Taking 5 Minutes Protects You for 5 Months: Evaluating an Antiphishing Awareness Video

Abstract

Phishing is one of the biggest security threats to organizations. Anti-phishing awareness measures can improve phishing email detection rates. These measures need to be efficient, effective, and have an enduring impact over months, rather than days. Related research provides evidence of their effectiveness in the short term. However, questions remain as to how long this impact endures. We conducted a retention user study in two phases, with almost 200 participants in the first phase and almost 80 in the second phase, to determine whether a five-minute video retains its effectiveness five months after the intervention (similar to related work on more time-intensive measures). Our results suggest that short videos can indeed still exert a positive influence five months later. We also report on the video's influence on phishing detection strategies, as well as on viewers' self-efficacy in this respect. Based on our results, we propose recommendations to inform the content of future awareness refreshment measures.

Keywords: anti-phishing awareness, video measure, retention study, user study, phishing knowledge