Prior studies have shown that the behaviours and attitudes of Internet users influence the likelihood of being victimised by phishing attacks. Many scammers design a step-by-step approach to phishing in order to gain the potential victim’s trust and convince them to take the desired actions. It is important to understand which behaviours and attitudes can influence following the attacker in each step of a phishing scam. This will enable us to identify the root causes of phishing and to develop specific mitigation plans for each step of the phishing process and to increase prevention points. This study investigates to what extent people’s risk-taking and decision-making styles influence the likelihood of phishing victimisation in three specific phishing steps. We asked participants to play a risk-taking game and to answer questions related to two psychological scales to measure their behaviours, and then conducted a simulated phishing campaign to assess their phishability throughout the three phishing steps selected. We find that the attitude to risk-taking and gender can predict users’ phishability in the different steps selected. There are however other possible direct and indirect behavioural factors that could be investigated in future studies. The results of this study and the model developed can be used to build a comprehensive framework to prevent the success of phishing attempts, starting from their root causes.

Phishing is an online scam where criminals trick users with various strategies, with the goal of obtaining sensitive information or compromising accounts, systems, and/or other personal or organisational Information Technology resources. Multiple studies have shown that human factors influence the success of phishing attempts. However, these studies were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic, which is significant because security reports show that the numbers of phishing attacks have been rapidly increasing since the start of COVID-19. This study investigates the extent to which users’ fear, anxiety and stress levels regarding COVID-19, impact falling for common and COVID-19 themed phishing scams during the outbreak period. Prior studies have depicted the effects of human behaviour on phishing attacks before the pandemic, such as risk-taking preferences and users’ demographic factors, hence this study also focuses on the effects of those factors on the likelihood of phishing victimisation. More concretely, we present the results of a scenario-based roleplay experiment to study the relationship between fear, anxiety, stress, risk-taking, and demographic factors and the success of phishing attacks during the pandemic. The findings indicate that fear of COVID-19 influences the success of COVID-19 specific themed phishing scams, while anxiety, stress, and risk-taking influences the success of both the COVID-19 themed and common phishing scams. Our findings also suggest that the users’ education level impacts common phishing attacks during the pandemic.

Today, many businesses use near-field communications (NFC) payment solutions, which allow them to receive payments from customers quickly and smoothly. However, this technology comes with cyber security risks which must be analyzed and mitigated. This study explores the cyber risks associated with NFC transactions and examines strategies for mitigating these risks, focusing on payment devices. This paper provides an overview of NFC technology, related security vulnerabilities, privacy concerns, and fraudulent activities. It then investigates payment devices such as smartphones, contactless cards, and wearables, highlighting their features and vulnerabilities. The study also examines encryption, authentication, tokenization, biometric authentication, and fraud detection methods as risk mitigation strategies. The paper synthesizes theoretical frameworks to provide insights into NFC transaction security and offers stakeholder recommendations.

As the digital environment progresses, the complexities of cyber threats also advance, encompassing both hostile cyberattacks and sophisticated cyber espionage. In the face of these difficulties, cooperative endeavours between state and non-state actors have attracted considerable interest as crucial elements in improving global cyber resilience. This study examines cybersecurity governance’s evolving dynamics, specifically exploring non-state actors’ roles and their effects on global security. This highlights the increasing dangers presented by supply chain attacks, advanced persistent threats, ransomware, and vulnerabilities on the Internet of Things. Furthermore, it explores how non-state actors, such as terrorist organisations and armed groups, increasingly utilise cyberspace for strategic objectives. This issue can pose a challenge to conventional state-focused approaches to security management. Moreover, the research examines the crucial influence of informal governance processes on forming international cybersecurity regulations. The study emphasises the need for increased cooperation between governmental and non-governmental entities to create robust and flexible cybersecurity measures. This statement urges policymakers, security experts, and researchers to thoroughly examine the complex relationship between geopolitics, informal governance systems, and growing cyber threats to strengthen global digital resilience.

Insider threats pose significant challenges to organizations, seriously endangering information security and privacy protection. These threats arise when employees with legitimate access to systems and databases misuse their privileges. Such individuals may alter, delete, or insert data into datasets, sell customer or client email addresses, leak strategic company plans, or transfer industrial and intellectual property information. These actions can severely damage a company’s reputation, result in revenue losses and loss of competitive advantage, and, in extreme cases, lead to bankruptcy. This study presents a novel solution that examines how organizational factors such as job satisfaction and security, organizational support, attachment, commitment, involvement in information security, and organizational norms influence employees’ attitudes and intentions, thereby mitigating insider threats. A key strength of this research is its integration of two foundational theories: the Social Bond Theory (SBT) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The results reveal that job satisfaction and security, affective and normative commitment, information security training, and personal norms all contribute to reducing insider threats. Furthermore, the findings indicate that employees’ attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms significantly influence their intentions to mitigate insider threats. However, organizational support and continuance commitment were not found to have a significant impact.