Voice phishing—fraudulent phone calls attempting to extract sensitive information or payments.
Vishing (voice phishing) uses phone calls to manipulate victims into revealing sensitive information, making payments, or granting remote access. Attackers may impersonate tech support, banks, government agencies, or company executives. Vishing often creates urgency—claiming accounts will be closed, legal action is imminent, or systems are compromised. Caller ID spoofing makes calls appear to come from legitimate numbers. Vishing is frequently combined with other attacks, such as calling to 'verify' a phishing email.
Why It Matters
The DSC Perspective:
Vishing bypasses email security entirely. Finance teams are frequent targets for payment fraud. Establish verification procedures for payment requests and train staff to be suspicious of unsolicited calls requesting action or information.