Whaling or a whale may refer to any of the following:
- Whaling is a term that describes computer fraud aimed at corporate executives, politicians, celebrities, or other high-profile individuals. Whaling usually looks to get information like personal or business account passwords through the use of phishing or spear phishing. It is often very tailored to the individual, including their name, company name, job title, or other information specific to them. Because of the targeted nature, whaling is a more sophisticated type of phishing and can be harder for individuals to recognize.
The name “whaling” came from the fact that important people are sometimes called “big fish.” A big fish is someone given special treatment due to their status or personal wealth.
With gaming, a whale refers to an overpowered player who is not skilled. For example, in a free-to-play game with pay-to-win elements, a player (whale) may have spent thousands of real-life dollars to level up their character and character’s equipment. Other players (little fish or minnow) who haven’t spent that type of money would have little or no chance against a whale player only because they spent more money.
Blue Whale is the name of a color code. See our Blue Whale color code page for an example of this color code and others related to it.
Computer fraud, Game terms, Internet terms, Security terms, Twink
Related information
- How to protect yourself while on the Internet.
- How to know if an account is real or fake.
- Computer security help and support.
