Phishing kit definition
A phishing kit is a set of tools for carrying out phishing attacks — social engineering techniques that seek to trick victims into revealing sensitive information or sending the scammer money. Phishing kits are created by technically proficient cybercriminals and sold to less skilled scammers, often with detailed instructions and ongoing support.
With a phishing kit, even a novice attacker can conduct a sophisticated phishing attack. The widespread availability of phishing kits has greatly lowered the barrier to entry for cybercrime, leading to a rise in data breaches and financial losses over the years.
See also: angler phishing, anti-phishing service, clone phishing, HTTPS phishing, ice phishing, phish-prone percentage, spear phishing, social engineering, cybercrime, cybercriminal
Phishing kit contents
Phishing kits commonly include web page templates that mimic legitimate websites (such as banks, email providers, or social media platforms). These templates are designed to look authentic and convincing to increase the chances of successful deception. Many kits come with scripts for collecting and transmitting stolen data to the attacker.
Phishing kits may also include tools for managing the logistics of a phishing campaign: email spamming software to target a large number of potential victims, tools to harvest email addresses, and programs to automate the process of setting up phishing sites on compromised domains. Advanced kits might even provide analytics to track the success of the phishing campaign.
