What is Phishing?

Phishing is a type of cyber-attack that tricks people into sharing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, etc. This is often done with attackers pretending to be a trusted party, like a bank (50%) or service provider (40%), or even in 10% of attacks where attackers pretend, they are other colleagues. Phishing attacks can be carried out via email, text message or a fake website which resembles the real one. 

Phishing is designed to con the target into clicking on malicious links and downloading dangerous attachments. This allows attackers to gain access at which point they can exploit sensitive data, file malware in the system or take over an account. While it is said that phishing, spear-phishing, (attempting to obtain personal or financial information from a user), and whaling (the specific targeting of high-ranking company executives like CEOS) are nothing new. 

The only defense against phishing that continues to work is vigilance. Regularly updating security software and enabling Identity and Access Management (IAM) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), further ensures protection from these attacks.