Unveiling the process of phishing precautions taking: The moderating role of optimism bias

Phishing has emerged as a critical security threat to individuals and organizations. Academics and practitioners have developed various methods to convince individuals to take preventive measures against phishing attacks. However, people are not rational decision makers. One important factor influencing one's risk decision making is optimism bias, which refers to people's tendency to believe that they are less likely to experience negative events and more likely to experience positive events than others. It is well indicated in the literature that optimism bias may hinder one's effort s to develop and implement risk-reducing behaviors. To the best of our knowledge, the important role played by optimism bias in people's decision-making process with respect to phishing has not been fully explored in previous studies. Drawing on the theory of reasoned action, our research explored how optimism bias moderates the relationship between phishing risk and attitude toward the adoption of preventive measures against phishing attacks. The results indicate that phishing risk determines the attitude toward preventive measures against phishing attacks, and that optimism bias weakens this relationship.(c) 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.