How does an attacker perform a phishing attack?

Phishing attacks are a type of social engineering tactic where attackers aim to trick individuals into providing sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords, or credit card details. This is usually accomplished by sending fraudulent emails that appear to come from legitimate sources, such as banks, online service providers, or trusted contacts.

The emails often contain links that lead to fake websites designed to mimic real ones, where victims are prompted to enter their personal information. By creating a sense of urgency or a threat in the email, attackers can further increase the chances that an individual will fall victim to the scam. Thus, the core technique of a phishing attack revolves around the deception in communications, highlighting the method of obtaining sensitive information through fraudulent means.

In contrast, the other options involve different types of security threats, but they do not represent phishing specifically. For example, guessing passwords or using brute force is more about exploiting weak passwords than deceiving users. Accessing a network through unsecured Wi-Fi involves a different approach to cybersecurity vulnerabilities, typically associated with unauthorized access rather than direct communication. Installing malware on a victim's computer relates to malicious software that can capture data, but it does not rely on deception in the way phishing does.