What technique uses fraudulent emails to gather personal information?

Phishing is a technique specifically designed to deceive individuals into providing personal information by masquerading as a trustworthy source, typically through the use of fraudulent emails. These emails often contain links to fake websites that mimic legitimate ones, prompting the recipient to input sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details.

The mechanics of phishing rely heavily on the exploitation of users’ trust and can be highly effective due to the realistic nature of the deceptive emails. By mimicking communication from banks, social media platforms, or other familiar services, phishing attempts can easily trick individuals into falling victim to the scam.

In contrast, data harvesting involves the accumulation of information from various sources and may not necessarily involve deception directly through communication methods. Social engineering is a broader term that encompasses techniques used to manipulate people into divulging confidential information but does not specifically refer to the use of fraudulent emails. Malware attacks typically involve software designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to systems, rather than relying on deceptive communications to gather information. Thus, phishing is distinctly identified as the method that specifically uses fraudulent emails to elicit personal information from unsuspecting individuals.