Date of Conferral

8-19-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

Karina Kasztelnik

Abstract

Spoofing attacks have become an increasingly significant cybersecurity threat, exposing organizations and customers to financial losses by impersonating trusted identities in digital environments. Cybersecurity leaders need a better understanding of how information security maturity and the selection of cybersecurity strategy relate to spoofing loss outcomes. Grounded in game theory, the purpose of this quantitative cross-sectional correlational study was to examine the relationships among information security maturity, cybersecurity strategy selection, and spoofing loss outcomes in the financial industry. Data were collected from approximately 90 IT professionals employed in a Michigan-based government office in the public finance sector with at least 5 years of cybersecurity experience. Participants completed an adapted cybersecurity awareness survey measuring information security maturity, cybersecurity strategy selection, and spoofing loss outcomes, including the financial impact of spoofing incidents and changes in spoofing incidents over the previous 12 months. Pearson product-moment correlation analyses revealed statistically significant positive relationships between information security maturity and both spoofing financial outcomes, r(91) = .28, p = .006, and spoofing incident outcomes, r(91) = .22, p = .037. Findings suggest that higher levels of organizational information security maturity are associated with more favorable spoofing-related financial and incident outcomes. The implications for tangible social impact include the potential for cybersecurity leaders and policymakers to promote safer digital cultures by enhancing cybersecurity maturity and reducing the harmful effects of spoofing attacks on organizations and their customers through evidence-based strategies.

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