Device and Risk-Avoidance Behavior in the Context of Cyber Security Phishing Attacks
Naama Ilany-Tzur, Ph.D.
Department of Industrial Engineering & Management at Ben-Gurion University
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Abstract:
Phishing has been the most common type of cybercrime in recent years. The fact that successful phishing attempts require victims to collaborate with their attackers highlights the importance of identifying factors that influence users’ avoidance behavior. Drawing from evidence that mobile users are more responsive than PC users to digital cues, this research proposes that the device used may influence users’ tendency to avoid clicking on potentially risky messages. Indeed, field data and two controlled studies suggest that mobile users are more risk-avoidant than PC users. Specifically, analyzing data from a cyber security company, regarding ~500,000 URL requests in a sample of household networks, we show that mobile devices are less likely than PCs to access unsafe URLs. Next, in two online experiments in which device and URL risk levels were randomly assigned, we show that mobile users are less likely than PC users to click on a URL in a phishing-like message. Notably, this difference is observed for lower-risk URLs, whereas PC and mobile users display similar risk-avoidance tendencies in the presence of highly risky URLs. This work contributes to the mobile use literature, as well as to developing IS theory regarding technology-threat avoidance, by showing that the device is a contextual factor influencing users’ susceptibility to phishing attacks.
Bio:
Naama Ilany-Tzur is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. She earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy and economics, and a master's degree in information systems from Tel Aviv University. Her research interests are centered around online user behavior and the online economy. She is scheduled to complete her Ph.D. degree in June 2023 and will begin working as a teacher at Carnegie Mellon in the fall of the same year.
Contact:
• E-Mail: naamatzur@gmail.com
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/naamai-lany-tzur/
