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Phishing in the Wild: An Ecologically Valid Study of the Phishing Tactics and Human Factors that Predict Susceptibility to a Phishing Attack

Journal Article · · Journal of Information Warfare
OSTI ID:1996328

In this research, 153 employees at a National Laboratory received one of one of four different phishing emails. All of the emails were similar in content, but systematically varied according to the number and combination of phishing tactics in the message. Participants were unaware they would be receiving the email, which was sent during regular business hours. After receiving the emails, participants completed online questionnaires designed to measure possible predictors of phishing attack susceptibility. Finally, the significant predictors included how suspicious participants were of the email and their reported level of distress related to their work prior to completing the study.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE; Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1996328
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-179867
Journal Information:
Journal of Information Warfare, Journal Name: Journal of Information Warfare Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 22; ISSN 1445-3312
Publisher:
Peregrine Technical SolutionsCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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