Phishing

Phishing is the fraudulent attempt to obtain sensitive information or data, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive details by impersonating oneself as a trustworthy entity in a digital communication. Typically carried out by email spoofing, instant messaging, and text messaging, phishing often directs users to enter personal information at a fake website which matches the look and feel of the legitimate site. As of 2020, phishing is by far the most common attack performed by cyber-criminals, with the FBI‘s Internet Crime Complaint Centre recording over twice as many incidents of phishing than any other type of computer crime.

The first recorded use of the term “phishing” was in the cracking toolkit AOHell created by Koceilah Rekouche in 1995, however it is possible that the term was used before this in a print edition of the hacker magazine 2600. The word is a leetspeak variant of fishing (ph is a common replacement for f , probably influenced by phreaking, and alludes to the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to “fish” for users’ sensitive information.

Attempts to prevent or mitigate the impact of phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures..

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing

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RANSOMWARE

Ransomware is an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable. Malicious actors then demand ransom in exchange for decryption. Ransomware actors often target and threaten to sell or leak exfiltrated data or authentication information if the ransom is not paid. In recent years, ransomware incidents have become increasingly prevalent among the Nation’s state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) government entities and critical infrastructure organizations.

Malicious actors continue to adjust and evolve their ransomware tactics over time, and CISA analysts remain vigilant in maintaining awareness of ransomware attacks and associated tactics, techniques, and procedures across the country and around the world: See CISA’s Awareness Briefings on Combating Ransomware, Joint Ransomware Statement, and CISA Insights – Ransomware Outbreak. 

source and full article https://www.cisa.gov/ransomware#:~:text=Ransomware%20is%20an%20ever%2Devolving,ransom%20in%20exchange%20for%20decryption.

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