Vishing

Vishing, a combination of “voice” and “phishing,” is a type of social engineering attack where fraudsters attempt to deceive individuals over the phone to obtain sensitive information such as financial account details, passwords, or personal identification numbers (PINs). Vishing attacks typically involve automated phone calls or robocalls that impersonate legitimate organizations, such as banks, government agencies, or tech support services, and use pre-recorded messages or scripts to trick recipients into providing confidential information or taking immediate action, such as transferring funds or installing malicious software. Vishing attacks exploit human psychology and trust to manipulate victims into divulging sensitive information or performing unauthorized actions. To safeguard against vishing attacks, individuals should exercise caution when receiving unsolicited phone calls, verify the legitimacy of callers or organizations, and avoid providing sensitive information over the phone unless absolutely certain of the caller’s identity.

Imagine vishing as a digital deception. Just as a magician uses misdirection to trick audiences, vishing attackers use deception and manipulation to exploit victims’ trust and extract sensitive information.