Phishing
is an attempt to criminally and fraudulently acquire sensitive
information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by
appearing as a trustworthy entity in an Electronic communication. eBay, PayPal
and other online Banks are common targets. Phishing is typically
carried out by email or instant messaging and often directs users to
enter details at a website, although phone contact has also been used.
Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to
fool users. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported
phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness,
and technical measures.
Recent phishing attempts
have targeted the customers of banks and online payment services.
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Orkut, etc are also a target of phishing.
