Spear Phishing
What is Spear Phishing?
A targeted form of phishing directed at a specific individual or organization, using personalized information to make the attack more convincing. Unlike mass phishing campaigns, spear phishing emails reference your real name, job title, colleagues, or recent transactions. Attackers research their targets using LinkedIn, company websites, and previously breached data to craft highly believable messages.
How to recognize even targeted phishing attempts →
Why this matters for Canadian businesses
Understanding Spear Phishing is part of building a security programme that meets the 13 Baseline Cyber Security Controls published by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (ITSM.10.089) — the Government of Canada's recommended minimum standard for small and medium organizations. You can measure your organization against all 13 controls with our free cybersecurity assessment.
For the wider picture on how Canadian small and medium businesses are performing, see The Cybersecurity Canada Report 2026, our annual benchmark of incident rates, breach costs, and regulation affecting Canadian organizations.
Cite This Page
Suggested citation:
Cybersecurity Canada (2026). Spear Phishing. Retrieved from https://cybersecuritycanada.ca/glossary/spear-phishing/
Permanent URL: https://cybersecuritycanada.ca/glossary/spear-phishing/
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