Meaning & use
spear phishing
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablecomputing
A fraud in which a criminal sends a fake but convincing message to a chosen person or organization to steal data or money.
Grammar: No plural and no article: 'Spear phishing is a growing threat.' Say 'a spear phishing email' for one message.
Patterns
- spear phishing attack
- fall for spear phishing
- a spear phishing email
The finance team was tricked by a spear phishing email that looked exactly like a note from the CEO.
Unlike ordinary phishing, spear phishing targets a specific employee by name.
Security training now includes how to spot spear phishing attempts before opening any links.
Common combinations
- spear phishing attack
- A spear phishing attack on the payroll department cost the company thousands.
- fall for spear phishing
- Even careful staff can fall for spear phishing when the message seems urgent.
- spear phishing email
- She forwarded the spear phishing email to the IT security team.
- targeted spear phishing
- The bank warned customers about a wave of targeted spear phishing.
Synonyms and how they differ
- phishing
- Use 'phishing' for broad attacks sent to many people at once; 'spear phishing' is narrower and aimed at particular victims.
Commonly confused: spear phishing or phishing?
spear phishing vs phishing
Phishing is the general term for fake messages sent to huge numbers of people; spear phishing is personalized and aimed at one person or group.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'spear phishing' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Spear phishing' is a type of online fraud, so it fits the sentence about a fake email. The other options treat it as a fish or a physical activity, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “spear phishing”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.