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phishing

FISH-ing /ˈfɪʃɪŋ/

nounB2

generaltechnical

The fraudulent practice of sending emails or making phone calls purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers.

Phishing is a specific type of social engineering attack. It 'fishes' for information by impersonating trusted entities, often relying on urgency or fear to trick victims into clicking malicious links or divulging sensitive data.

The story behind the word. The term 'phishing' is a playful respelling of 'fishing,' reflecting the idea of 'casting a line' to 'hook' sensitive information from unsuspecting victims. It's also thought to be influenced by 'phreaking,' an older term for hacking telephone systems. The 'ph' spelling became popular in the mid-1990s, particularly in hacker communities, to describe this specific type of online deception.

Word relationships

spoofing: General term for disguising one communication from an unknown source as being from a known, trusted source.
social engineering: Broader term for manipulating people into performing actions or divulging confidential information.

Commonly confused with

identity theft: 'Phishing' is a method used to commit identity theft, typically through deceptive emails or websites. 'Identity theft' is the crime itself, regardless of the method used to obtain the information.

Word family

phisher (noun): A person who engages in phishing.

Collocations

phishing attack
phishing email
phishing scam
spear phishing

Example sentences

"Many employees fell victim to the phishing attack, clicking on a link in an email that appeared to be from the HR department." Warning about cybersecurity threats.
"Always check the sender's email address carefully to avoid phishing scams." Advice for online safety.

Memory hook

PHISHING is like FISHING for personal info, but with a 'PH' because it happens on your PHone or comPHuter. Fishing for info

When not to use

Do not use 'phishing' for all forms of online fraud; it specifically refers to deceptive communications (emails, calls, texts) designed to trick you into revealing information.

Fun facts

Variations of phishing include 'spear phishing' (targeted at specific individuals), 'whaling' (targeted at high-profile individuals), and 'smishing' (via SMS messages).