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Phishing is a type of cybercrime where individuals or organizations are tricked into revealing sensitive information, such as passwords, credit card numbers, or other personal data, often for financial gain. The term "phishing" is derived from the concept of "fishing," as the perpetrators "cast" their nets wide to catch as many victims as possible.

Phishing attacks typically occur through email, text messages, or phone calls. The communication often appears to be from a legitimate source, such as a bank, social media platform, or online retailer. The message may contain a link to a fake website designed to mimic the legitimate one, or it may instruct the recipient to download a malicious file or provide sensitive information directly.

There are several types of phishing attacks, including:

1. Spear phishing: Targeted attacks on specific individuals or organizations.

2. Whaling: High-profile targets, such as CEOs or CFOs, are specifically chosen.

3. Clone phishing: A variation of spear phishing where the attacker copies a legitimate email and modifies it slightly to make it appear more convincing.

4. Smishing: Phishing attacks conducted via SMS or text messages.

5. Vishing: Phishing attacks conducted via voice calls.

To protect against phishing, individuals should be cautious when receiving unsolicited emails or messages, avoid clicking on suspicious links, and never share sensitive information unless they are certain of the source's legitimacy. Organizations should implement strong security measures, such as email filtering, employee training, and multi-factor authentication, to mitigate the risk of phishing attacks.