Whaling targets which group of individuals?

Whaling is a specific type of phishing attack that is aimed at high-profile individuals within an organization, such as executives or senior management. These individuals typically have access to sensitive information and the authority to make significant financial decisions, which makes them prime targets for cybercriminals.

Attackers often craft sophisticated emails that appear to be from trusted sources, exploiting the personal and professional relationships of the targeted executives. Because these individuals may have less time to scrutinize communications thoroughly, they are more likely to fall for such deceptive tactics compared to other employees.

This context emphasizes the nature of whaling as a targeted and calculated approach to gain unauthorized access to confidential information or resources, highlighting why high-profile executives are specifically chosen as targets.