Detection of Phishing Websites Using Ensemble Machine Learning Approach

Abstract

In this paper, we propose the use of Ensemble Machine Learning Methods such as Random Forest Algorithm and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBOOST) Algorithm for efficient and accurate phishing website detection based on its Uniform Resource Locator. Phishing is one of the most widely executed cybercrimes in the modern digital sphere where an attacker imitates an existing - and often trusted - person or entity in an attempt to capture a victim’s login credentials, account information, and other sensitive data. Phishing websites are visually and semantically similar to real ones. The rise in online trading activities has resulted in a rise in the number of phishing scams. Cybersecurity jobs are the most difficult to fill, and the development of an automated system for phishing website detection is the need of the hour. Machine Learning is one of the most feasible methods to approach this situation, as it is capable of handling the dynamic nature of phishing techniques, in addition to providing an accurate method of classification.