Alert! Study finds Internet users heed browser warnings

[InfoSec News <alerts () infosecnews org>]

https://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9240707/Alert_Study_finds_Internet_users_heed_browser_warnings

By Jeremy Kirk
IDG News Service
July 10, 2013

Security warnings displayed by Web browsers are far more effective at 
deterring risky Internet behavior than was previously believed, according 
to a new study.

The study looked at how users reacted to warnings displayed by Mozilla's 
Firefox and Google's Chrome browsers, which warn of phishing attempts, 
malware attacks and invalid SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates.

It was widely thought that most users ignored the warnings, based on 
several studies released between 2002 and 2009. However, in the past four 
years, browser warnings have been redesigned, but the effect of the new 
designs on users had not been studied.

For example, toolbars that warned of possible phishing attacks have been 
replaced with full-page warnings that may have influenced people's 
behavior, the researchers who conducted the study wrote.

[...]



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