The need to protect confidential data stored in university enterprise information systems and to prevent infiltration through phishing cyber attacks by malicious individuals and organizations has emerged. The unfortunate target of phishing attacks is university employees and students with access to confidential information. This research specifies phishing attack vectors and the university enterprise tools and countermeasures applied to prevent human hacking and the resulting data loss through malware and ransomware. A quantitative methodology was used to identify the research design, highlight previous studies to identify lessons learned, and define the parameters of this phishing research study. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]