Phishing

Phishing is the act of attempting to acquire information such as usernames, passswords, and credit card details (and sometimes, indirectly, money) by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communications. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing emails may contain links to websites that are infected with malware Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail spoofing or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to deceive users.

In my next post I will teach you how to protect yourself from phishing.