Human Factors in Information Security: A Quantitative Study on Phishing Susceptibility and Awareness Levels

Abstract

The research focused on studying multiple aspects of phishing attack vulnerability and the corresponding knowledge about phishing by examining how psychological and social and environmental elements affect people in their phishing attack susceptibility. We analyzed data from 1,200 participants through a quantitative approach which involved a standardized questionnaire to evaluate their phishing attack susceptibility and their knowledge of phishing threats across different demographic segments.

The data revealed that people between 18 and 25 years old became the most vulnerable age group to phishing attacks because their susceptibility rate reached 45% which exceeded the 30% rate found in older age groups (p 0.01). The test results showed that participants who had limited cybersecurity knowledge obtained phishing detection scores which were 15% lower than those who had better cybersecurity understanding (p 0.05).People who have restricted social connections network will click malicious links at a rate which is 40% higher than other users according to the analysis. The research showed that users who accessed their devices through mobile phones were 25% more likely to fall for phishing attacks than those who used their desktop computers for device access.

Educational content requires customization because research findings show mobile platforms and population groups face different obstacles which need to be addressed. The research findings show that cybersecurity training programs which provide complete coverage should combine community-based training with language-based programs to enhance security knowledge. Scientists must keep their research on phishing methods because these attacks keep evolving while educators need to develop adaptable educational approaches which defend students from these common security threats. Research findings show how human factors interact with information security systems to develop improved protection methods which defend against phishing attacks.