Final answer:
Phishing refers to illegitimate e-mail messages that appear to be from an established organization and are sent to collect personal information.
Step-by-step explanation:
Illegitimate e-mail messages, sent to collect personal information, and that appear to be from an established organization such as a bank or insurance company is called phishing.
Phishing is a type of cyber attack where hackers send fraudulent emails that mimic legitimate organizations in order to trick recipients into providing sensitive information like passwords or financial details. These emails often contain urgent requests or enticing offers to deceive the recipient into taking action.
For example, a phishing email may pretend to be from a bank, claiming that there is a security issue with the recipient's account and requesting them to provide their login credentials to resolve the issue. However, if the recipient falls for the scam and provides their information, the attacker can use it for fraudulent activities.