What is Phishing
One of the oldest hacking techniques. It is also one of the simplest,
and, surprisingly, one of the most effective. Most people do not even
suspect that anything is amiss when under phishing attacks because they
do not realize what it is or how it works
Phishing is all about deception. Hackers
impersonate other people or entities in a attempt to gain your trust
and get you to reveal sensitive information such as credit card numbers
and passwords. Alternatively, the hackers will try to get you to download damaging malware and spyware that then collects sensitive data and sends it back to them
Most phishing attacks are random and wide spread, designed to target a
large group of people with the hope that some victims fall for the
trap. However, there are two more distinct forms of phishing:
In this case hackers target a specific individual for a variety of
reasons. These may be partners, work colleagues, friends, and relatives,
or prominent people. 91% of Cyber Attacks and the resulting data breach begin with a spear phishing email, according to research from security software firm Trend Micro
In this case hackers target specific individuals that are prominent
and stand out in society. These may be CEOs of major companies,
celebrities, or politicians, among others. Because of the people who
would have access to large and sensitive data bases “Whales” are
carefully chosen for their access within the company. The goal of a
whaling attack is to trick a CEO or Executive into revealing personal or
corporate data, often through email and website spoofing
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