Evaluating the Risks of Human Factors Associated with Social Media Cybersecurity Threats

Fai Ben Salamah* (Corresponding Author), Marco A. Palomino* (Corresponding Author), Maria Papadaki, Matthew J. Craven, Steven Furnell

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

Human behaviors and attitudes play a significant role in cybersecurity. However, studies to quantify the impact of such behaviors and attitudes are scarce, and they are not always considered when developing mitigation strategies. To compensate for this, we have looked into a large sample of employees with different levels of expertise and backgrounds across a variety of industrial sectors and organizations. We have found that age and job role constitute the main human factors associated with social media cybersecurity risks. We can confirm that the youngest employees are the most risk prone within an organization, and the employees working in the business and financial sectors are the ones who face the highest amount of cybersecurity risk. In addition, our investigation shows that employees with less than two years of working experience, and those who are at least of age 55, need more cybersecurity training, due to their lack of awareness on the subject. Our work has led us to formulate a risk equation which can assist policymakers and training providers in defining countermeasures against risks and prioritize the training for those who need it the most.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationHuman Aspects of Information Security and Assurance
Subtitle of host publication17th IFIP WG 11.12 International Symposium, HAISA 2023, Kent, UK, July 4–6, 2023, Proceedings
PublisherSpringer
Pages349-363
Number of pages15
ISBN (Electronic)978-3-031-38530-8
ISBN (Print)978-3-031-38532-2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jul 2023

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