Whats A Watering Hole

The watering hole is a slang term used to describe your favorite hangout.  It derives from an actual watering hole that animals use to drink from. Predators will lay in wait for their prey to come to the watering hole, then pounce on them! So a watering hole is a place that you frequent often and in some instances are places you go to everyday. So your watering hole could be your favorite restaurant, club, bar or virtual places such as websites. So how can that be used against you?

Watering Hole Attack: Here’s How It Works

During a watering hole attack, your favorite sites are used against you. An attacker does some information gathering on their potential victims. This reconnaissance may take days, weeks, or even years depending on the target. Hackers gather as much intel as possible about a victim’s browsing habits. This information gathering can be extremely sophisticated or extremely simple. attack or Once they know your favorite websites, they launch their attack!  This can be done by placing viruses on the website you frequent, or by creating similar to lure you in.  Once the potential target reaches the website the main objective is to obtain as much confidential information as possible.

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