Learn in the textbookTargeted Attacks and Phishing Scams
DefinitionSmishing (スミッシング) is a kind of phishing that uses short messages sent to a mobile phone number (SMS) as the way in to a fake site.
ExplanationFor example, an SMS posing as a missed-delivery notice or an unpaid bill gets people to open a fake site through the link in the text and enter their ID or other details. In another form, the fake site has people install a malicious app that then steals their information. Short notifications on a smartphone make the sender hard to judge, so people tend to assume they are genuine and open them.
AnalogyIt is like dropping a slip that looks exactly like a courier's missed-delivery notice into a mailbox, so people call the fake contact on it and give away information.
Memory hookThe word is built from SMS and phishing.