What phishing actually is

Phishing is an attempt to trick you into handing over credentials, money, or access — usually by impersonating someone or something you trust: your bank, IT department, a courier, or a colleague. It arrives by email most often, but also by SMS (smishing), voice calls (vishing), or chat apps.

Modern phishing is rarely full of typos and broken logos anymore. Attackers use real branding, cloned websites, and urgent, plausible scenarios. The defense isn't spotting 'bad grammar' — it's recognizing the pattern of pressure plus a request for credentials or action.