"Reeling You In: Exploring the Human Side of Phishing" - Dr. Dawn M. Sarno

Abstract: The evolving nature of phishing attacks presents a difficult problem for the cybersecurity community. Although attempts to remove phishing emails from users’ inboxes are advancing, it appears to be impossible to completely insulate email users from attacks. Numerous studies have demonstrated that email users are grossly unprepared for these inevitable attacks and attempts to bolster their resiliency have demonstrated only minimal improvements. A better understanding of why email users are vulnerable to phishing attacks, and how they can be trained to better detect these emails is required. The present studies will discuss how various email task factors (e.g., email load; phishing rates) influence phishing susceptibility and how a novel intervention technique may improve email classifications. Based on the results of the aforementioned studies, future directions aimed at increasing individual and organizational email security will also be discussed. 

Bio: Dr. Sarno received her Ph.D. in Human Factors and Cognitive Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2020. Her research broadly centers around applied visual cognition, cyberpsychology, aging, and training.