閱讀測驗 44-46
In computing, phishing is a criminal activity using social engineering techniques. Phishers attempt
to fraudulently acquire sensitive information, such as usernames, passwords and credit card details, by
masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. PayPal and eBay are two of the
most targeted companies, and online banks are also common targets. Phishing is typically carried out
using email or an instant message and often directs users to give details at a website, although phone
contact has been used as well. Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents
include legislation, user training, and technical measures.
The first recorded mention of the word “phishing” is on the alt.online-service.america-online Usenet
newsgroup on January 2, 1996, although the term may have appeared even earlier in the print edition of
the hacker magazine 2600. The term phishing is a variant of “fishing”, probably influenced by
“phreaking”, and alludes to the use of increasingly sophisticated lures to "fish” for users’ financial
information and passwords. These words are examples of so called leetspeak, which is a form of
symbolic writing in which alternative characters are used to replace some letters. In leetspeak, ph is a
common substitution for f.
【題組】46. What is the relationship between “phishing” and “fishing”?
(A) People who give out their financial information are as easy to trick as fish.
(B) Phishers try to attract people the way fishermen attract fish.
(C) Phishers are hidden from view, like fish.
(D) Phishers, phreakers and fishermen are all obsessed with their hobbies.