Cybersecurity Glossary

Vishing is a form of phishing that uses phone calls as the attack vector. During a vishing attack, scammers call the victim and pose as representatives from an organization, often a financial or government institution. Scammers then use social engineering tactics to get victims to take action over the phone, such as divulging account credentials or financial information. User awareness training about how to spot and respond to a vishing attempt is an effective form of defense.

A virtual private network (VPN) is technology used to extend the protections of a private network across a public network, in order to safely send and receive data. A VPN establishes a secure, encrypted connection between a user’s computer and the internet. The shift to remote work has led to an increase in the number of organizations using VPNs to provide employees with secure access to internal networks. This has also led to an increase in cybercrime involving VPNs, with hackers targeting vulnerabilities to launch ransomware and other malicious attacks.