What is 'phishing'?

Phishing is best understood as a fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. This practice often involves deceptive emails, messages, or websites that impersonate legitimate organizations to trick individuals into revealing personal data, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and other confidential information. The effectiveness of phishing relies on social engineering techniques, where attackers exploit human psychology and trust in well-known brands or services.

Phishing can take many forms, including email phishing, where users receive emails that appear to come from banks or other institutions; spear phishing, which targets specific individuals or organizations; and smishing, which utilizes SMS messages. Understanding the nature of phishing is crucial for developing robust cybersecurity strategies, as awareness and education can significantly mitigate the risk of falling victim to such scams. This makes option B the accurate choice regarding the definition of phishing.