What is Spear Phishing?
Spear phishing, also known as trap phishing or whaling, is a targeted form of phishing attack that is designed to trick high-level individuals within a company or organization, such as executives or senior managers, into divulging sensitive information or making unauthorized transactions.
Spear phishing attacks are often carefully researched and tailored to the specific victim, using social engineering tactics to manipulate and deceive the victim into taking a specific action. Spear phishing attacks may use various forms of communication, including email, phone calls, and text messages.
Learn more about prepending and cybersecurity
Spear phishing attacks can have severe impacts on both the targeted individual and the organization as a whole. It is essential for individuals and organizations to be aware of spear phishing attacks and to take appropriate measures to prevent them. Preventative measures may include implementing strong authentication protocols, educating employees on how to identify phishing attempts, utilizing security software, and exercising caution when clicking on links or downloading attachments.
There are several types of spear phishing, including clone phishing, in which the attacker creates a duplicate of a legitimate email and sends it to the victim with malicious content; link manipulation, in which the attacker creates a fake website that looks like a legitimate site and tricks the victim into entering their login credentials; and attachment-based attacks, where the victim is deceived into opening a harmful attachment.
