What is the primary goal of phishing?

The primary goal of phishing is to trick users into believing the communication is from a legitimate source. This type of cyber attack often involves fraudulent emails or messages that appear to come from well-known organizations or trusted individuals. By mimicking these legitimate sources, the attacker aims to deceive the recipient into providing sensitive information such as passwords, credit card numbers, or personal identification details.

Phishing attacks exploit social engineering techniques, leveraging the trust individuals have in familiar entities. Once the attacker successfully obtains the user’s information, they can use it for various malicious purposes, including identity theft or unauthorized financial transactions.

Other options do not align with the core purpose of phishing. Encrypting sensitive data relates more to data protection than deception. Filtering unwanted emails is focused on the prevention of spam rather than user manipulation. Assessing risks to data falls under risk management rather than the primary intent of phishing, which is deception and acquisition of user credentials.