Definition
THE phishing (or phishing) means a digital fraud technique consisting of deceiving a user to extract sensitive information, identifiers, passwords, bank details, by pretending to be a trusted interlocutor (bank, administration, service provider, colleague, etc.).
The attacks are based on falsified messages (emails, SMS, calls, or websites) that closely mimic an organization’s legitimate channels.
Why is phishing crucial?
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Major gateway to cyberattacks : more than 90% of security incidents start with a successful phishing campaign.
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Granular targeting : attacks now use contextual data (name of superior, current project, corporate tone) to appear credible.
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Automation and generative AI : Language models make messages more natural and harder to detect.
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Ransomware vector : a click on a trapped attachment can trigger ransomware and compromise the entire information system.
Technological issues
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Behavioral detection : modern security solutions analyze weak signals (message tone, location, interaction history).
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Strong authentication (MFA) : the use of double factor authentication drastically reduces the risks of exploitation.
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Continued awareness : employee training is becoming a central pillar of defense, often integrated into SaaS cybersecurity platforms.
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Domain and trademark monitoring : early detection of fraudulent domains limits the impact of massive campaigns.
Phishing vs Spear Phishing: what’s the difference?
| Criteria | Phishing | Spear Phishing |
|---|---|---|
| Target | General public, mass campaigns | Specific individuals or businesses |
| Content | Generic message (banking, delivery, taxes) | Personalized message (name, function, internal project) |
| Objective | Information theft or massive infection | Targeted intrusion or industrial espionage |
| Level of sophistication | Low to medium | High, often manually orchestrated |
The future of phishing
The rise of artificial intelligence is transforming phishing into a adaptive and polymorphic threat. Auto-generated messages now mimic the writing style of a person or brand. Countermeasures evolve in parallel: Defensive AI, contextual filters, conversational security. The battle is moving from the technical field to the cognitive field, that of trust.
