A recent study has found that people respond differently to phishing attacks depending on whether they are using a mobile device or a personal computer. Phishing is one of the most common types of cybercrime, where attackers pretend to be trustworthy sources to trick users into clicking malicious links, often leading to malware, data theft or ransomware.
The study was carried out by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva. It was published in the International Journal of Information Management.
“The fact that successful phishing attempts require victims to collaborate with their attackers highlights the importance of identifying factors that influence users’ avoidance behavior,” said Naama Ilany-Tzur, assistant teaching professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who led the study.
Researchers examined data from a cybersecurity company that tracks URL requests across small network devices. They analysed over 500,000 URL requests from both mobile devices and PCs across 30 selected networks in the United States during one week in August to September 2020.
To further test how users respond to potential phishing links, they conducted two online experiments with more than 250 participants each from a digital workforce platform. Participants were given a task and then presented with a phishing-like link to observe their reactions.
The results showed that mobile users were generally more cautious and less likely to click on suspicious links compared to PC users. This trend was seen with lower-risk URLs. However, both mobile and PC users showed similar caution when dealing with high-risk URLs.
The researchers concluded that the type of device influenced users’ sensitivity to online risk. Mobile use, they said, might limit a user’s ability to assess risk, causing them to avoid links even when they are not dangerous. PC users, on the other hand, might be better able to assess the actual level of risk before clicking.
“In a time of increasing Internet crime, our work adds to the growing understanding of risk-avoidance behavior,” said Lior Fink, professor at Ben-Gurion University and coauthor of the study.
The study’s findings could help cybersecurity providers tailor protection tools based on the user’s device and guide future policies on online safety and privacy.
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