MISHING

What Does MISHING Meant?

Quick Answer

Mishing is a cybersecurity term that refers to phishing attacks conducted via mobile devices. It is a combination of the words "mobile" and "phishing."

More Details

What is Mishing?

Mishing (mobile phishing) is a social engineering attack where cybercriminals attempt to deceive users into providing sensitive information through mobile devices. As smartphones increasingly serve as our primary gateway to digital services, it has become one of the fastest-growing cybersecurity threats. These sophisticated attacks target users through various mobile channels, including text messages (smishing), messaging apps, and malicious QR codes (quishing). Cybercriminals typically impersonate trusted organizations like banks, government agencies, or popular services, creating a false sense of urgency that compels victims to act quickly without scrutiny.

How is it Done?

A typical mishing attempt might alert the victim to "suspicious account activity" with a link to "verify your identity," which leads to a convincing but fraudulent website designed to harvest credentials. What makes mishing particularly effective is the mobile context: smaller screens make spotting fake URLs difficult, and people tend to be more distracted when using mobile devices. Additionally, many people have been conditioned to respond immediately to mobile notifications.

How to Avoid It

As with all types of phishing, protection against mishing requires vigilance: it is important to verify messages through official channels, avoid clicking suspicious links, use two-factor authentication (2FA), be skeptical of urgent or too-good-to-be-true offers, and keep devices updated with the latest security patches.

Image for Mishing

Mishing is a combination of the words "mobile" and "phishing."

Summary of Key Points

Mishing
Definition:	Mobile Phishing
Type:	Word
Guessability:	4: Difficult to guess
Typical Users:	Adults

An Academic Look at MISHING

Mishing can also be considered a neologism (i.e., a newly coined word or term which has emerged into everyday usage). Some neologisms are formally accepted into mainstream language (at which point, they cease to be neologisms), and some wither until they can longer be considered everyday terms. A neologism can be a completely new word (e.g., "oversharing"), a new combination of existing words (e.g., "digital detox"), or a new meaning for an existing word (e.g., "sick").

Example of MISHING Used in a Text

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