Phishing counter measures and their effectiveness – literature review

Phishing, a pervasive form of social engineering crime on the web, presents significant challenges due to its escalating occurrences and evolving techniques. This study reviews existing phishing literature and countermeasures to assess the progress and advancement of research in terms of quantity, content, and publication outlets. Furthermore, the paper identifies key trends in phishing and countermeasures and highlights the research gaps still present in this field. After analyzing 16 doctoral theses and 358 papers, the study provides a comprehensive review of the domain. These papers were evaluated based on their focus on phishing, empirical basis, and proposed countermeasures. The study finds that the current anti-phishing strategies, which have been extensively deployed over the internet, can be divided into eight categories. Interestingly, all proposed approaches are preventative in nature. Phishers primarily target unsuspecting consumers, who represent the weakest link in the security chain. Usability studies reveal that neither server-side security indicators nor client-side toolbars and warnings successfully prevent vulnerable users from falling victim to deception.