Shining Chrome: Using Web Browser Personas to Enhance SSL Certificate Visualization

Average users lack the technical expertise to understand SSL certificates and security is not their primary goal. Thus, it is very hard to create a notable impact on user behavior using SSL-status indicators. However, with the introduction of web browser Personas (simple skins) as a possibility to change the browser's chrome, it becomes possible to provide a large status indicator without wasting screen real estate. In this work, we present an evaluation of Personas to represent the current SSL status combined with newly designed SSL warning messages, both in the lab and in the field. Results suggest that the concepts positively influenced security awareness.