Vishing

What Is Vishing?

Vishing is a type of social engineering attack that uses voice calls or voice messages to deceive victims into providing sensitive information. It is a form of phishing, which is a type of cyber attack that uses fraudulent emails, websites, and other digital methods to steal sensitive information.

Description

Vishing attacks typically involve the attacker calling the victim and pretending to be a legitimate entity, such as a bank, government agency, or technical support service. The attacker will then attempt to convince the victim to provide sensitive information, such as login credentials or financial data. Vishing attacks can also be used to distribute ransomware or other malware by convincing the victim to download malicious software. Victims are often directed to phishing websites as part of the attack chain.

Usage and Examples

Vishing attacks are commonly used to steal financial information or login credentials. Examples of vishing attacks include calls from attackers pretending to be from a bank, asking the victim to provide their account details to resolve a security issue, and calls from attackers pretending to be from a government agency, asking the victim to provide their Social Security number to avoid legal trouble.