phishing

British  

/ ˈfɪʃɪŋ /

noun

1. the practice of using fraudulent e-mails and copies of legitimate websites to extract financial data from computer users for purposes of identity theft

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Etymology

Origin of phishing

C21: from fishing in the sense of catching the unwary by offering bait; computer-hacker slang often replaces f with ph

Example Sentences

The attacks have largely focused on leaking documents through publicly known vulnerabilities that can be exploited by scanning computer networks for weaknesses or by launching classic phishing attacks, analysts said.

From The Wall Street Journal

She also said criminals used phishing emails, offering fake gift cards as a prize or a deal.

From BBC

He said the hacker groups usually target out-of-date or unpatched security systems, or use traditional phishing methods—baiting users with fake emails or texts.

From The Wall Street Journal

It catches basic malware and phishing sites but shouldn’t be your only line of defense.

From Salon

Almost 57% of the participants overall didn’t click on the link, avoiding the phishing attack.

From The Wall Street Journal