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Cybersecurity
What is Vishing?
Quick answer
Voice phishing, a scam in which attackers use phone calls or voice messages to trick people into revealing information or sending money.
Vishing, explained
Vishing callers often pretend to be from a bank's fraud team, a tax authority, technical support, or a company executive. They create urgency, for example by claiming an account has been compromised, and then ask for one-time codes, passwords, or a payment to a safe account. Caller ID can be spoofed, so a familiar number does not prove a call is genuine.
AI voice cloning has made vishing more convincing, since attackers can imitate the voice of a known person from a short recording. For example, a finance assistant might receive a call that sounds like the managing director asking for an urgent supplier payment. Good defenses include hanging up and calling back on a known number, never sharing verification codes, and requiring a second approval for payment requests.
Related terms
Deepfake
Synthetic audio, video, or images generated or altered with AI to convincingly show someone saying or doing something they did not.
PhishingA social engineering attack that uses fake emails, messages, or websites to trick people into revealing information or installing malware.
SmishingPhishing carried out through SMS or other text messages, tricking people into clicking malicious links or sharing personal information.
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