If you’ve spent any time on the internet in the last few decades (which is… just about everyone at this point), you’ve probably come across an example of clickbait. Whether it’s in a social media post, the headline of an article on a less-than-reputable website, or even the subject line of a spam email, clickbait withholds just enough information to pique your curiosity.
“What won’t I guess?” “Who said that?” “Will that one trick really save me money?”
We’ve all given in to temptation and clicked on what seemed like a harmless link at least once. However, when clickbait is used by cybercriminals, letting your curiosity get the better of you can easily land you or your organization in hot water.
What is Clickbait?
In its simplest terms, clickbait is exactly what it sounds like—a piece of content that baits a viewer into clicking a link by evoking an emotional response. Typically, clickbait headlines promise the answer to a question, some kind of personal enlightenment, or use the same tactics as tabloid magazines to entice curious readers about the latest exploits.
Online, clickbait tactics are a common tool of the attention economy. Content creators and advertisers earn more money when more people visit their websites, so they create enticing headlines, ads, and social media posts that encourage readers to click through. In the early years of the internet, the content behind a clickbait headline didn’t even need to be valuable, nor did the viewer need to read it—the click itself was enough to generate revenue. Modern web traffic metrics discourage this kind of low-value content, but some useless yet ultimately harmless clickbait remains to this day.
However, cybercriminals often use clickbait strategies for more nefarious purposes. Through phishing schemes and even AI-driven fake news feeds, hackers use clickbait in hopes that you’ll click before you think—putting your data at risk. To help you stay safe, here’s a rundown on how cybercriminals use clickbait, what information is at stake, and how you can protect yourself and your organization from clickbait scams.
Clickbait Scheme Tactics
Cyber threats are ever-changing, but the tactics behind clickbait schemes share a common thread—they are designed to elicit an emotional reaction, such as fear or curiosity. They use language that creates urgency and encourages users to click before fully processing what they’re reading. Cybercriminals are skilled at getting their malicious content in front of as many viewers as possible.
Here are a few clickbait tactics to watch out for:
Pushpaganda is a new and alarming, AI-assisted threat that uses advanced SEO techniques to push deceptive news stories into users’ Google Discovery feeds. Users are then manipulated into enabling push notifications that later bombard them with scareware, false legal threats, and financial scams.
Links shared on social media may appear to come from a legitimate source but actually direct users to scam websites that trick them into entering personal information, such as usernames and passwords, as a form of phishing.
Clickbait PDFs bypass typical email filters by masquerading as benign PDF documents that contain links to websites littered with malware or other harmful files. Clickbait PDFs can even appear in search results through SEO poisoning.
How to Stay Safe from Clickbait
Cybercriminals using clickbait are always adjusting their tactics, and thanks to AI, some malicious links are now virtually indistinguishable from legitimate content. However, with practice and vigilance, there are ways to spot a clickbait scam before you fall victim to it.
Before you click a link, look for these warning signs:
Links and headlines that use scary, urgent, or otherwise emotional language to get you to act quickly, particularly if they sound personally threatening (e.g., “click now or lose hundreds!”)
Websites or links that promise quick cash or free high-ticket items, such as technology or vehicles
Sensational push notifications or news stories that encourage you to act or donate to a particular cause or face negative consequences
Poor grammar, spelling, or odd phrasing in the anchor text of a link
Domains that contain misspellings or a spoof of a reputable website when you hover over the link (i.e., amazzon.com)
Unexpected requests to download a document, especially from an unfamiliar source, such as an invoice outside of your normal billing period
Clickbait’s Cybersecurity Cost and the Role of IT Services
While anyone can fall for a clickbait scam, the cybersecurity cost for organizations can be astronomical if an employee clicks a malicious link on a company device. It only takes one compromised device for an entire network to be at risk. The average cost of a data breach has ballooned to $4.88 million, and many organizations are unprepared to defend against threats such as clickbait and phishing schemes.
According to KnowBe4’s 2025 Phishing by Industry Benchmarking Report, an average of 33.1% of employees will fail a phishing test without cybersecurity training. However, the report also highlights a bright spot—an 86% drop in global phishing click rates after just 12 months of security awareness training. Even as cybercriminals evolve with AI-assisted clickbait schemes, organizations can stay ahead and protect their assets through comprehensive cybersecurity training that covers clickbait, phishing, and other cyber threats.
Concerned about phishing, clickbait scams, and other evolving cyber threats? LCS IT Services can help you strengthen your organization’s security through cybersecurity training, email protection, managed IT services, and more. Contact our team to learn how we can help protect your business.
