Recognise phishing, pharming and social engineering
Compare deceptive messages, redirected destinations and psychological manipulation.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This sequence follows Cambridge IGCSE Computer Science 0984, 2026–2028 syllabus Version 4. It covers subject content sections 5.1–5.3 only. The separately published 2029–2031 syllabus is not mapped here. Practice is original, self-checked and does not award an official Cambridge grade. Full timed papers and human subject-teacher review remain outstanding. Cambridge states that 0984 has the same 2026–2028 subject content as 0478, with 9–1 grading. In June and November, Cambridge lists 0984 in Administrative zone 3 and for centres in Oman and the UAE. Confirm availability for your centre and exam series with Cambridge International. The separately published 2029–2031 syllabus changes to Python 3 only and removes pseudocode; this 2026–2028 route does not cover those changes.
Before you begin
- No programming language is required. Be comfortable with place value and multiplication; each lesson introduces the computer-science notation it uses.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What does social engineering exploit?
What you will learn
- Describe phishing through deceptive communication
- Describe pharming as redirection to a false site
- Explain social engineering as manipulation of people
Some threats target people or their route to a site
Phishing uses deceptive emails, messages or websites to persuade a person to reveal information or take an unsafe action. Social engineering is the broader manipulation of people, for example by using urgency, authority or trust.
Apply and check the rule
Pharming redirects a user from a legitimate address to a fraudulent site, for example by tampering with name-resolution settings. A correct-looking URL typed by the user may still be redirected. Check the destination carefully and use trusted routes for sensitive services.
Pause and explain
A user types the correct bank address but is sent to a false site after DNS settings are altered. Which threat fits?
Worked example
A message claims to be from a school and demands an immediate password reset through a linked fake page. Identify the threat and one clue.
Show the worked solution
- The message uses urgency to pressure the user.
- It directs the user to a deceptive login page.
- This is phishing using social engineering.
Answer Phishing: the urgent message manipulates the user to enter a password on a fake page.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
A fake delivery email asks for card details and pressures the recipient to act today. Name the attack and the manipulation tactic.
Give me a hint
Identify both the deceptive message and the human pressure.
Compare my reasoning
- The message impersonates a delivery service.
- It asks for sensitive details through a deceptive route.
- Urgency is social engineering used in a phishing attempt.
Phishing using social engineering: the message impersonates a service and uses urgency to obtain card details.
Look for these in your work
- Threat named
- Sensitive-data aim
- Manipulation explained
A user types a trusted address, but a changed DNS record sends the browser elsewhere. Explain why this is pharming rather than ordinary phishing.
Give me a hint
Focus on whether a deceptive message caused the visit or the destination was redirected.
Compare my reasoning
- The user entered the intended address.
- A changed name-resolution route sent them to another site.
- This redirection is pharming.
It is pharming because the destination was redirected through altered name resolution; it did not rely on a deceptive link in a message.
Look for these in your work
- User action
- Redirect cause
- Threat distinguished
A caller claims to be an administrator and asks a student for a one-time code. Explain the social-engineering risk and a safe response.
Give me a hint
The caller's claimed role is not proof of identity.
Compare my reasoning
- The caller is using authority to pressure disclosure.
- A one-time code can help control an account.
- The student should not share it and should verify the request through a known official channel.
The caller may be manipulating the student through false authority. Do not share the code; verify through a known school contact method.
Look for these in your work
- Manipulation tactic
- Credential risk
- Safe action
Common mistakes
- Using phishing and pharming as synonyms
- Assuming social engineering requires advanced technical software
What can you explain now?
What is the main difference between phishing and pharming?
Compare with the explanation
Phishing deceives through a message; pharming redirects the destination
The attacks use different routes to bring a user to a fraudulent action or site.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Compare phishing, pharming and social engineering.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.