What is the main target of whaling attacks?

Whaling attacks specifically focus on high-profile individuals and executives, often targeting those who hold significant influence or access within an organization, such as CEOs, CFOs, or other key decision-makers. The reason for this focus is that these individuals typically have the authority to make substantial financial transactions or confidential decisions that can be exploited by attackers.

Whaling attacks are typically more sophisticated than regular phishing attempts and are carefully crafted to appear legitimate. Attackers often conduct extensive research on their targets to create personalized messages, increasing the likelihood of success. Since high-profile individuals usually have greater access to sensitive information and financial assets, successfully deceiving them can yield much higher rewards for attackers compared to phishing campaigns aimed at the general public or lower-level employees. Therefore, the primary objective of whaling is to compromise these influential figures to achieve broader malicious goals.