Phishing, Spear Phishing & Whaling : Explained

Phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, credit card information, account data etc. In Phishing, an imposter uses an authentic looking e-mail or website  to trick recipients into giving out sensitive  personal information. For instance, you may receive an e-mail from your bank (which appears genuine to you) asking to update your information online by clicking at a specified link. Though it appears genuine, you may be taken to a fraudulent site where all your sensitive information is obtained and later used for cyber crimes and frauds.

Spear Phishing :

In spear phishing, a particular or a group of individuals is targeted. For example, if there is a company and a hacker is targeting  a specific department of that company this will be called spear phishing, in which the hacker's attention is towards the individuals of that department and then the hacker will try different tricks according to the person's interests, disinterests, mood, and this way with full planing an attack will be made in which the sensitive data of the department, company or individual will be hacked, leaked or misused causing serious damages or loses.

Most of the spear phishing incidents, happen on social media platforms like Facebook , Instagram.

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Whaling :

  

Now, spear phishing is quite specific in its function but if we go beyond, there is another type of phishing which is further more specifically known as whaling.

 In this type of phishing, a person is targeted who is at authoritative position  or who is the functional centre of a department, and the hackers, they will try their best to take out information from that person about bank details, login ID or password, or maybe some other sensitive data.

Also, the attacks done in this process, is in different pattern and algorithms that are not easy to be recognised, that it is a threat to system security, and the person is trapped in this attack.

In this phishing technique, the hacker tries to install a spyware or similar documents or codes into the targeted person's system, to take out information which is sensitive and of use to the hacker.

This method of phishing takes a particular period of time, but once it affects the system it has disastrous effect resulting in loss or leak of data in the end.

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WHAT IS A PHISHING ATTACK?

Phishing, Spear Phishing, and Whaling

Conclusion :

The recommendations are that you should  keep an eye on the messages and mails that you suspect to be a phishing attack, and you should ignore those messages or mails or Report them.

This way your system and data will be secured and free from any kind of cyber threats as well as a phishing attack.

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