Spear Phishing
A targeted phishing attack customized for a specific individual or organization using researched personal details.
Spear phishing↗ is a targeted form of phishing↗ aimed at a specific individual or organization, using researched personal details, a real colleague's name, a recent project, an actual job title, to make the deceptive message far more convincing than a generic, mass-sent phishing email.
Because spear phishing is tailored, it has a much higher success rate than broad phishing campaigns and is frequently the opening move in larger, more damaging attacks like business email compromise or ransomware↗ deployment. Verifying unusual requests through a separate communication channel, like a phone call, is one of the most reliable defenses.