PB-01Strong evidence
Reports suspicious messages
Uses the reporting button or channel whenever a message feels wrong, whether or not they clicked.
Research / Tactics
Manipulation tactic
Social Proof
Implying others have already acted.
Behaviors that counter it (2)
PB-08Contested evidence
Discounts 'everyone else already did it' claims
Does not treat claims that coworkers already acted as a reason to act.
Social ProofBehavior
Studies (4)
Supports
Predicting susceptibility to social influence in phishing emails
In a role-play study of 985 people, emails using consistency and reciprocity were most effective while scarcity and social proof were least effective. People who scored as susceptible to a given principle were usually more fooled by emails using it, and age, computer time, social-proof susceptibility and impulsivity predicted detection ability.
Mixed
Cognitive Triaging of Phishing Attacks
Measuring Cialdini-style persuasion triggers in real reported phishing let the authors predict which attacks would draw the most clicks, enabling response teams to prioritize takedowns. Consistency and scarcity triggers were associated with more clicks, reciprocity appeared counterproductive, and authority, social proof and liking showed no clear trend.
Mixed
Susceptibility to Spear-Phishing Emails: Effects of Internet User Demographics and Email Content
43% of participants clicked at least one simulated phishing email, with older women most susceptible. Young users' susceptibility dropped over the 21 days while older users' stayed flat, and the effectiveness of each persuasion technique and life-domain topic varied by age group. Older users also rated their own susceptibility lower than it was.
Mixed
Protection motivation and deterrence: a framework for security policy compliance in organisations
Threat severity, response efficacy, self-efficacy and response costs shaped attitudes to security policy. Organisational commitment and social influence significantly drove compliance intentions, and available resources boosted self-efficacy. Employees underestimated how likely breaches were.