Found this at Bink.nu this morning:

"REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 24 (UPI) — U.S. software firm Microsoft Corp.'s so-called phishing filter for its Internet Explorer browser will be released sooner than expected.

The software giant will issue a preliminary version of its new security feature sometime in the coming weeks as a free add-on for its MSN Toolbar in the current Internet Explorer 6 browser, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Wednesday.

In a phishing attack, people get e-mails purporting to come from legitimate banking or e-commerce operations that point to Web sites where identity thieves ask for personal information.

Microsoft said its phishing filter can detect known and potential phishing sites and warn off users."

This looks like a marketing-driven decision to add even more value to the MSN Toolbar in the wake o the Google Desktop 2 release. Smart move on MSN's part.