Recent Studies from Carnegie Mellon University Add New Data to Risk Management (Setting Priorities in Behavioral Interventions: An Application to…

Recent Studies from Carnegie Mellon University Add New Data to Risk Management (Setting Priorities in Behavioral Interventions: An Application to Reducing Phishing Risk)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Data detailed on Risk Management have been presented. According to news reporting out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, by VerticalNews editors, research stated, "Phishing risk is a growing area of concern for corporations, governments, and individuals. Given the evidence that users vary widely in their vulnerability to phishing attacks, we demonstrate an approach for assessing the benefits and costs of interventions that target the most vulnerable users."

Funders for this research include National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Bertucci Fellowship, National Science Foundation, Carnegie Mellon University.

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Carnegie Mellon University, "Our approach uses Monte Carlo simulation to (1) identify which users were most vulnerable, in signal detection theory terms; (2) assess the proportion of system-level risk attributable to the most vulnerable users; (3) estimate the monetary benefit and cost of behavioral interventions targeting different vulnerability levels; and (4) evaluate the sensitivity of these results to whether the attacks involve random or spear phishing. Using parameter estimates from previous research, we find that the most vulnerable users were less cautious and less able to distinguish between phishing and legitimate emails (positive response bias and low sensitivity, in signal detection theory terms). They also accounted for a large share of phishing risk for both random and spear phishing attacks. Under these conditions, our analysis estimates much greater net benefit for behavioral interventions that target these vulnerable users. Within the range of the model's assumptions, there was generally net benefit even for the least vulnerable users. However, the differences in the return on investment for interventions with users with different degrees of vulnerability indicate the importance of measuring that performance, and letting it guide interventions."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "This study suggests that interventions to reduce response bias, rather than to increase sensitivity, have greater net benefit."

For more information on this research see: Setting Priorities in Behavioral Interventions: An Application to Reducing Phishing Risk. Risk Analysis, 2017;():. (Wiley-Blackwell - www.wiley.com/; Risk Analysis - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1539-6924)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting C.I. Canfield, Engineering & Public Policy, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/risa.12917. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Keywords for this news article include: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, Risk Management, North and Central America.

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