The persuasion and security awareness experiment: reducing the success of social engineering attacks

Jan-Willem Bullee, L. Montoya, Wolter Pieters, Marianne Junger, Pieter H. Hartel

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

  • 20 Citations

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of the current study is to explore to what extent an intervention reduces the effects of social engineering (e.g. the obtaining of access by persuasion) in an office environment. In particular, we study the effect of authority during a `social engineering' attack. Methods: 31 different `offenders' visited the offices of 118 employees and on the basis of a script, asked them to hand over their office keys. Authority, one of the six principles of persuasion, was used by half of the offenders to persuade a target to comply with his/her request. Prior to the visit, an intervention was randomly administered to half of the targets to increase their resilience against attempts by others to obtain their credentials. Results: 37.0% of the employees who were exposed to the intervention surrendered their keys whilst 62.5% of those who were not exposed to it handed it over. The intervention has a significant effect on compliance but the same was not the case for authority. Conclusions: Awareness-raising about the dangers, characteristics and countermeasures associated with social engineering proved to have a significant positive effect on neutralizing the attacker.
LanguageUndefined
Pages97-115
Number of pages19
JournalJournal of experimental criminology
Volume11
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 2015

Keywords

  • EWI-25579
  • SCS-Cybersecurity
  • Persuasion
  • Social Engineering
  • EC Grant Agreement nr.: FP7/2007-2013
  • EC Grant Agreement nr.: FP7/318003
  • Experiment
  • Intervention
  • Credentials
  • METIS-310417
  • IR-94231
  • Awareness
  • Authority

Cite this

Bullee, Jan-Willem ; Montoya, L. ; Pieters, Wolter ; Junger, Marianne ; Hartel, Pieter H./ The persuasion and security awareness experiment: reducing the success of social engineering attacks. In: Journal of experimental criminology. 2015 ; Vol. 11, No. 1. pp. 97-115
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Bullee, J-W, Montoya, L, Pieters, W, Junger, M & Hartel, PH 2015, 'The persuasion and security awareness experiment: reducing the success of social engineering attacks' Journal of experimental criminology, vol 11, no. 1, pp. 97-115. DOI: 10.1007/s11292-014-9222-7

The persuasion and security awareness experiment: reducing the success of social engineering attacks. / Bullee, Jan-Willem; Montoya, L.; Pieters, Wolter; Junger, Marianne; Hartel, Pieter H.

In: Journal of experimental criminology, Vol. 11, No. 1, 03.2015, p. 97-115.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

TY - JOUR

T1 - The persuasion and security awareness experiment: reducing the success of social engineering attacks

AU - Bullee,Jan-Willem

AU - Montoya,L.

AU - Pieters,Wolter

AU - Junger,Marianne

AU - Hartel,Pieter H.

N1 - Foreground=100%; Type of activity = publication; Main leader=UT; Type of audience = scientific community; Size of audience = n.a.; Countries addressed = international;

PY - 2015/3

Y1 - 2015/3

N2 - Objectives: The aim of the current study is to explore to what extent an intervention reduces the effects of social engineering (e.g. the obtaining of access by persuasion) in an office environment. In particular, we study the effect of authority during a `social engineering' attack. Methods: 31 different `offenders' visited the offices of 118 employees and on the basis of a script, asked them to hand over their office keys. Authority, one of the six principles of persuasion, was used by half of the offenders to persuade a target to comply with his/her request. Prior to the visit, an intervention was randomly administered to half of the targets to increase their resilience against attempts by others to obtain their credentials. Results: 37.0% of the employees who were exposed to the intervention surrendered their keys whilst 62.5% of those who were not exposed to it handed it over. The intervention has a significant effect on compliance but the same was not the case for authority. Conclusions: Awareness-raising about the dangers, characteristics and countermeasures associated with social engineering proved to have a significant positive effect on neutralizing the attacker.

AB - Objectives: The aim of the current study is to explore to what extent an intervention reduces the effects of social engineering (e.g. the obtaining of access by persuasion) in an office environment. In particular, we study the effect of authority during a `social engineering' attack. Methods: 31 different `offenders' visited the offices of 118 employees and on the basis of a script, asked them to hand over their office keys. Authority, one of the six principles of persuasion, was used by half of the offenders to persuade a target to comply with his/her request. Prior to the visit, an intervention was randomly administered to half of the targets to increase their resilience against attempts by others to obtain their credentials. Results: 37.0% of the employees who were exposed to the intervention surrendered their keys whilst 62.5% of those who were not exposed to it handed it over. The intervention has a significant effect on compliance but the same was not the case for authority. Conclusions: Awareness-raising about the dangers, characteristics and countermeasures associated with social engineering proved to have a significant positive effect on neutralizing the attacker.

KW - EWI-25579

KW - SCS-Cybersecurity

KW - Persuasion

KW - Social Engineering

KW - EC Grant Agreement nr.: FP7/2007-2013

KW - EC Grant Agreement nr.: FP7/318003

KW - Experiment

KW - Intervention

KW - Credentials

KW - METIS-310417

KW - IR-94231

KW - Awareness

KW - Authority

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M3 - Article

VL - 11

SP - 97

EP - 115

JO - Journal of experimental criminology

T2 - Journal of experimental criminology

JF - Journal of experimental criminology

SN - 1573-3750

IS - 1

ER -

Bullee J-W, Montoya L, Pieters W, Junger M, Hartel PH. The persuasion and security awareness experiment: reducing the success of social engineering attacks. Journal of experimental criminology. 2015 Mar;11(1):97-115. Available from, DOI: 10.1007/s11292-014-9222-7

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Research Output

Experimental social engineering: investigation and prevention

Research output: Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research UT, graduation UT