Phishers

Phishers are individuals or groups who attempt to obtain sensitive information or access by impersonating legitimate entities. Using social engineering, they deceive victims into revealing passwords, credit card numbers, or other data, or into installing malware. Phishing is conducted through various channels, most commonly email, but also text messages (smishing), phone calls (vishing), fake websites, and compromised or abused social media.

Common techniques include mass-mailed phishing emails that imitate banks or service providers, spear phishing that targets specific individuals or organizations, and clone phishing that uses legitimate messages with altered links. Techniques such as business email compromise exploit trusted communications to fraudulently redirect funds. Phishers may also use malware, keyloggers, or remote-access tools after a victim clicks a malicious link.

Targets range from private individuals to large enterprises; high-value targets include financial services, healthcare, and government. Indicators of phishing include urgent or threatening language, suspicious email addresses or domains, generic greetings, requests for credentials or payment, and mismatched URLs. Legitimate entities rarely press for immediate action or sensitive data via insecure channels.

Impact can be financial losses, identity theft, breach of confidential information, and reputational harm. Victims may experience account takeovers, fraudulent transactions, or ransomware infections. Defenses include user education, suspicious-link warnings, and robust technical controls. Email authentication standards such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC help detect forged messages, while multi-factor authentication reduces risk of credential compromise. Organizations deploy email filtering, anti-malware software, and phishing simulations to improve resilience. When suspected, users should not provide information, verify through official channels, change passwords, enable MFA, and report the incident to the organization or authorities.