phishing
noun
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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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Other words from phishing
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noun
Examples of phishing in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Aleksey Lukashev, an email phishing specialist with Unit 26165 of Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate, often abbreviated GRU. — Raphael Satter, BostonGlobe.com, "Long-hidden hackers unmasked by special counsel investigation," 13 July 2018 With this access, scam artists can download malware to the victim's computer, launch phishing attacks against the victim's contacts and access the victim's personal information such as tax returns or health records, the FBI said. — Angela Forburger, azcentral, "FBI: Big increase in tech-support fraud in Arizona this year," 3 July 2018 The phishing email came from a hacker who pretended to be a company employee. — John Sowell, idahostatesman, "This Boise firm says personal data of 4,000 employees, customers may have been stolen," 26 June 2018 The material includes advice for designating a single manager to lead a cybersecurity program, and for avoiding common security threats such as phishing, and other guidance, said Ms. Todt. — Jeff Stone, WSJ, "Cyber Initiative Aims to Translate Fortune 500 Security Lessons for Smaller Firms," 25 June 2018 The invasions included ransomware, which makes a computer's files unusable unless the device's user or owner pays a ransom, and phishing, in which emails that look legitimate are used to steals information. — Joyce M. Rosenberg, USA TODAY, "Small businesses vulnerable to cyberattacks, then don't act, new survey finds," 18 June 2018 Disney’s government fell victim to an email phishing scheme that ended up costing about $94,000, documents show. — Gabrielle Russon, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Disney's Reedy Creek loses $94,000 in phishing scheme," 25 June 2018 The investigation revealed that Ojo controlled the email accounts used in the phishing scheme, officials said. — Nicholas Rondinone, courant.com, "Nigerian Man Admits Stealing $36,000 Using Glastonbury School Employees' Tax Information," 22 June 2018 Meanwhile, the people behind phishing attacks are getting much better. — Casey Newton, The Verge, "Google’s Mark Risher tells us why everything we know about passwords is wrong," 6 June 2018These 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.
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More Definitions for phishing
phishing
noun
\
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)
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