Influence-based deceptive messages constantly play a critical role in email phishing attacks However, the literature lacks adequate understanding about how phishing messages with attractive and coercive influence result in the receivers’ adverse consequences We therefore take the perspective of mindless response and mindful interpretation to address this issue by examining comprehensive relationships among message influence, cognitive processing, and phishing susceptibility To accomplish this, a survey approach was adopted after a simulated phishing attack was conducted in campuses Our empirical evidence shows that both message influence and cognitive processing can lead to people being phished, and a combination of different influences can also trigger cognitive processing This research makes contributions to the literature of information security, persuading influence, and cognitive psychology
Mindless Response or Mindful Interpretation: Examining the Effect of Message Influence on Phishing Susceptibility