Understanding the impact of context in cyber decisions: Exploring the role of situational characteristics on perceptions and behaviour: Human Dimensions in Cyber Security Symposium Session

A user is prompted to change their password as they are preparing to leave the office. A software update is required as an employee attempts to finish an urgent task. A phishing email is received whilst on the move. It is clear that online security decisions do not occur within a vacuum. Users are likely to have competing goals and additional pressures (such as limited time) that influence both how they perceive a decision scenario and what they choose to do. A number of psychological models can help us to understand why people may behave the way that they do when making decisions relevant to online security contexts. Well-established models within the health behaviour domain, such as Protection Motivation Theory, highlight the potential role of perceptions of threat and vulnerability, and perceived ability to engage in any protective behaviour. However, the impact of the wider situational context on these perceptions is also deserving of attention. For instance, perceiving a situation as more challenging due to the presence of additional constraints, whether that is time pressure, distraction or workload, may differentially impact how people choose to act. This talk will consider how perceptions of risk and efficacy have been found to influence security-related behaviours and how these perceptions may be impacted by wider situational constraints that are commonly encountered within daily life.