Phishing
Definition
A mass deception attack delivered by email, SMS (smishing), or voice call (vishing) in which the attacker impersonates a trusted entity to steal credentials, payment data, or money. Spear-phishing is a targeted variant directed at a specific individual or organisation using personalised detail.
- Delivery channels
- Email, SMS (smishing), voice call (vishing)
- Method
- Impersonation of a trusted entity
- Goal
- Theft of credentials, payment data, or money
- Targeted variant
- Spear-phishing, using personalised detail
Common questions
How does spear-phishing investigation differ from a mass phishing case?+
Spear-phishing usually implies the attacker researched the victim or organisation beforehand, so investigators look for reconnaissance traces such as prior data breaches or social-media scraping feeding the personalised lure.
What digital evidence typically anchors a phishing prosecution?+
Email headers and routing metadata, hosting and domain registration records for the spoofed site, and financial trail evidence from where stolen funds or credentials were used, are the usual building blocks of a case.
Why is smishing harder to filter than email phishing?+
SMS lacks the sender-authentication protocols (like SPF or DKIM) that email has developed, and mobile screens show less context, making spoofed sender names and shortened links harder for a recipient to scrutinise before acting.
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