# Glossary, techniques (Phisherman) Short definitions for awareness playthroughs. Each term links to a **fictional** beat in this vault. --- ## Spear phishing Targeted messages aimed at **one person or role**, using research to sound credible. **In-game:** Mango’s brief names Isabella Laurent and Marc Dubois as spear-phishing options, different risk and access profiles. --- ## Pretexting Inventing a **false identity or scenario** so the target cooperates without realising they are being manipulated. **In-game:** You build **Elliot Cinder**, an internal risk analyst who “belongs” at Blackridge. --- ## OSINT (open-source intelligence) Gathering intelligence from **public or semi-public** sources: filings, interviews, social posts, leaked screenshots. **In-game:** LinkedIn, the ex-intern’s posts, annual-report footnotes, Slack crops. --- ## Business email compromise (BEC) Abuse of **work email** (or chat) to impersonate colleagues, vendors, or partners and steer payments, data, or process. **In-game:** Elliot’s cautious internal notes to Isabella mirror BEC tone, procedural, low drama, “just flagging.” --- ## Vishing (voice phishing) Using **voice** (calls, voice notes) to pressure, instruct, or build rapport. **In-game:** The opening handler voice note; Dane as relay to Mango. --- ## Trust-building (slow engagement) Multiple low-risk contacts before a **bigger ask**, so the target treats you as familiar. **In-game:** Portfolio thread before the hard push; “patience” as Isabella’s habit. --- ## Authority and urgency Signals that imply **senior approval**, deadlines, or external pressure (bank, market, compliance). **In-game:** Margin call arc; Mango demanding timelines; “the bank does not wait.” --- ## Lure (malicious attachment or link) A document or URL packaged to look like **routine work**, opened because ignoring it creates professional cost. **In-game:** Risk attestation draft; committee pre-read calendar. --- ## Calendar / meeting phishing Fake invites or pre-reads that exploit **meeting culture**, boring subjects, plausible times, video links. **In-game:** Committee calendar pre-read shaped to match institutional texture. --- ## Credential harvesting Tricking someone into **revealing login details**, tokens, or session access. **In-game:** Pushing Marc for login; glimpsing tokens without understanding the system. --- ## Insider vocabulary / process mimicry Copying **internal jargon, escalation paths, and tool names** so outsiders sound like staff. **In-game:** PRAP, hold rules, “silent alert” → sanitised ticket language. --- ## Quishing-adjacent desk leaks (informal channel risk) Sensitive process discussed in **Slack/Teams** jokes or crops, not email, still exploitable. **In-game:** “Second marshmallow” line in a blurred Slack screenshot. --- ## Social proof and euphemism Shared phrases and **sanitised labels** that hide severity (“observation hold display behaviour”). **In-game:** Ticket rewrite after “silent alert” disappears. --- ## Defender wins (what breaks the attack) | Control | |---------| | Out-of-band verification of sender | | Role-boundary challenge | | Reporting odd internal asks | | Stopping before escalation| --- *Fictional scenario, Blackridge Capital, PRAP, and all personas are invented.*