Portal:Internet/Selected article/24 2006
In computing, phishing is a form of criminal activity using social engineering techniques. It is characterized by attempts to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an apparently official electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out using email or an instant message, though it has more recently exploited fax. The term phishing derives from password harvesting and the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish" for users' financial information and passwords.