What is the term for pretending to be someone else online using IP, MAC, or email addressing?

The term for pretending to be someone else online using methods such as IP, MAC, or email addressing is spoofing. Spoofing occurs when an individual or program masquerades as another by falsifying data in order to deceive or trick people. This could involve sending emails that appear to come from a legitimate source (email spoofing), altering the source IP address of packets in network communication (IP spoofing), or mimicking the Media Access Control (MAC) address of a network device.

In the context of online security, spoofing is a significant concern because it can be used to launch more complex attacks, such as phishing, where the attacker uses the guise of a trustworthy entity to gather personal information. It is crucial to differentiate spoofing from other related terms: phishing specifically involves tricking individuals into providing sensitive information, while scamming refers to a broader range of fraudulent schemes aimed at financial gain. A Trojan, on the other hand, is a type of malware disguised as legitimate software that deceives users into executing it.