Phishing
- December 29, 2021
- Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
- Category: DPN Topics
No Comments
Phishing
Subject – Defence and Security
Context – Phishing attacks on central ministry officials get sharper, targeted
Concept –
- Phishing is a cybercrime in which a target or targets are contacted by email, telephone, or text message.
- This is done by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, banking and credit card details, and passwords.
- The goal is to trick the email recipient into believing that the message is something they want or need — a request from their bank, for instance, or a note from someone in their company — and to click a link or download an attachment.
- What really distinguishes phishing is the form the message takes: the attackers masquerade as a trusted entity of some kind, often a real or plausibly real person, or a company the victim might do business with.
- It’s one of the oldest types of cyberattacks, dating back to the 1990s, and it’s still one of the most widespread and pernicious, with phishing messages and techniques becoming increasingly sophisticated.
Related Terms –
- Spam is unsolicited email, instant messages, or social media messages. These messages are fairly easy to spot and can be damaging if you open or respond.
- Spear Phishing occurs when criminals obtain information about you from websites or social networking sites, and customize a phishing scheme to you.
- Spoofing describes a criminal who impersonates another individual or organization, with the intent to gather personal or business information.
- Pharming is a malicious website that resembles a legitimate website, used to gather usernames and passwords.