What is phishing?

• A. A scam used to steal sensitive data via fake online websites that look like real company's website.
• B. A legitimate verification process for online purchases.
• C. An email asking to update your password with a legitimate site.
• D. A software that protects against malware.

Answer: (A)

Phishing is a scam where attackers try to steal sensitive information by guiding you to fake online pages that look like real company sites. The critical idea is deception: a message or link makes you think you’re interacting with a trusted organization, but the site is actually controlled by the attacker, and any login details, passwords, or financial information you enter go to the attacker instead of the legitimate site. This is exactly what the described option conveys—a scam using fake websites to harvest data.

Other descriptions describe legitimate security steps or protections, which aren’t phishing. A password‑update request could be legitimate, but phishing relies on impersonation and counterfeit pages to trick you into giving up information. A program that protects against malware is unrelated to phishing.