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What is Whaling?
Whaling is a form of phishing that specifically targets senior executives — the "big fish" in an organization. These attacks are highly personalized, well-researched, and designed to exploit the authority and access that come with leadership positions. Because executives can authorize large transactions, access sensitive data, and override security procedures, a single successful whaling attack can have catastrophic consequences.
How a Whaling Attack Works
Profile the executive extensively
Attackers build detailed dossiers on C-suite targets using conference appearances, board memberships, SEC filings, social media, and news articles — information executives are often required to make public.
Identify the right moment
They time the attack around known events — earnings announcements, M&A activity, board meetings, or international travel — when the executive is busy, distracted, or unavailable for verification.
Deliver a high-stakes request
The attacker sends a carefully crafted message — often disguised as a legal matter, regulatory inquiry, or urgent business deal — that demands immediate action and discourages the executive from checking with others.
Leverage the executive's authority
Whether the executive directly takes the bait or the attacker uses the executive's compromised account to instruct subordinates, the result is the same: significant financial or data loss.
Real-World Example
The CEO of a European aerospace company received what appeared to be a phone call from the parent company's chief executive, requesting an urgent transfer of $243,000 to a supplier. The voice was actually AI-generated, trained on recordings from the real executive's public conference speeches. The CEO complied because the voice, accent, and speaking style were indistinguishable from the real person.
How AiVERSARY Detects Whaling Risk
AiVersary's reports create a detailed exposure profile for each executive, showing exactly what an attacker can learn about them from public sources. This includes speaking schedules, board memberships, published financial details, family information on social media, and other data that makes whaling attacks more convincing. The report recommends specific steps to reduce executive exposure.
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Get Your Threat ReportRelated Terms
Business Email Compromise
Business email compromise is when an attacker impersonates a senior executive — usually the CEO or CFO — to trick an employee into wiring money or sharing sensitive data. These attacks don't require any malware or hacking; they rely entirely on convincing someone that a fraudulent request is coming from their boss. The FBI reports BEC has caused over $50 billion in losses worldwide.
Spear Phishing
Spear phishing is a targeted email attack where criminals research a specific person and craft a message designed just for them. Unlike mass spam, these emails reference real details about your job, your colleagues, or recent company events to appear legitimate. They are the number one way attackers breach organizations today.
Vishing
Vishing — short for "voice phishing" — is when attackers use phone calls instead of emails to manipulate people into sharing sensitive information or taking harmful actions. Phone calls create a sense of immediacy and personal connection that emails can't match, and they bypass all of your email security filters. With AI voice cloning now widely available, attackers can even impersonate specific people your team knows and trusts.
OSINT Reconnaissance
OSINT reconnaissance — Open Source Intelligence gathering — is the first phase of nearly every targeted cyberattack. It's the process of collecting publicly available information about an organization and its people to plan an attack. Everything from your company website and LinkedIn profiles to job postings, DNS records, and conference presentations becomes intelligence. This is exactly the same process AiVersary uses, but we do it first so you can fix what's exposed.