<p> Computer system end-users, whether at home or work, have been described as the weakest link in a computer security network. End-users frequently encounter warnings intended to prevent them from engaging in potentially dangerous activities and navigating to potentially malicious sites. However, end-users exhibit behaviors that violate safe computing and Internet use. End-users are either digital natives (born in or after 1982) or digital immigrants (born before 1982). This regression research study addresses the extent to which social behavior (measured by response efficacy, self-efficacy, and social influences) impacts the home computer user’s security behavior, controlling for digital natives. A survey was conducted from a random sample of individuals 21 years of age or older who own a personal computer and are responsible for its maintenance and repairs. The survey intended to determine to what extent do response efficacy, self-efficacy, and social influence impact security behavior of the home computer user, controlling for whether the user is a digital native or digital immigrant. The data was analyzed by using hierarchical linear regression. It was determined that when controlling for the effect of being a digital native, response efficacy and social influence were significantly predictive of behavioral intentions, while self-efficacy was not significantly predictive of behavioral intentions. This study shows that home computer users believe that (a) the security process is essential (response efficacy) and (b) they do not want to be seen in a negative light by their peers (social influence) but (c) that they may not actually change their personal behavior (self-efficacy) when making decisions vis-à-vis the security of their personal computers (security behavioral intentions). It was found that use of persuasive communications can affect the user’s security behavioral intention. Despite the implementation of fear appeals, some users have not changed their decision-making process to ensure the security of their systems. </p><p>
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:PROQUEST/oai:pqdtoai.proquest.com:10933017 |
| Date | 02 October 2018 |
| Creators | Zarenejad, Afshin |
| Publisher | Capella University |
| Source Sets | ProQuest.com |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | thesis |
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