Facts and Stories in Phishing Training: A Replication and Extension
John F. Marsden, Zachary Albrecht, Paula Berggren, Jessica Halbert, Kyle Lemons, Anthony G Moncivais, Matthew Thompson · 2020
The number of phishing attacks has increased each year, becoming more sophisticated and creating the need for practical training in identifying these scams. A recent study explored the potential of training staff at a university to recognize phishing attacks through either facts or utilizing stories shared by peers or experts. The study found that facts from an expert, rather than stories from experts or peers, remain the most effective form of training. Here we replicate and extend this study by targeting current college students. The results show that college students respond differently than university staff and are more receptive to social stories or facts from peers. These results indicate the importance of taking the target demographic into account when designing and conducting phishing training.