Which of the following attacks is specifically designed to target a select group of individuals?

Spear phishing is specifically designed to target a select group of individuals, usually within a specific organization or community. This attack involves sending highly personalized messages that appear legitimate and are crafted to deceive the targeted individuals into revealing sensitive information or downloading malware. Unlike general phishing attacks, which are sent to many people indiscriminately, spear phishing focuses on a specific group, making it more effective due to the tailored approach.

Attackers often gather information from social media or other sources to create convincing messages that appeal directly to the interests or positions of the targeted individuals. This level of personalization increases the likelihood that the victim will respond positively to the attack.

Other types of attacks mentioned have broader targets or different focuses. For instance, whaling targets high-profile individuals like executives, while pharming reroutes users from legitimate websites to fraudulent ones without their knowledge. The Xmas Tree Attack is a type of network intrusion rather than a social engineering tactic and does not specifically target individuals in the same way spear phishing does.