What type of threat does phishing represent?

Phishing represents a social engineering attack aimed at deceiving users by manipulating them into divulging confidential information, such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details. This attack typically employs fraudulent emails, messages, or websites that appear legitimate to convince individuals to provide sensitive information unknowingly.

The essence of phishing lies in its reliance on convincing users rather than exploiting technical vulnerabilities directly. Social engineering tactics often involve psychological manipulation, exploiting human trust and curiosity to achieve malicious goals. This makes the understanding of human behavior a crucial component of network security strategies aimed at defending against such attacks.

In contrast, other options pertain to different aspects of security threats, such as physical attacks on infrastructure, forms of malware targeting systems, or technical issues causing network outages, none of which relate to the deceptive nature of phishing.