The code can be machinelevel code, or code written for an operating system. Whaling definition for englishlanguage learners from. Where spearphishing attacks may target any individual, whaling attacks are more. In these cases, the content will be crafted to target an upper manager and the persons role in the company. Jeff has been working on computers since his dad brought home an ibm pc 8086 with dual disk drives. In one example of a whaling attempt, a number of executives across industries. Difference between spear phishing and whaling difference. Whaling is a specific kind of malicious hacking within the more general category of phishing, which involves hunting for data that can be used by the hacker. It is often very targeted to the individual, including their name, company name, job title, or other information specific to that. Whaling port definition, a home port for whaling vessels. Whaling is a form of phishing that targets highprofile executives, managers, etc. A whaling attack is a special form of spear phishing that targets specific high ranking victims within a company. Definition of whaling written for english language learners from the merriamwebster learners dictionary with audio pronunciations, usage examples, and countnoncount noun labels.
This list defines phishing, spearphishing, clone phishing, and whaling. A whaling attack is a targeted attempt to steal sensitive information from a company such as financial information. Whaling is computer fraud aimed at higher level corporate executives, politicians, celebrities, or other high profile individuals. A whaling attack, also known as whaling phishing or a whaling phishing attack, is a specific type of phishing attack that targets highprofile employees, such as the ceo or cfo, in order to steal sensitive information from a company, as those that hold higher positions within the company typically have complete access to sensitive data. In general, phishing efforts are focused on collecting personal data about users.
A malicious computer program designed to gain access to confidential information stored or processed through online banking systems. Synonyms for whaling at with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions. Whaling is yet another variation of spear phishing attack, except whaling targets highlevel executives or decision makers of an organization. Instead of a link, the phishing scam might have you download a program to view a. In computer science and software engineering, computer software is all information processed by computer systems, programs and data. Computer software, or simply software, is a collection of data or computer instructions that tell the computer how to work. Protection starts with learning to identify a whale phishing attack. This is in contrast to physical hardware, from which the system is built and actually performs the work. Whaling usually aims to get information like personal or business account passwords through the use of phishing or spear phishing. Computer software is programming code executed on a computer processor.
The person targeted is someone of significance or importance. The term whaling refers to spear phishing attacks directed specifically at senior executives and other highprofile targets. In this article learn how whaling attacks work, prevention tips, and examples. A whaling attack is a method used by cybercriminals to masquerade as a senior player at an organization and directly target senior or other important individuals at an organization, with the aim of stealing money or sensitive information or gaining access to their computer systems for criminal purposes. A whaling attack specifically targets senior management in an organization such as. A hook dangles over a computer keyboard depicting computer fraud known as phishing. If youre reading this blog you probably already know a good bit about security. Computer software includes computer programs, libraries and related nonexecutable data, such as online documentation or digital media. Of the 20,000 estimated recipients, about 10% responded.
Spyware is software that is installed on a computing device without the end users knowledge. Whaling definition is the occupation of catching and extracting commercial products from whales. Whaling is a type of phishing attack that targets high profile individuals. Take the 2008 fbi subpoena whaling scam as an example. Whaling is a specific kind of malicious hacking within the more general category of phishing, which involves hunting for data that can be used. Such software is controversial because even though it is sometimes installed for relatively innocuous.
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