Defending Against GenAI-Driven Fraud: The Role of Employee Awareness and Corporate Cybersecurity Training
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2025-07-02
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en
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The rise of generative AI (GenAI) is putting more pressure on the cybersecurity environment of organizations as practices such as advanced phishing, deepfake scams, and AI-generated malware are growing. This study explores how GenAI-driven fraud impacts employee cybersecurity awareness and the effectiveness of cybersecurity training in mitigating such threats. Through a qualitative case research approach with eleven semi-structured interviews from a major financial institution, this research identifies a gap in the perceived and actual awareness, revealing an “illusion of awareness”, among employees. Although the organization prioritizes cybersecurity training, mostly static and generic, it fails to actively warn and incorporate the risks of GenAI-specific threats. Emotional vulnerability, overreliance on technology, and unstimulating training methods are factors influencing this issue. Findings suggest that cybersecurity training serves as a partial mediator to help bridge the gap between GenAI-related threats and employee awareness. But it falls short on preparing employees emotionally and behaviourally for sophisticated attacks. This study encourages a more dynamic and interactive training approach, strong leadership involvement, and clear communication channels. By connecting theory and practice, this research contributes on the most recent developments on GenAI-related fraud and current cybersecurity initiatives and employee awareness through a real-life case study
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Faculteit der Managementwetenschappen