Scam or not? Examining how people determine the legitimacy of SMSes
| dc.contributor.author | Stilwell, Angus | |
| dc.contributor.school | School of Psychology | |
| dc.date.issued | 2022 | |
| dc.description | This item is only available electronically. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | Over recent years, an increase in cybersecurity breaches via SMS scams, or "smishing'; an SMS containing a malicious link or file (ACCC, 2022) has occurred. Despite data breaches often involving some form of human error, limited research has investigated human and behavioural aspects of smishing detection. Therefore, this study examined individuals' SMS scam detection, by investigating what features are used to evaluate their legitimacy. The study also examined the extent to which legitimacy assessments are affected by key external and individual difference factors; time pressure and participants' Information Security Awareness (ISA). Participants rated the legitimacy of SMS stimuli under either Fast (seven seconds) or Slow (21 seconds) stimulus presentation duration conditions. SMS stimuli varied in Sender legitimacy, Grammatical errors, and URL legitimacy. Participants also completed the Human Aspects of Information Security Questionnaire (HAIS-Q) (Parson's et al., 2017) to measure their ISA, and were divided into High versus Low ISA groups. Results indicated that people are sensitive to Sender legitimacy, Grammatical errors, and URL legitimacy, with Sender and Grammar altering the effect of URL. Additionally, time pressure increased legitimacy perception of scam and legitimate stimuli, and high ISA improved sensitivity in stimuli containing all scam features. Overall, this study contributes to the smishing literature by providing insight into how features, ISA and time pressure affect smishing detection. These results have implications in a literature, organisational, and public setting, of which may help to provide a safer mobile phone cyber-environment. Keywords: Smishing; scams; features; information security awareness; dual-process theory; heuristics | en |
| dc.description.dissertation | Thesis (B.PsychSc(Hons)) -- University of Adelaide, School of Psychology, 2022 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2440/141534 | |
| dc.provenance | This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the author of this thesis and do not wish it to be made publicly available, or you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals | |
| dc.subject | Honours; Psychology | en |
| dc.title | Scam or not? Examining how people determine the legitimacy of SMSes | en |
| dc.type | Thesis | en |
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