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phishing

FISH-ing /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

nounB2TOEFLIELTS

technicalinformal

A fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details by disguising as a trustworthy entity.

Implies deceptive communication (like fake emails or texts) designed to trick human targets into giving up secret data.

The story behind the word. Coined around 1996 in the hacker newsgroup community, 'phishing' replaced the 'f' with 'ph' as a nod to 'phreaking'—the 1970s subculture of phone system hacking. The metaphor pictures attackers casting out bait in the vast ocean of the internet and waiting for gullible users to bite.

Word relationships

social engineering: Social engineering is the umbrella category of manipulating people; phishing is a specific email/message tactic under it.
scam: A scam is any fraudulent scheme, whereas phishing explicitly uses fake communications to steal credentials.

legitimate communication: Genuine messaging sent from actual trusted senders without deceitful motives.

Commonly confused with

spoofing: Spoofing is falsifying a header or identity (e.g., fake sender address), while phishing is the entire fraudulent attempt to steal info using that deceit.

Word family

phish (verb): To attempt to trick someone into revealing sensitive information.
phisher (noun): A person who engages in phishing attacks.

Collocations

phishing attack
phishing email
spear phishing
phishing campaign

Example sentences

"Employees underwent mandatory training to identify suspicious links in phishing emails." Corporate Safety

Memory hook

Phishing is like FISHING for passwords with fake bait. Baiting users to catch passwords.

When not to use

Do not confuse with literal fishing using a hook and line in water.

Fun facts

The earliest documented phishing attacks targeted America Online (AOL) users in the mid-1990s by pretending to be AOL customer support staff asking for password verification.