What is phishing?

Phishing is a form of cyber attack that involves fraudulent attempts to acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details, by impersonating a legitimate and trustworthy source. This is often executed through deceptive emails, websites, or messages that convincingly resemble those of reputable organizations. Attackers capitalize on the trust and familiarity that users have with these entities, tricking them into providing their confidential information.

This understanding is critical in the cybersecurity domain, as recognizing phishing attempts is one of the first lines of defense against identity theft and financial fraud. In contrast, the other choices relate to different aspects of computing that do not pertain to the act of deceiving users for sensitive information. For instance, securing data through encryption addresses data protection measures rather than deceptive practices. Techniques for improving computer performance and software used for data recovery focus on system efficiency and data management rather than on cyber threats and their motivations.