Wisecrackers: A theory-grounded investigation of phishing and pretext social engineering threats to information security

Key finding

Drawing on marketing-persuasion theory, a field study tested whether the factors that make marketing campaigns work also explain who falls for phishing and pretext phone attacks, and found that they do: dispositional factors tied to persuasion predicted victimization.

Why it matters

An early theory-grounded field test linking persuasion psychology (commitment, trust, deference to authority) to real social-engineering victimization.

Cite

Workman, M. (2008). Wisecrackers: A theory-grounded investigation of phishing and pretext social engineering threats to information security. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(4), 662-674. https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.20779