The term “phishing” is believed to have been coined in the late 1990s by a notorious spammer andhackerwho went by the AOHellUsenethandle Khan C. Smith. The word choice was meant to convey the idea that if the attacker used the right bait and cast a wide enough net, they were bound ...
“fish for” information from unsuspecting users. However, phishing attacks have become increasingly sophisticated and are now broken down into different types, including email phishing,spear phishing,smishing, vishing, and whaling. Each type is characterised by specific channels and methods of execution...
A spear-phishing attack targets specific people, but “whaling”, also known asCEO fraud, refers to an attacker targeting one or several C-level executives. The term “whaling” is a play on the word “phishing” and is meant to imply the “big fish” nature of an executive’s high-pri...
Phishing is used to lure people to give out sensitive data to criminals. Learn more about the meaning of phishing in our article!
What is spear phishing? Spear phishing is more advanced than a regular phishing attack, with the aim of compromising a specific organization, group or even specific individuals. Instead of vague messages being sent, criminals design them to target anything from a specific organization, to a depar...
In spear phishing, the lure is a message specifically tailored to the victim's expectations. A spear-phishing message may address you by name, refer to your workplace or look like it comes from your boss or a co-worker. It will invite you click on a link that leads to the login ...
Spear Phishing is an attack aimed at a specific person or specific roles in an organization. It’s often tailored specifically to an individual or company, Partlow says. The Colonial Pipeline attack was an example of spear phishing aimed at a specific individual who had the right permissions to...
and sent me the email below. This is an example of very high operational sophistication, typical of top-tier whaling attacks, those cases when an individual is subjected to spear phishing attempts because they hold valuable information or wield influence within an organization. They had done their...
What Is Meant by Threat Intelligence? Threat intelligence refers to the systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of information about current and potential threats targeting an organization. It involves gathering data from various sources—including open-source intelligence (OSINT), social media ...
In a website spoofing attack, a scammer will attempt to make a malicious website look exactly like a legitimate one that the victim knows and trusts. Website spoofing is often associated with phishing attacks. When a victim clicks on a link in a phishing email, the link may take them to...