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小贴士：
你需要了解的一个关于本文的背景知识：
Social engineering attacks：manipulate people into sharing information that they shouldn’t share, downloading software that they shouldn’t download, visiting websites they shouldn’t visit, sending money to criminals or making other mistakes that compromise their personal or organizational security. Social engineering uses psychological manipulation and exploits human error or weakness rather than technical or digital system vulnerabilities, it is sometimes called "human hacking."
——大橙子留
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上期划线句答案
Besides Social Gating, charging money is also a popular method for maintaining the quality of a community, because only those who are really interested in the community are willing to pay for staying at it.
除了社交门槛控制，收费也是维持社群质量的一种常见方法，因为只有真正对社群感兴趣的人愿意为留在社群付费。
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本期内容
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双语阅读
Para.1
Phishing involves fraudulent communications disguised as legitimate ones from trusted sources. According to Verizon’s 2024 Data Breach Investigations Report, phishing remains one of the top three initial attack vectors, with social engineering involved in nearly 70% of attacks. Another interesting fact is that the median time for users to fall for phishing emails is less than 60 seconds. Therefore, urgency is almost always presented in a phishing email. These are interesting facts, but raw statistics don’t tell the complete story. Let’s dig further into why our brain betrays us at the worst moments.
Para.2
Investigating learning burnout and academic performance among management students: a longitudinal study in English courses. This study among many others point the fact that our decision-making quality drops significantly (by up to 50%) during these periods of cognitive exhaustion. This is alarming for drivers, medical workers, and we will highlight the impact when caught by phishing attacks. If we find ourselves thinking ‘what have we done in the last few minutes, I cannot remember a thing’, that’s usually a sign. The topic is complex, and outside of my jurisdiction. What I understood anyway regarding the brain is that it always tries to achieve homeostasis.
Para.3
The brain wants to conserve energy whenever it can, and autopilot mode is the default mode. When you’re performing a task or something you have done many times before, the neural pathways involved become so common that they fire correctly without conscious effort, essentially turning on autopilot.
Para.4
The brain gets out from its autopilot mode when the prediction does not happen. One example is if you are driving on the same road you have driven many times, the brain will automatically go in autopilot mode, constantly predicting the future and preparing the necessary actions. You drive on your lane, see a red light, and the brain outlines what to do: tap break, switch gear (if manual), and approach slowly the car in front. If an unpredictable event happens, let’s say the car in front slows down but then accelerates and crosses at red light, the brain will immediately turn off autopilot and you’ll enter the ‘consciousness’ state.
Para.5
Our ability to focus functions like a muscle. Following hours of intense mental work, fatigue sets in. Your brain can only work so hard before it stops producing results. The capacity differs from one individual to another, taking into account factors like rest and accumulated stress over time.
本文节选自：TechSplicer
发布时间：2025.1.3
作者：Alex M
原文标题：The Psychology of Phishing: Why Smart People Fall for Scams
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写作句总结
原句：When you’re performing a task or something you have done many times before, the neural pathways involved become so common that they fire correctly without conscious effort, essentially turning on autopilot.
结构：When you’re performing X or something you have done Y, the Z becomes so common that they fire correctly without A.
例句：When you're working together on a project or something you've completed successfully before, effective communication becomes so common that team members contribute ideas without being prompted.
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阅读理解题
Which of the following is NOT a possible reason why even intelligent individuals can fall victim to phishing scams?
A) Their brains may be in "autopilot" mode.
B) Phishing emails often create a sense of urgency.
C) They lack critical thinking skills.
D) Cognitive exhaustion reduces decision-making quality.
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全文概括
Phishing attacks exploit cognitive biases, particularly the brain's tendency towards energy conservation and autopilot mode, making individuals susceptible to fraudulent communications. A significant percentage of successful phishing attacks involve social engineering, and victims often fall prey within a minute. Cognitive fatigue, as explored in a separate study, further diminishes decision-making capabilities, increasing vulnerability. The brain's reliance on established neural pathways and its shift to conscious processing only when encountering the unexpected leaves individuals more vulnerable during periods of mental exhaustion. Ultimately, understanding these cognitive mechanisms is crucial in mitigating the effectiveness of phishing scams.
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打卡作业
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翻译 | 大橙子
校对 | 慢慢
词汇词组 | 胖葛柔儿
划线句讲解 | 流木
写作句总结 | 大橙子
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