What does phishing typically involve?

Phishing typically involves tricking individuals into providing sensitive information by impersonating a trustworthy entity. This practice often occurs through deceptive emails, messages, or websites that appear legitimate. The perpetrator designs these communications to convince the recipient to divulge confidential information, such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or social security numbers, often by creating a sense of urgency or fear. By mimicking a trusted source, such as a bank or an online service, attackers exploit the trust users have in these organizations to engage in fraudulent activities.

The other options do not align with the core concept of phishing. Distributing software updates and installing security patches relate to maintaining and improving the security posture of software applications and systems, while setting up firewalls pertains to network security measures. These activities are preventive and do not involve manipulating individuals into revealing personal information, which is the hallmark of phishing attacks.