Glossary · IT & systems
Phishing
Fake messages that try to tempt you into giving away your data.
Phishing is the use of fake messages that try to tempt you into giving away sensitive data or clicking on an infected link. They pose as a message from your bank, a supplier or a colleague, and play on trust or time pressure.
The approach is calculated. A message that seems to come from someone you trust, with an urgent request to do something quickly, makes you act before you think. That very haste is the trap: a genuine organisation will rarely pressure you into handing over your details right away.
The best protection is a healthy dose of suspicion. If you have doubts about a message, don't click, but contact the sender another way. For a company, it helps to teach employees to recognise the signs, because technology alone doesn't catch everything.
