A whaling attack, also known as whaling phishing, is a targeted phishing attack that poses as a legitimate email and is directed at senior executives targetting them that would allow them to access passwords, other user data, or sensitive parts of the network.
Attackers use social engineering techniques in these attacks to trick their victims into sending money or disclosing private information.
According to experts, attackers can also ask a user to click on a link in these attacks that takes them to a fake website that looks exactly like the real one, where malware can be downloaded or information is collected. An email that appears to be from a reliable source—typically a contact within the organization or with a partner, vendor, or customer account—is sent by an attacker in a whaling campaign.
Emails and websites used in whaling attacks are customized and specific, and they often include the victim’s name, job title, or other pertinent information obtained from different sources.
Cybercriminals use a variety of technical tricks to make their messages seem authentic like spoofing emails to make them look like they come from reliable sources Domain modification that closely resembles official business URLs, creating plausible fake websites especially for the attack.
AI technology is increasingly being used in modern whaling phishing attacks to increase their efficacy. To make identification even more difficult, AI-powered systems can create extremely convincing email templates and imitate the writing styles of the targeted persons. These advanced tools have the ability to dynamically modify message content according to contextual cues and receiver behavior.
Spelling and grammatical mistakes, suspicious-looking or misspelled URLs, corporate-looking emails that use public email addresses rather than company’s domain, and odd requests to confirm personal information are all signs of whaling attacks.
