spear-phishing

noun

1. the practice of sending fraudulent e-mails to extract financial data from computer users for purposes of identity theft, by mimicking a sender that the recipient knows

Example Sentences

The Harris camp said last week it had been the target of an unsuccessful spear-phishing attack.

From BBC

The Republican's campaign was reportedly sent a spear-phishing email – a message designed to look trustworthy in order to get the target to click on a malicious link.

From BBC

Britain’s Foreign Office, in a statement released on Thursday, said a group “almost certainly” linked to the Russian intelligence service engaged in sustained cyberespionage operations, including attacks that targeted lawmakers from across the political spectrum using spear-phishing attacks, or malicious emails, beginning as early as 2015.

From New York Times

Crafty Emails GPT drafted such a spear-phishing email, warning a fictional company executive of a data risk and encouraging them to download a booby-trapped file.

From BBC

The Kimsuky hackers has long used “spear-phishing” emails that trick targets into giving up passwords or clicking attachments or links that load malware, according to researchers.

From Reuters