Smart Shields against Cyber Threats: Machine Learning-Driven Phishing URL Detection

Abstract-Phishing attacks remain a prevalent cybersecurity threat, exploiting vulnerabilities in digital platforms to compromise sensitive user data. This paper introduces a novel machine learning-based framework for phishing URL detection, combining advanced feature engineering techniques and classification algorithms. By integrating lexical attributes, WHOIS data, and ranking metrics like PageRank and Alexa Rank, our approach enhances detection accuracy and minimizes false positives. Experimental results demonstrate superior performance across classifiers, achieving an accuracy of 99.8% using Support Vector Machines. The framework’s modular design ensures adaptability to evolving phishing tactics and scalability for enterprise deployment. This research lays the foundation for future advancements in AI-driven cybersecurity solutions.