Spear Phishing vs Phishing: Why the Difference Matters

When it comes to cyber threats, not all phishing attacks are created equal.

While “phishing” is a term many people recognise, far fewer truly understand “spear phishing” — and that gap in awareness is dangerous. Understanding the difference isn’t just technical. It’s critical to protecting yourself, your team, and your organisation from costly and damaging attacks.

Let’s break it down — and explain why recognising spear phishing could save your business, your school, or your reputation.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is the broad-net cyberattack.

Attackers send out thousands — sometimes millions — of fake emails, texts, or social media messages, hoping even a small percentage of people will take the bait.

The goal? To trick recipients into clicking a malicious link, downloading malware, or handing over personal information like passwords or bank details.

Common signs of phishing emails include:

🔹 Generic greetings like “Dear Customer”

🔹 Poor grammar, spelling mistakes, strange formatting

🔹 Suspicious links or unexpected attachments

🔹 Urgent or threatening language (“Act now!”)

Phishing is cheap, automated, and relies on quantity over quality. Most phishing emails are relatively easy to spot with basic training.

What is Spear Phishing?

Spear phishing is targeted digital deception.

Instead of sending random fake messages to thousands, attackers research and craft personalised attacks against specific individuals, businesses, schools, or organisations.

Spear phishing emails often:

🔹 Use the victim’s real name, job title, or references to real projects

Appear to come from trusted colleagues, managers, suppliers, or public figures

🔹 Use authentic-looking branding, timing, and language

The result? An email that feels legitimate — and is far more likely to fool even vigilant users.

In short:

🔹 Phishing = random, generic attacks at scale

🔹 Spear phishing = precise, personalised attacks aimed at high-value targets

How Attackers Gather Information: Understanding OSINT

OSINT stands for Open-Source Intelligence. It simply means collecting information that is publicly available — no hacking required.

Attackers don’t need advanced tools. They just need time, curiosity, and access to the internet.

Common sources of OSINT include:

🔹 Social media profiles (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X, TikTok)

🔹 Corporate and school websites (staff lists, newsletters, event pages)

🔹 News articles, award announcements, conference attendance

🔹 Breached data (old email addresses, leaked passwords)

🔹 Public records and databases (Companies House filings, court records)

If you can Google it, attackers can find it. If you can see it on someone’s LinkedIn or Facebook page, attackers can use it.

Everyday Information People Share — and How Attackers Use It

Most professionals don’t realise just how much sensitive information they make publicly available — and how easily cybercriminals can weaponise it.

For example, a simple LinkedIn profile showing your job title, such as “Finance Officer at XYZ Ltd,” immediately flags you as a potential target for fake invoice or payment scams. Attackers now know you have financial authority — and can tailor a convincing email to exploit that.

Work email formats are another giveaway. If your business website or press releases display emails in a predictable format — like firstname.lastname@company.co.uk — attackers can easily guess and verify valid addresses for spear phishing attempts.

Social media posts and public updates are goldmines too. When someone announces they’re attending a conference or business event, attackers know leadership might be out of the office — the perfect window to impersonate them and send urgent fake requests.

Personal updates also create opportunities. Sharing birthdays, family news, or personal milestones allows attackers to craft emotional scams involving “urgent family emergencies” to manipulate targets into quick, uncritical action.

Even seemingly harmless updates like “Thrilled to start my new role at XYZ Ltd!” can put new joiners at risk. Attackers often target new employees with onboarding scams, fake IT support requests, or fraudulent HR communications — before they fully know internal processes or communication norms.

The more detailed the public information about individuals and organisations, the easier it becomes for cybercriminals to build believable, highly targeted spear phishing attacks. And because these attacks feel real, victims are far less likely to question them before taking action.

The Real Process: How Spear Phishing Happens

Spear phishing attacks follow a deliberate and predictable structure. Understanding these stages — and seeing how they work in practice — is key to recognising and stopping them before any damage is done.

Here’s how a real spear phishing attack unfolds:

Step 1: Target Identification

What happens: The attacker carefully selects individuals who have access to valuable systems, money, or sensitive information.

Typical targets include:

🔹 Finance officers (for fraudulent payments)

🔹 HR managers or Operations Managers (for data access)

🔹 IT staff (for password resets or system access)

🔹 CEOs, Managing Directors, or Department Heads (to exploit authority)

Example: An attacker might choose a newly promoted Operations Manager at a company, knowing they may not yet be familiar with all approval or payment processes.

Step 2: Information Gathering (OSINT Collection)

What happens: The attacker uses open-source intelligence to research their target. They build a detailed psychological profile — learning how the target communicates, who they report to, and what pressures they might be under.

Common information gathered:

🔹 Full name, job title, manager’s name

🔹 Work email address

🔹 Recent projects (e.g., office refit, infrastructure upgrades)

🔹 Publicly shared events (e.g., “Excited to attend the UK Business Leadership Conference”)

Example: The attacker finds a company newsletter mentioning an office refurbishment project and notes that the Managing Director is away at an industry conference.

Step 3: Attack Crafting (Creating the Lure)

What happens: Using the information collected, the attacker carefully crafts a fake but highly believable email or message.

Techniques include:

🔹 Mimicking the writing style of a known colleague

🔹 Referencing real projects, suppliers, or events

🔹 Using urgent language (“Board needs payment confirmation today”)

Example: The finance officer receives an email apparently from the Managing Director:

“Hi [First Name], can you urgently process the £4,950 payment to [Supplier] for the IT work discussed last week? I’m tied up in meetings but it must be done today. Thanks so much.”

Because the project is real, and the urgency fits normal business pressures, the target’s suspicion is lowered.

Step 4: Delivery and Engagement

What happens: The fake message is sent. The attacker relies on timing, pressure, and trust to push the victim into quick action without proper verification.

Example: The finance officer, believing they are helping their boss, authorises the payment without questioning the email. The funds are sent directly into the attacker’s controlled account.

Step 5: Breach and Exploitation

What happens: Depending on the attacker’s goal, the result might be:

🔹 Financial loss (payments sent to criminal accounts)

🔹 Data theft (student or parent personal data stolen)

🔹 System compromise (malware planted for further access)

🔹 Reputation damage (if a breach becomes public)

Example: By successfully receiving the first payment, the attacker might follow up with further fake requests, gaining even more money — or escalate to selling stolen data on the dark web.

Key Point: Every Step is Precise and Intentional

Spear phishing isn’t random. Every stage is crafted to exploit real people, real information, and real relationships.

And the more information available about you online, the easier — and more believable — these attacks become.

Real-World Spear Phishing Example: The 2017 UK Parliament Email Breach

In June 2017, UK Parliament suffered a significant cyberattack triggered by spear phishing.

Attackers gathered public information about MPs, peers, and parliamentary staff using OSINT techniques like LinkedIn and government websites. They sent targeted phishing emails, tricking individuals into revealing their email credentials.

The result:

🔹 Around 90 email accounts were compromised.

🔹 Remote email access was shut down temporarily for all users.

🔹 Sensitive government business was disrupted.

Security experts believe the attack was likely state-sponsored — but the methods were frighteningly simple: Research. Fake emails. Social engineering.

Why the Difference Matters

You might survive a random phishing attack with basic awareness. Spear phishing is different — it demands advanced critical thinking and active suspicion.

Spear phishing attacks:

Evade most technical filters.

They don’t rely on malware or suspicious links alone — they use real names, real projects, and real pressures that look legitimate to email filters and to human eyes.

Exploit human psychology.

Attackers weaponise natural instincts — like trust in colleagues, fear of missing deadlines, respect for authority, and the desire to act quickly to help the business.

Fool even experienced professionals.

When an email appears to come from a trusted boss, a known supplier, or a familiar team member — and references real, timely events — even vigilant employees can be tricked into acting without question.

Cause lasting financial, legal, and reputational damage.

A single successful spear phishing attack can lead to stolen funds, leaked customer or employee data, compromised systems, regulatory investigations, and serious brand harm that can take years to rebuild.

Spear phishing works because it doesn’t just target your technology — it targets your people. It bypasses firewalls, antivirus software, and spam filters by creating emails that feel authentic, urgent, and harmless.

Without practical, human-focused cyber awareness, organisations remain dangerously exposed. And with the rise of AI-driven attacks, spear phishing is becoming even faster, more personalised, and harder to detect.

Recognising the difference between random phishing and spear phishing isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s a critical survival skill for modern businesses, schools, and organisations.

How to Protect Against Spear Phishing

🔹 Train and refresh regularly. Staff and leadership must know what modern spear phishing looks like — and what tactics attackers use.

🔹 Build a culture of verification. Critical requests (payments, credential changes, data access) must never be acted on from an email alone — verify by phone, video call, or in person.

🔹 Harden your digital footprint. Limit what is publicly available about staff roles, suppliers, internal structures, and upcoming events.

🔹 Use strong technical controls. Enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) on all critical systems, and use email authentication tools like DMARC.

🔹 Run regular phishing simulations. Test and measure how well your people can spot and report threats under realistic conditions.

Final Thought

Phishing casts a wide net. Spear phishing strikes with a single, carefully targeted spear — aimed directly at the most critical people in your organisation.

Modern cyber threats don’t just target systems. They target your people — their trust, their instincts, and their willingness to act quickly when under pressure.

In a world where sensitive information is everywhere — and attackers can exploit it within minutes — basic cybersecurity awareness is no longer enough.

Your defences must start with human instinct: the ability to pause, question, and verify, even when a request feels genuine.

At Cyber Rebels, we believe that practical, human-focused training is the most effective way to build that instinct. We help teams recognise the subtle warning signs of spear phishing, think critically under pressure, and transform everyday actions into your organisation’s strongest defence.

If you’re ready to build a workplace where cybersecurity is second nature — not second thought — we’re ready to help.