Multitaskers, beware: You’re significantly more likely to fall for phishing, researchers say

Multitaskers, beware: You’re significantly more likely to fall for phishing, researchers say

Employees can become more vulnerable to phishing when emails, Slack messages and other information distract them, according to a new study.

Multitasking makes you more likely to fall for phishing emails, experiments show

Picture this: You're on a Zoom call, Slack is buzzing, three spreadsheets are open and your inbox pings. In that moment of divided attention, you miss the tiny red flag in an email. That's how phishing sneaks through, and with 3.4 billion malicious emails sent daily, the stakes couldn't be higher.

Under Pressure, Even Trained Users Miss the Signs of Phishing

People are more likely to fall for phishing scams when their attention is split across several tasks. New research led by Milena Head at McMaster University shows that distraction, not ignorance, often causes these errors. The study, published in the European Journal of Information Systems, looked at how mental workload affects people’s ability to judge whether an email is legitimate. Participants who had to remember longer sets of numbers were …

These Are Moments You’re Most Vulnerable To Phishing Emails, Study Says

Your inbox is riskiest when your brain is already busy. That is when slick phishing emails can slide past even security-savvy readers.A new peer-reviewed study in the European Journal of Information Systems, finds that people are more likely to miss phishing cues while multitasking, and that timely reminders can improve accuracy. The research team tested how working memory load — the mental strain from another task — changes a person’s ability t…