Definition of phishing
: a scam by which an Internet user is duped (as by a deceptive e-mail message) into revealing personal or confidential information which the scammer can use illicitly
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phishing was our Word of the Day on 08/17/2007. Hear the podcast!
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Recent Examples of phishing from the Web
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The site's request for six digits of their social security number also raised security questions and was taken by some web browsers as a possible phishing scam.
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While most certainly bad news for Apple, the method that experts believe the hackers used to crack the company's iCloud service was simple phishing emails, which were designed to trick recipients into disclosing the passwords of their accounts.
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Or maybe a phishing email looks like it's being sent by a taxpayer to a tax professional.
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Its security certificates were briefly invalid, leading web browsers to flag it as a phishing site.
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If the app and password prompt close, the prompt was likely a phishing attempt.
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Or maybe a phishing email looks like it's being sent by a taxpayer to a tax professional.
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Meanwhile, a phishing campaign was used by the attackers to implant remote access malware on bank employees' computers.
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In this monthlong program, Facebook tests employees by simulating a variety of phishing attacks, spam campaigns and other threats.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'phishing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Did You Know?
Phishing is one of the many new computer-related terms that have found their way into the general lexicon over the past decade or so. Its "ph" spelling is influenced by an earlier word for an illicit act: "phreaking." Phreaking involves fraudulently using an electronic device to avoid paying for telephone calls, and its name is suspected of being a shortening of "phone freak." A common phishing scam involves sending e-mails that appear to come from banks requesting recipients to verify their accounts by typing personal details, such as credit card information, into a Web site that has been disguised to look like the real thing. Such scams can be thought of as "fishing" for naive recipients.
Origin and Etymology of phishing
alteration (influenced by phreaking) of fishing
Law Dictionary
legal Definition of phishing
: a fraudulent operation by which an e-mail user is duped into revealing personal or confidential information which can be used for illicit purposes (as identity theft)
Origin and Etymology of phishing
alteration of fishing (probably influenced by phreaking illegal access to a phone system)
Learn More about phishing
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Nglish: Translation of phishing for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about phishing
Seen and Heard
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