Which of the following best describes a phishing attack?

A phishing attack is primarily characterized as a social engineering tactic designed to deceive individuals into divulging sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details. This is typically achieved by impersonating a trustworthy entity through emails, messages, or websites that appear legitimate, leading victims to provide their personal information unwittingly.

Understanding this concept is crucial for recognizing the patterns and techniques utilized in phishing attempts, which often exploit human psychology rather than relying on technical vulnerabilities. Awareness of how these attacks are structured enables individuals and organizations to implement effective measures, such as user education and awareness training, to guard against falling victim to such scams.

The other options describe different types of cybersecurity threats or defenses, such as ransomware attacks (which encrypt files), denial of service attacks (which overload networks), and methods to secure networks. While these are all valid concerns in the realm of cybersecurity, they do not accurately capture the essence of what constitutes a phishing attack.