The word phishing was coined around 1996 by hackers stealing America Online accounts and passwords. By analogy with the sport of angling, these Internet scammers were using e-mail lures, setting out hooks to "fish" for passwords and financial data from the "sea" of Internet users.Jan 19, 2004
How is phishing similar to fishing in a lake?
Phishing is similar to fishing in a lake, but instead of trying to capture fish, phishers attempt to steal your personal information. They send out e-mails that appear to come from legitimate websites such as eBay, PayPal, or other banking institutions.
What does fishing mean in technology?
Pronounced like fishing, phishing is a term used to describe a malicious individual or group who scam users. They do so by sending e-mails or creating web pages designed to collect an individual's online bank, credit card, or other login information. ... Example of phishing e-mail.Nov 30, 2020
What is fishing on the Internet?
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers. It occurs when an attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, dupes a victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message. ... An attack can have devastating results.
Why is it called phishing not fishing?
The Story Behind The Name “Phishing” Analogous to fishing, phishing is also a technique to “fish” for usernames, passwords, and other sensitive information, from a “sea” of users. Hackers generally use the letter “ph” instead of “f” and therefore initially they were known as phreaks.
What is an example of phishing?
Phishing happens when a victim replies to a fraudulent email that demands urgent action. Examples of requested actions in a phishing email include: Clicking an attachment. Enabling macros in Word document.Jul 17, 2021
Does phishing come from fishing?
The word is a leetspeak variant of fishing (ph is a common replacement for f ), probably influenced by phreaking, and alludes to the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' sensitive information. ... For instance, from 2017 to 2020, phishing attacks have increased from 72 to 86% among businesses.
What is an example of spear phishing?
Example 1: The attacker is encouraging the target to sign an “updated employee handbook” This is an example of a spear phishing email where the attacker is pretending to work in HR and is encouraging the target to sign a new employee handbook.Mar 4, 2021
What is the difference between phishing and spear phishing or whaling?
Whaling attacks can easily be confused with phishing attacks because of their similar natures. ... The key difference between whaling and spear-phishing is that whaling attacks target specific, high ranking victims within a company, whereas a spear-phishing attacks can be used to target any individual.Jul 27, 2017
What is phishing and spear phishing attacks?
Spear phishing is a phishing method that targets specific individuals or groups within an organization. ... While phishing tactics may rely on shotgun methods that deliver mass emails to random individuals, spear phishing focuses on specific targets and involve prior research.
Why is phishing spelled PH?
Its "ph" spelling is influenced by an earlier word for an illicit act: "phreaking." Phreaking involves fraudulently using an electronic device to avoid paying for telephone calls, and its name is suspected of being a shortening of "phone freak." A common phishing scam involves sending e-mailse-mailsDefinition of email (Entry 1 of 2) 1 : a means or system for transmitting messages electronically (as between computers on a network) communicating by email. 2a : messages sent and received electronically through an email system receives a lot of email.https://www.merriam-webster.com › dictionary › emailEmail Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster that appear to come from ...
Who named phishing?
1990s. The term "phishing" is said to have been coined by the well known spammer and hacker in the mid-90s, Khan C. Smith.
What is phishing also known as?
What is a phishing attack. Phishing is a type of social engineering attack often used to steal user data, including login credentials and credit card numbers. It occurs when an attacker, masquerading as a trusted entity, dupes a victim into opening an email, instant message, or text message.