What is the primary goal of phishing attacks?

The primary goal of phishing attacks is to acquire sensitive information by impersonating a trustworthy source. Phishing scams typically involve deceptive emails, messages, or websites that appear to be from reputable organizations or individuals. The attackers design these communications to trick recipients into revealing personal information such as usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, or other sensitive data.

By mimicking legitimate entities, scammers increase the likelihood that individuals will fall victim to their schemes, believing they are interacting with a trusted source. This tactic relies heavily on psychological manipulation, leveraging trust and urgency to prompt immediate responses from potential victims. The success of phishing attacks hinges on their ability to deceive individuals into compromising their sensitive information, making this the correct answer.

The other options focus on cybersecurity enhancement, unauthorized access prevention, and legitimate business promotion, which do not align with the malicious intent behind phishing schemes.