What are the different types of phishing
attacks?
Phishing attacks are social engineering attacks,
and they can have a great range of targets
depending on the attacker. They could be
generic scam emails looking for anyone or it
can also be a targeted attack focused on a
specific individual. The attacker often tailors an
email to speak directly to you, and includes
information only an acquaintance or official
would know. An attacker usually gets this information
after gaining access to your personal
data. If the email is this type, it is very difficult
for even the most cautious of recipients not to
become a victim.
What is spear phishing?
Fishing with a net may land you a number of
items below the waterline but fishing with a
spear allows you to target a specific fish.
Hence the name. Spear phishing targets a
specific group or type of individual such as a
company’s system administrator.
What is whaling?
Whaling is an even more targeted type of
phishing that goes after the whales. These
attacks typically target a CEO, CFO, or any CXX
within an industry or a specific business.
What is smishing?
Smishing is an attack that uses text messaging or
short message service (SMS) to execute the attack.
A common smishing technique is to deliver a
message to a cell phone through SMS that contains
a clickable link or a return phone number. A
common example of a smishing attack is an SMS
message that looks like it came from your banking institution.
What is vishing?
Vishing has the same purpose as other types of
phishing attacks. The attackers are still after your
sensitive personal or corporate information. This
attack is accomplished through a voice call. Hence
the “v” rather than the “ph” in the name. A common
vishing attack includes a call from someone
claiming to be a representative from Microsoft
What is email phishing?
Email phishing is the most common type of phishing,
and it has been in use since the 1990s. Hackers
send these emails to any email addresses they
can obtain. The email usually informs you that
there has been a compromise to your account
and that you need to respond immediately by
clicking on a provided link.
What is search engine phishing?
Search engine phishing, also known as SEO poisoning
or SEO Trojans, is where hackers work to
become the top hit on a search using a search
engine. Clicking on their link displayed within the
search engine directs you to the hacker’s website.
From there, they can steal your information when
you interact with the site and/or enter sensitive
data. Hacker sites can pose as any type of website,
but the prime candidates are banks, money
transfer, social media, and shopping sites.