Update now or later? Effects of experience, cost, and risk preference on update decisions
| Autor: | Efrat Aharonov-Majar, Prashanth Rajivan, Cleotilde Gonzalez |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Actuarial science
Social Psychology Computer Networks and Communications 05 social sciences 02 engineering and technology 050105 experimental psychology Preference 020204 information systems Political Science and International Relations 0202 electrical engineering electronic engineering information engineering Computer Science (miscellaneous) 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences Safety Risk Reliability and Quality Psychology Law |
| Zdroj: | Journal of Cybersecurity. 6 |
| ISSN: | 2057-2093 2057-2085 |
| Popis: | Installing software updates is one of the most important security actions that people can take to protect their computer systems. However, people often delay installing updates. Why would people delay installation of security updates, knowing that these updates may reduce the risk of information loss from attacks? In a laboratory experiment, we studied how people learn to make update decisions from past experiences. In a simulated “work” environment, participants could defend against low probability and high impact losses, by installing a security update. The cost of updates was variable; participants could update immediately for a high cost or wait to update for free, risking increased exposure to attacks and losses. Thus, the optimal decision was to update immediately when the update was made available. The results from our experiment indicate people learn from experience to delay security updates. The cost of the update and individual risk preference both significantly predicted the tendency to delay the update; people with higher willingness to take risks may be more likely to neglect to update, keeping the status quo even when it may be sub-optimal. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of interventions to reduce delays in update installations. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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