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Imagine receiving an email that feels like from your bank, urging you to upgrade your account information.
It seems legitimate, but clicking the link could unleash a devastating cyberattack.
This is phishing, a widespread menace that has targeted thousands of organizations and individuals.
In fact, over 80% of organizations experienced at least one successful phishing attack in 2022.
Phishing is a broad category of cyberattacks that involve tricking people into revealing sensitive information or performing harmful actions.
One particularly dangerous form is spear phishing, a highly targeted attack.
But what exactly distinguishes these two attacks?
Phishing vs.
Spear Phishing Comparison
What Is Phishing?
However, different cyberattacks fall under the umbrella of phishing, depending on the medium or tactic.
The different phishing attack mechanisms include:
What Is Spear Phishing?
This helps cybercriminals build trust within the victims, increasing the chances of email recipients performing the desired action.
On the contrary, spear phishing leverages targeted social engineering, not just mere luck.
The higher the level of executive they target, the greater the potential impact of compromising them.
Hence, traditional security measures like firewalls often fail to detect them.
Similarly, here are two real-life examples of spear phishing campaigns.
Conclusion
Both phishing and spear phishing attack campaigns are inevitable and hard realities of todays digital world.
Cybercriminals today employ sophisticated tactics to compromise individuals and organizations, leading to massive financial and reputational damages.
