Spoofing, in the field of cyber security, is the act of disguising communication from a malicious source so that it appears to be from someone the target knows and trusts. It helps the attacker gain access to computers and obtain sensitive information, launch malware attacks and disrupt operations.
For example, you receive an email from your bank asking you to re-submit your account access information for some bogus reason. You recognize the email address so you willingly oblige. But later your credit card bills you for items you never purchased. You’ve been spoofed!
The act of spoofing is like the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing. The timeless fable tells of a wolf who disguises himself as a sheep, fools the shepherd and successfully devours his prey.
Other interesting terms…
