Expanded Definition: vishing

What is vishing? 

Vishing, short for voice phishing, is a type of social engineering attack where scammers use phone calls, voicemails, or voice messages to trick victims into revealing sensitive information, such as login credentials, financial data, or personal identification numbers. Unlike phishing attacks, vishing bypasses digital defenses by targeting people directly through conversation and manipulation.

Why is vishing on the rise? AI’s role in vishing attacks

With the rise of generative AI, vishing has become more convincing, scalable, and dangerous. Attackers are using AI to automate message creation, mimic natural human language, and even personalize content based on publicly available data or breached information. 

According to Forbes Tech Council, AI-generated phishing, smishing, and vishing attacks have surged by over 400% in the past year alone. This makes smishing one of the fastest-evolving threats in the social engineering landscape. 

Read our blog, “The dark side: How threat actors are using AI”, to learn more about how bad actors are weaponizing AI tools.

How does vishing work? Common techniques explained

Cybercriminals use various tactics to impersonate trusted sources, creating urgency or fear to manipulate their victims. Some common vishing techniques include: 

• Caller ID spoofing: Makes it appear the call is from a legitimate organization. 
• Urgent threats: “Your bank account is locked—verify now!” 
• Robocalls: Automated messages requesting a call-back or account confirmation. 
• Tech support scams: Posing as IT or MSP support to gain system access. 

Pro tip: Vishing often works in tandem with phishing emails or smishing (SMS), making multi-channel deception even more convincing. 

Vishing examples

Bank fraud alert: 
“This is your bank’s fraud department. We’ve noticed suspicious activity on your account. Please confirm your card number and PIN to secure your funds.” 

IT support impersonation: 
“Hi, this is the IT desk. We’ve detected a virus on your workstation. I need your login credentials to run a remote scan.” 

Executive whaling call:
“This is John from the CFO’s office. We need to process an urgent wire transfer before close of business—can you help with the authorization?” 

Government tax scam:
“You have unpaid taxes and a warrant for your arrest. To avoid legal action, call this number immediately and verify your identity.”

These vishing calls use urgency, fear, and social engineering tactics to manipulate targets into revealing confidential information over the phone. 

Who do vishing attacks target?

Vishing can affect anyone, but attackers often tailor their approach depending on the target. 

• Individuals: Targeted with fake fraud alerts, IRS scams, or lottery claims.
• Employees: Tricked into sharing company credentials or sensitive project data.
• Executives: Subject to “whaling” attacks involving fraudulent fund transfers or insider business information.
• MSPs: Impersonators may pose as clients, vendors, or IT staff to gain network access. 

Vishing risks: Why vishing is a threat to MSPs and businesses 

Vishing is especially dangerous because it targets human behavior, not system vulnerabilities. For MSPs and IT teams, the risks are amplified:

• Data breaches: Voice scammers can trick technicians into disclosing network credentials.
• Loss of client trust: Clients depend on MSPs for secure service. Falling victim to a vishing attack can damage your reputation.
• Financial and legal consequences: Mishandled information may result in regulatory fines or contract violations.
• No automated defense: Vishing circumvents filters and detection tools used for email-based threats. 

One phone call can compromise an entire network. That’s why vigilance and proactive defense are critical. 

How to prevent vishing attacks 

Businesses and individuals can defend against vishing with a multi-layered defense strategy combining awareness, verification protocols, and access controls. 

• Educate end users: Train employees and clients to recognize suspicious phone calls and understand common vishing tactics, such as urgency, impersonation, or requests for sensitive information.
• Verify requests independently: Never act on sensitive requests received by phone alone. Hang up and confirm using an official number or a known communication channel.
• Be cautious of urgency and fear tactics: Vishing calls often use pressure to override judgment. Encourage users to slow down, ask questions, and verify before responding.
• Don’t trust caller ID: Remind users that caller ID can be spoofed to impersonate banks, coworkers, or IT teams.
• Limit access to sensitive data: Restrict system access to authorized personnel and apply role-based permissions to reduce the impact of social engineering attacks.
• Use multi-factor authentication (MFA): Require MFA for all critical systems, and instruct users to never share MFA codes over the phone.
• Establish a reporting process: Make it easy for employees to report suspicious calls, and respond quickly to potential incidents to minimize impact. 

What to do after a vishing attack 

If your organization falls victim to a vishing attack, fast and coordinated action is essential. Follow this step-by-step guide for effective vishing incident response. 

1. Contain the threat 

Immediately secure any potentially compromised systems or accounts:

• Reset passwords and revoke access for affected users.
• Isolate compromised endpoints using remote tools.
• Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) if it’s not already enforced.

Endpoint management software helps IT teams remotely contain endpoints and enforce rapid security changes. 

2. Investigate the scope of the attack 

Use monitoring and security logs to determine how far the breach may have spread. 

• Look for signs of unauthorized access or privilege escalation.
• Identify suspicious behavior, including unusual login times, new device registrations, or large data transfers.
• Correlate activity across devices and accounts using centralized visibility.

Use ConnectWise SIEM™ to analyze logs, correlate threats, and uncover hidden risks across networks, endpoints, and cloud apps. 

3. Report the incident 

Transparency and documentation are critical: 

• Alert internal security and compliance teams.
• Notify affected users or clients, especially if sensitive data was disclosed.
• Report to law enforcement or regulatory bodies if required (e.g., for data breach compliance). 

4. Remediate and recover 

Once containment is confirmed: 

• Patch any exploited systems or vulnerabilities.
• Conduct a post-incident review to identify gaps in training or access control.
• Implement corrective actions such as revised workflows, enhanced authentication, or user re-training.
• Review and refine your disaster recovery plan to ensure a faster response in future incidents. 

x360Recover from Axcient™, a ConnectWise company, helps MSPs and IT teams restore systems quickly and securely, ensuring business continuity with image-based backups and fast, flexible recovery options. 

5. Educate and reinforce awareness 

Most vishing attacks succeed because of human error, not technical flaws. After the incident: 

• Share the details (without blame) as a learning opportunity.
• Reinforce vishing awareness training with new examples.
• Simulate future voice phishing scenarios to test employee response. 

Events such as IT Nation Secure™ offer practical training and tools to strengthen your team’s readiness against vishing and other social engineering threats. 

Looking to strengthen your security posture? 
Protect and defend what matters most to your clients and stakeholders with best-in-class cybersecurity and BCDR solutions from ConnectWise.