Why More Than Half of Email Phishing Leaks Happen on Mobile Devices
Over 60 percent of people who are phished by email are phished on mobile devices. This is why it happens and what you can do about it.
Why Mobile Devices are More Prone to Phishing
I’ve sent a lot of phishing emails. All with good intentions I must add. While reviewing the results, one of the most surprising things that I discovered was that the majority of people who fall for phishing tests (and therefore real phishing attacks) are using mobile devices. In my experience, 60% of those who are successfully deceived are victims of mobile phishing.
These are my conclusions as to why this is true and recommendations on what we can do to help people stay safe online.
Mobile Devices Don’t Get Our Full Attention
People using mobile devices are often busy. When we sit down at a computer we’re there to use it as the primary task. When we’re using mobile devices however, we’re often using it between doing primary tasks. Reading email on a mobile device is a distraction from whatever boring things are going on at that time. Stuck on a train? Waiting for a taxi or Uber? Left alone at a restaurant table? Our habitual response is to pull out a phone and start checking email and social…
