Phishing is a social engineering attack where an attacker impersonates a trusted entity to trick a user into revealing credentials, approving malicious access, or executing an action they otherwise would not. It exploits human trust rather than technical vulnerabilities.
Attackers deliver convincing emails, messages, or links that redirect victims to fake login pages, malicious attachments, or OAuth consent screens. Once the user interacts, attackers harvest credentials, steal session tokens, or gain delegated access, often bypassing MFA and traditional security controls.
Phishing remains the most common initial access vector for enterprise breaches. A single successful phishing interaction can lead to account takeover, lateral movement across SaaS applications, Business Email Compromise, or ransomware deployment without triggering security alerts.
In 2025, UK tax authority HMRC disclosed that organised criminals executed a phishing attack targeting around 100,000 taxpayers’ online accounts. The attackers used fraudulent access to HMRC online accounts to redirect refunds or perform unauthorized submissions, ultimately extracting £47 million from the public purse. The agency later corrected accounts and initiated criminal investigations, though concerns were raised about delayed disclosure.
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