What does pharming do in terms of cybersecurity?

Pharming is a malicious technique used in cybersecurity that specifically involves redirecting users from a legitimate website to a fraudulent one without their knowledge. This is often achieved by exploiting vulnerabilities in browsers, or by modifying the host file on the user’s computer or the DNS server, leading users to counterfeit websites that may look very similar to the legitimate ones. The goal of pharming is typically to steal sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and financial details, as users are unaware that they are not interacting with the genuine site.

Other options do not accurately describe pharming. For instance, monitoring a system for unauthorized software relates more closely to security software functions, while sending spam emails is characteristic of phishing or spamming, and encrypting user data is a method of securing information rather than redirecting users.