Learn in the textbookTargeted Attacks and Phishing Scams
DefinitionA watering-hole attack (水飲み場型攻撃) first tampers with a website the target often views, so that the target's PC is infected with malware when it visits.
ExplanationThe attacker sets a trap where the target will come on its own and waits. Because the tampered site is a legitimate one the target already trusts, users have little reason to be on guard. Some attacks infect only visitors coming from the target organization, so that other visitors are less likely to notice.
AnalogyIt is like secretly rigging the entrance of a shop that only regulars visit. The customers think it is their usual shop and walk in without a second thought.
Memory hookThe name comes from predators lying in wait at a watering hole where their prey gathers.