Phishing and Spoofing: What the Public Sector Needs to Know

To protect our institutions and citizens, we must first understand these threats in detail. Phishing is a sophisticated form of social engineering attack where cybercriminals create deceptive communications to steal sensitive information. Think of phishing like a digital disguise—criminals dress their messages up to look legitimate, much like a wolf in sheep's clothing. The term "phishing" is itself, a play on "fishing," as attackers cast out bait and wait for unsuspecting victims to bite.

Spoofing complements phishing by providing the technical means to create these disguises. It involves falsifying identifying information to make communications appear legitimate. Just as a skilled forger might copy a signature, cybercriminals use spoofing to imitate trusted sources, making their deceptive messages more convincing.
Source: https://www.govstack.com/resources/posts/phishing-and-spoofing-what-the-public-sector-needs-to-know/