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Spoofing is when someone pretends to be someone else to commit fraud or harm. Types include caller ID, email, and URL spoofing. Attackers can use these to obtain sensitive information, like usernames and passwords, for malicious purposes such as identity theft and bank fraud.
Spoofing is typically the act of a person pretending to be someone else, usually in an attempt to defraud someone or otherwise commit a fraudulent or rather harmful act. The word “parody” is often used in entertainment to mean a type of media that uses impersonation to parody another entertainment program or work. In the sense that it is used in security and fraud, however, spoofing is used because a person uses impersonation to appear as another person or service and obtain sensitive information or otherwise maintain an advantage over the unwitting victim.
Different types of spoofing include those involving caller ID, email, and URLs (Uniform Resource Locator). Caller ID spoofing involves using a computer program to create an incorrect identity and phone number that appears on a caller ID. The development of caller ID made it possible for people to readily see who was calling without having to answer the phone. Caller ID spoofing allows a person to make a phone call appear as if it came from someone or somewhere else. Caller ID spoofing programs allow a user to enter any name and phone number they want and have it displayed on the receiving person’s caller ID display.
Email spoofing is the act of sending an email that displays an incorrect and inaccurate “From:” line. This means that someone receiving an email might believe it is from a person or service they know, when in fact the email could be coming from somewhere else. These types of email spoofing are often used as part of a “phishing” scheme which typically also involves a certain period of URL spoofing.
URL spoofing occurs when a fraudulent, often malicious website that appears to be a different, legitimate website is set up to obtain sensitive information. Fake websites can sometimes be used to install viruses or trojans on a user’s computer, but more often they are used to get information from a user. These types of spoofing can be used to launch a more elaborate attack.
For example, an attacker could send a fictitious email demanding immediate action on the part of a person to ensure the safety of their bank account. The person then follows a link in the email that leads to a spoofed URL that appears to be the bank’s legitimate website, but isn’t. Upon reaching the spoofed URL, the user can then type their username and password to access their account, by which time the website has recorded their private information, so it will often report an error and redirect the user to the site Legit Bank Web. The user has now provided the attacker with their username and password, which the attacker can then use for malicious purposes, such as identity theft and bank fraud.
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