Spear Phishing

What Is Spear Phishing?

Spear phishing is a type of cyber attack that targets a specific individual or organization. It is a form of social engineering, where attackers use email or other electronic communication to deceive their victims into providing confidential information or performing an action. The attacker typically impersonates a trusted source, such as a colleague, friend, or family member, in order to gain the victim's trust. The attacker may also use personal information about the victim, such as their job title or interests, to make the message appear more legitimate. The goal of spear phishing is to gain access to sensitive data or systems, or to install malicious software on the victim's computer.

Description

Spear phishing is a type of cyber attack that uses social engineering techniques to target a specific individual or organization. The attacker typically impersonates a trusted source in order to gain the victim's trust and gain access to sensitive data or systems.

Usage and Examples

Spear phishing is commonly used by attackers to gain access to sensitive data or systems. For example, an attacker may send an email to a victim that appears to be from their boss, asking them to click on a link to access a confidential document. The link may actually lead to a malicious website that will install malware on the victim's computer. Another example is an attacker sending an email to a victim that appears to be from their bank, asking them to click on a link to update their account information. The link may actually lead to a website that is designed to steal the victim's banking credentials.