PHISHER CRUSH: A Mobile Persuasive Game for Promoting Online Security

Abstract

Phishing has become a major security threat in this Internet age. Dubious computer geeks and malicious hackers tend to make use of this mode of cyberattack due to the ability of phishes to deceive unsuspecting users without being prevented by various system security measures. The major reason why people fall for phishing attacks is that they are mostly unaware of how to detect them. This paper presents the design and implementation of a mobile persuasive game for promoting online security by teaching people how to detect and avoid phishing links. We also present the results and insights from the playability and persuasiveness evaluation of the game. The evaluators reported an overall high level of playability according to the Heuristic Evaluation for Playability (HEP). Above all, the results show that the game is highly persuasive, hence is expected to effectively motivate the desired behaviour of promoting online security. Based on our results, we provided some design consideration and insights from the evaluators’ comments.