Reading this May Harm Your Computer: The Psychology of Malware Warnings

31 Pages Posted: 5 Jan 2014 Last revised: 3 Oct 2014

See all articles by David Modic

David Modic

University of Cambridge; University of Exeter

Ross J. Anderson

Cambridge University Computer Laboratory

Date Written: January 3, 2014

Abstract

Internet users face large numbers of security warnings, which they mostly ignore. To improve risk communication, warnings must be fewer but better. We report an experiment on whether compliance can be increased by using some of the social-psychological techniques the scammers themselves use, namely appeal to authority, social compliance, concrete threats and vague threats. We also investigated whether users turned off browser malware warnings (or would have, had they known how).

Keywords: malware, persuasion, human computer interaction, psychology

Suggested Citation

Modic, David and Modic, David and Anderson, Ross J., Reading this May Harm Your Computer: The Psychology of Malware Warnings (January 3, 2014). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2374379 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2374379

David Modic (Contact Author)

University of Cambridge ( email )

Computer Laboratory, William Gates Building
15 JJ Thomson Avenue
Cambridge, Cambridgeshire CB3 0FD
United Kingdom
00441223767014 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk

University of Exeter ( email )

Washington Singer Laboratories
Perry Road
Exeter, Devon EX4 4QG
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.ex.ac.uk/psychology

Ross J. Anderson

Cambridge University Computer Laboratory ( email )

JJ Thomson Avenue
Cambridge, CB3 0FD
United Kingdom

HOME PAGE: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14

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