Understanding Phishing: Definition And Tactics
ESET, Friday, August 15th, 2025
Phishing is a cybercrime where attackers pose as trusted sources to steal sensitive information like passwords or financial data. Though it thrives online today, phishing is rooted in age-old deception-now supercharged by technology.
Phishing is a type of social engineering attack where the criminal behind it impersonates a person or organization in an attempt to gain something valuable from you, whether it be money or things like credential they can use to log into accounts to steal information or perform additional criminal actions.
Origins and evolution of phishing
The term "phishing" is derived from the word "fishing." In particular, the idea of dangling a tempting lure on a hook in front of a fish. When the fish bites, it swallows the bait and gets hooked. The same idea applies to the victim who responds to the email. The "ph" at the beginning of the word is intentional, and taken from "phreaking," the term used to describe the techniques used to hack and intrude into telephone networks dating back to the 1970s.