spear phish

[ speer fish ]

verb (used without object)

1. to phish by sending personalized email that appears to be from someone the recipient knows but which is really luring the recipient to open a malicious website:

   How can we make it harder for them to spear phish?

verb (used with object)

1. to make (someone) a victim in this way:

   My name was being used to spear phish my Facebook friends.

Other Words From

• spear phish·er noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of spear phish¹

First recorded in 2005–10; spear ¹( def ) + phish ( def )

Example Sentences

That, said Philip Lieberman of security software company Lieberman Software, would increase the chances of any targeted email attack, or spear phish, successfully obtaining confidential data.

From Reuters

That, said Philip Lieberman of security software company Lieberman Software, would increase the chances of any targeted email attack, or spear phish, successfully obtaining confidential data.

From Reuters