Phishing Definition

Using fake Web sites to trick you into giving away personal information

“Phishing” or “Web spoofing” attacks use fraudulent Web sites to trick you into giving away confidential personal information such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, and ID numbers. This is called “phishing” because attackers are “fishing” for your personal information and trying to lure you into providing it.

A phishing attempt usually starts with an email urging you to click on a Web link in order to check something about your bank account or another on-line account. These emails often appear to be from popular online institutions. When you click on the link you go to a page where you are asked for information. The page appears genuine, but is in fact counterfeit. Phishers may then use the personal information you give on the page to steal your identity or your money.

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Glossary of Terms

Adware Botnet Cracking Crimeware Cyberbullying Cybercrime Cyberstalking Cyberterrorism Data-Theft DoS-Attack Hacking Hoax-Email Identity-Theft Keylogging Madware Malware Pharming Phishing Ransomware Scareware Smishing Social-Engineering Spam Spyware Trojan Virus Vishing Website-Defacement Worm