Which cyber threat involves sending deceptive emails to obtain sensitive information?

Which cyber threat involves sending deceptive emails to obtain sensitive information?

• A. Pharming
• B. DDoS
• C. Phishing
• D. Hacking

Answer: (C)

Exploiting trust through fake messages to lure you into revealing confidential data is phishing. This tactic uses deceptive emails that appear to come from legitimate organizations, prompting you to click a link, enter passwords, or share financial or personal details. Phishing hinges on social engineering—tricking the human into unsafe actions rather than breaking in by technical means.

Pharming, by contrast, redirects you to a fraudulent site by manipulating DNS, not by email-based social engineering. A DDoS attack overwhelms a service with traffic to make it unavailable. Hacking is a broad term for unauthorized access or intrusion into systems, not specifically tied to deceptive emails aimed at gathering information.