n.
A program or Web site that uses a legitimate-looking interface to fool users into providing their passwords.
Example Citation:
According to David, "Phishing scams are different than benign spam schemes that try to sell the user something or get them to open a link to an undesirable site. Phishing e-mails don't normally contain virus payloads, but SpyWare such as keystroke loggers and password traps may be downloaded when e-mail attachments from the phishing perpetrators are opened."
—Jon Gagne, "Scam Artists Look to Hook Sailors Through 'Phishing' E-Mails on NKO," Defense Department Documents and Publications, January 9, 2006
Earliest Citation:
Windows NT even forces users to press the Ctrl-Alt-Del key combination that reboots the system before logging on, just to make sure that the password dialog box that pops up is really Windows NT and not a nefarious password trap.
—Kevin Bachus, "Windows power play," Corporate Computing, January 1, 1993
Related Words:
Categories:
New words. 2013.