“…I have my dad, sister, brother, and mom’s password”: unveiling users’ mental models of security and privacy-preserving tools
Information and Computer Security
ISSN: 2056-4961
Article publication date: 20 November 2023
Issue publication date: 11 June 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to understand user perceptions and misconceptions regarding security tools. Security and privacy-preserving tools (for brevity, the authors term them as “security tools” in this paper, unless otherwise specified) are designed to protect the security and privacy of people in the digital environment. However, inappropriate use of these tools can lead to unexpected consequences that are preventable. Hence, it is significant to examine why users do not understand the security tools.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a qualitative study with 40 participants in the USA to investigate the prevalent misconceptions of people regarding security tools, their perceptions of data access and the corresponding impact on their usage behavior and data protection strategies.
Findings
While security vulnerabilities are often rooted in people’s internet usage behavior, this study examined user’s mental models of the internet and unpacked how the misconceptions about security tools relate to those mental models.
Originality/value
Based on the findings, this study offers recommendations highlighting the design aspects of security tools that need careful attention from researchers and industry practitioners, to alleviate users’ misconceptions and provide them with accurate conceptual models toward the desired use of security tools.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The article is submitted to Information and Computer Security.
Citation
Dumaru, P., Shrestha, A., Paudel, R., Haverkamp, C., McClain, M.B. and Al-Ameen, M.N. (2024), "“…I have my dad, sister, brother, and mom’s password”: unveiling users’ mental models of security and privacy-preserving tools", Information and Computer Security, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 282-303. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-04-2023-0047
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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