PHISHING Meaning and
Definition
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Phishing is a fraudulent act that involves the attempt to deceive individuals into revealing sensitive and confidential information. Typically, this is carried out through electronic communication such as emails, instant messaging, or text messages. The term "phishing" is derived from the word "fishing" as it revolves around the concept of luring unsuspecting victims into a web of deceit.
In a phishing attempt, a cybercriminal pretends to be a trustworthy source, such as a trusted company or organization, in order to trick the recipient into providing personal information like passwords, credit card numbers, or social security numbers. These deceptive messages often employ urgency or fear tactics to manipulate victims into responding quickly without verifying the legitimacy of the communication.
The goal of phishing is to gain unauthorized access to sensitive data, which can then be used for various malicious purposes such as identity theft, financial fraud, or unauthorized account access. Cybercriminals often use sophisticated techniques to create fraudulent websites or clone legitimate websites to further trick users into submitting their sensitive information.
To protect themselves from phishing attempts, individuals are advised to exercise caution when opening emails or clicking on links from unknown sources. It is important to verify the sender's identity, scrutinize the content for any signs of manipulation, and avoid disclosing personal information through unsecured channels or suspicious websites. Security software and anti-phishing tools can also help in detecting and preventing phishing attacks.
Top Common Misspellings for PHISHING *
* The statistics data for these misspellings percentages are collected from over 15,411,110 spell check sessions on www.spellchecker.net from Jan 2010 - Jun 2012.
Other Common Misspellings for PHISHING
Etymology of PHISHING
The term "phishing" is derived from the word "fishing", creatively spelling it with a "ph" to represent "password harvesting" or "phooling" (as suggested by some sources). The use of the "ph" was likely chosen to give it a hacker-related or cyber-specific connotation. The analogy of "phishing" with fishing is due to the similarity between the two activities. In both cases, a bait is used to attract victims, with the intention of catching them — either fish or sensitive information, respectively. The word "phishing" first appeared in the mid-1990s and gained popularity as a method of online fraud in the early 2000s.
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