Cybersecurity / Glossary

Spoofing

Spoofing is faking an identity online, such as a sender name, email address, phone number or website, so a message seems to come from someone you trust.

Email spoofing fakes the sender, caller ID spoofing fakes the number on your screen, and website spoofing copies a real site on a lookalike domain.

A display name is easy to fake, so check the real address and the domain of any link. For calls, hang up and call back on a number you know.

Spoofing is the disguise. Phishing, smishing and vishing are the attacks that wear it.