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A phishing attack is a type of cyber attack that involves using deceptive practices to trick individuals into providing sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, or credit card numbers. This method typically involves masquerading as a trustworthy entity in electronic communications, such as emails, messages, or websites. Attackers craft messages that appear legitimate in order to create a sense of urgency or fear, prompting the target to disclose personal information or click on malicious links.

Phishing is particularly effective because it exploits psychological factors, allowing attackers to bypass technical security measures by appealing to human emotions. The success of phishing attacks relies heavily on the attacker’s ability to convincingly impersonate organizations or individuals that the target trusts, thus leading to the unintentional sharing of confidential data.

In contrast, other types of attacks listed, such as SQL injection, focus on exploiting vulnerabilities in databases using structured query language, which does not involve deceptive interpersonal techniques for information gathering. External attacks generally refer to unauthorized attempts to access a system from outside the network rather than relying on deceptive communication strategies. Keylogger attacks typically involve the installation of software that records keystrokes, rather than tricking users into willingly providing their information.