a handful of remote contract workers - free Web hosting outfit called Ripway.com. It is part of a larger mom-and-pop conglomerate that includes services such as VillagePhotos.com and an overall customer roster approaching a half-million strong.

Scott Smith noticed our discussion here recently about whether - or to what extent - free Web hosting services profit from phishing sites, even those sites that they eventually chase away. Smith's assessment in a nutshell: They profit plenty.

How does he know? ... Ripway used to profit plenty...

full article: http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/13264&ts0hb=&story=hoster