Which targeted phishing technique is aimed at executives or high-level targets?

Which targeted phishing technique is aimed at executives or high-level targets?

• A. Source Code Leaks
• B. Malware
• C. 64-Bit Malware
• D. Spearfishing (Execs)

Answer: (D)

Spearphishing aimed at executives targets high-level individuals with highly personalized and credible-looking messages. Attackers research the executive’s role, relationships, and ongoing projects to craft an email that appears legitimate—often mimicking a colleague, vendor, or official request. The goal is to coax the recipient into revealing credentials, approving a transfer, or clicking a malicious link or attachment. Because it leverages personalization and trust, this approach is more effective against executives than generic phishing and other, non-targeted attack methods. The other options don’t describe this targeted phishing technique. Source code leaks refer to exposing software code, not a phishing method. Malware is a broad class of harmful software, not a phishing tactic. 64-bit malware is a specific type of malware architecture, not a phishing approach.

Spearphishing aimed at executives targets high-level individuals with highly personalized and credible-looking messages. Attackers research the executive’s role, relationships, and ongoing projects to craft an email that appears legitimate—often mimicking a colleague, vendor, or official request. The goal is to coax the recipient into revealing credentials, approving a transfer, or clicking a malicious link or attachment. Because it leverages personalization and trust, this approach is more effective against executives than generic phishing and other, non-targeted attack methods.

The other options don’t describe this targeted phishing technique. Source code leaks refer to exposing software code, not a phishing method. Malware is a broad class of harmful software, not a phishing tactic. 64-bit malware is a specific type of malware architecture, not a phishing approach.