What is whaling?
Whaling – is a type of cybercrime that involves convincing a high-value target (HVT) to click on a malicious link or open a malicious file in order to gain access to the HVT’s computer and sensitive data.
Have you heard of cyber whales?
This is not a term your average Joe would joke about. Unless you are a hacker or part of the security industry, there is a good chance you don’t. Your average Joe would have no idea what it means. That is until now, because we are going to tell you what Whaling for Cyber Awareness is!
Whaling is a form of phishing targeting senior executives
Its goal is to trick them into providing company information, such as passwords and account numbers. Whaling attacks are often part of a larger cyberattack, such as a data breach or ransomware attack, but they can also be used on their own.
Whaling attacks can be used to
"Whaling" is a phishing attack that targets senior executives and other phone number data
individuals within an organization who hold sensitive information. These attacks are often more sophisticated and harder to detect than traditional phishing scams, which typically target a large number of individuals with a general message. "Whaling" is a term used to describe spear phishing attacks that specifically target high-profile targets, such as the CEO, CFO or other senior executives. The attacker will typically research the target and craft a message that appears to come from a legitimate source, such as a senior member of the organization or a trusted business partner, in an attempt to trick the target into providing sensitive information or transferring funds.
Cyber Awareness
It refers to the understanding and awareness of the various types of cyber threats and the steps that can be taken to prevent them. This includes understanding the risks associated with using the internet and other digital technologies, and knowing how to identify and respond to potential cyber attacks.
In the context of whaling, cyber awareness would include understanding the specific tactics and methods used by these types of attacks, as well as knowing how to identify and respond to suspicious messages that appear to be coming from high-level executives within an organization. Whaling cyber awareness is therefore the awareness of this specific type of threat, how to identify it and prevent it.
Whaling Cyber Awareness Challenge
The program is a unique combination of technology, education, and hands-on experience developed by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACS) with funding from the U.S. Department of State's Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA) program.
The Department of State's Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program (ATA). The Whaling Industry Cyber Awareness Challenge is designed to educate participants about cyber crime, how to protect themselves online, and how to recognize when they have been the target of malicious activity. The challenge consists of four modules.
Whaling Cyber Awareness 2024
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