spoofing
SPOOF-ing
/ˈspuːfɪŋ/
The act of disguising a communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source.
Focuses on the 'masking' or 'impersonation' of identity, such as a fake email address or IP address.
The story behind the word. The word 'spoof' was invented by the English comedian Arthur Roberts in the late 19th century as the name of a game involving trickery and nonsense. It evolved from meaning a 'parody' to meaning a 'hoax' and finally to its technical meaning of digital impersonation.
Word relationships
- impersonation: Impersonation is broader and can be physical; spoofing is technical and digital.
Commonly confused with
- phishing: Spoofing is the method of disguise; phishing is the goal of stealing information.
Word family
- spoof (verb): To trick or deceive by impersonation.
Collocations
- email spoofing
- IP spoofing
- GPS spoofing
Example sentences
- "Caller ID spoofing allows scammers to make it look like they are calling from a local government office." A warning about phone scams.
- "IP spoofing is often used in denial-of-service attacks to hide the true origin of the traffic." A technical explanation of network attacks.
Memory hook
A 'spoof' is a 'proof' that is actually 'fake'. A digital mask.
When not to use
Don't use it for a physical disguise; it almost exclusively refers to digital or electronic impersonation.
Fun facts
- Before it was a cyber term, 'spoof' was a popular Victorian-era card game.
Related words
Explore more words
phishing, plagiarism, counterfeit, falsification, identity theft, cyberbullying
Also appears in
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