what is whaling

Whaling is a term used to describe the hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. In recent times, the term "whaling" has also been used to describe a type of phishing attack that targets senior executives in an organization. This type of attack is highly targeted and aims to deceive the target into revealing sensitive information or transferring money. Whaling attacks are similar to phishing attacks, but they are more sophisticated and personalized, often incorporating the targets name, job title, or other relevant information gleaned from a variety of sources. Cybercriminals may use complex social engineering strategies to execute whaling attacks successfully because they know that modern organization leaders employ various phishing mitigation strategies and tools.