ICANN Acronyms and Terms
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P
pharming
A form of fraud in which an attacker directs Internet users to a fraudulent website with the intent of stealing login credentials and other sensitive data from them. In a pharming scheme, an attacker alters the Internet Protocol (IP) address of a reputable domain name by hijacking the domain name registration or poisoning the cache in a name server. The altered IP address directs users to the attacker’s website, which is disguised to look like the website belonging to the legitimate domain name holder. Once there, users are duped into entering login credentials, credit card numbers, or other sensitive data.