How phishing attacks work

The pattern

Phishing combines a plausible pretext, a channel you already trust, and a time constraint. The message imitates a service you use, the link leads to a page that captures what you type, and the urgency stops you checking.

Modern variants

• Reverse-proxy pages that capture one-time codes in real time
• Approval fatigue: repeated push prompts until one is accepted
• Callback phishing: a message asking you to phone a number they control
• Search-advert impersonation of support pages and wallet downloads

Defences that actually hold

• Phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication such as passkeys or hardware keys
• A password manager, which will not autofill on a look-alike domain
• Navigating to services yourself rather than through links in messages
• Treating any request for a code as a red flag, without exception