What Is Phishing?
A familiar-looking message can hide an unsafe request.
Free video lesson · 1:06
What Is Phishing?
Phishing Awareness for Beginners
Music: “Thinking Music” by Kevin MacLeod. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
A familiar-looking message can hide an unsafe request.
Read the video transcript
Phishing is a trick that uses a message to get you to do something unsafe. Someone may pretend to be a person or company you trust. Their goal is to make the request feel normal.
Imagine an email saying your game account will close unless you sign in. It has a familiar logo and a bright button. But the message was sent by someone trying to steal your password.
The logo is only a picture. Anyone can copy a picture. A message looking familiar does not prove who sent it or whether its request is safe.
Instead of using that button, open the game through the app you already use. Check your account there. You have chosen your own route instead of following the stranger’s directions.
That is the useful habit: check the request through a route you already trust. You do not need to solve the whole mystery inside the message.
For another clear example, watch Why Do Phishing Messages Rush You? Then try Can You Trust an Email Sender Name?
The short answer
Phishing is a trick that uses a message to get you to do something unsafe. Someone may pretend to be a person or company you trust. Their goal is to make the request feel normal.
A simple example
Imagine an email saying your game account will close unless you sign in. It has a familiar logo and a bright button. But the message was sent by someone trying to steal your password.
The logo is only a picture. Anyone can copy a picture. A message looking familiar does not prove who sent it or whether its request is safe.
Instead of using that button, open the game through the app you already use. Check your account there. You have chosen your own route instead of following the stranger’s directions.
That is the useful habit: check the request through a route you already trust. You do not need to solve the whole mystery inside the message.
Put it into practice
- Pause before using a button in an unexpected message.
- Open the service through the app or bookmark you normally use.
- If the request still seems unusual, ask a trusted adult or your support team.
Check your understanding
A message uses the correct logo and your first name. Is that enough to trust a request for your password?
Answer
No. Those details can be copied or learned. Check the request using a separate, trusted route.
Explore next
Follow the free video course one question at a time. Teams can practise these habits through security training. For the cryptography protecting your systems, explore a cryptography audit.