Phishing vs. Spear Phishing: Which is More Dangerous and How to Stay Safe
Imagine you’re sitting at your desk, sipping coffee. An email pops up and it’s from your bank—or so it claims. The subject line screams urgency: “Your account has been compromised! Act now!” You hesitate, your heart skips a beat, and you click the attached link without hesitation. Moments later, you realize something feels off, but it's too late. Now, what if that email wasn’t an obvious attempt to scam you, but instead a carefully crafted message sent by your boss with their signature attached? It asks you to quickly approve a wire transfer or share sensitive company data. It looks so convincing, you wouldn’t think twice. These two scenarios illustrate the difference between two cybercriminal masterminds: Clumsy Pete aka phishing scam we are all aware of, and Sneaky Sam aka spear phishing, who pays attention to every detail. In this guide, we’ll describe the difference between phishing vs spear phishing, expose their tactics, show you how to spot the signs, and arm you with the tools to stay one step ahead.






