A temporal analysis of persuasion principles in phishing emails
| Title | A temporal analysis of persuasion principles in phishing emails |
| Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
| Year of Publication | 2016 |
| Authors | Olga A. Zielinska, Allaire K. Welk, Emerson Murphy-Hill, Christopher B. Mayhorn |
| Conference Name | Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 60th Annual Meeting |
| Conference Location | Santa Monica, CA |
| Keywords | Apr'16, Human Behavior, NCSU, Warning of Phishing Attacks, Supporting Human Information Processing, Identifying Phishin Deception Indicators, and Reducing Vulnerability, Warning of Phishing Attacks: Supporting Human Information Processing, Identifying Phishing Deception Indicators & Reducing Vuln. |
| Abstract | Eight hundred eighty-seven phishing emails from Arizona State University, Brown University, and Cornell University were assessed by two reviewers for Cialdini's six principles of persuasion: authority, social proof, liking/similarity, commitment/consistency, scarcity, and reciprocation. A correlational analysis of email characteristics by year revealed that the persuasion principles of commitment/consistency and scarcity have increased over time, while the principles of reciprocation and social proof have decreased over time. Authority and liking/similarity revealed mixed results with certain characteristics increasing and others decreasing. Results from this study can inform user training of phishing emails and help cybersecurity software to become more effective. |
| Citation Key | node-25857 |