Comparing Security Perceptions of E-Commerce Users

In today’s computer security paradigm, e-commerce participants are faced with many types of malware. Spyware and viruses are two such examples that continue to threaten secure e-business. Despite the best efforts of information security professionals to lessen the frequency and impact of the infections, they show no sign of abatement. Because normal user behaviors make them vulnerable to malware and security breaches, education and awareness is a necessary step in efforts to mitigate the malware threat. However, prior to implementing an effective education program, user behavior toward malware and the awareness levels must be assessed. To this end, the efforts described herein are to assess both familiarity and knowledge of respondents from two universities relative to malware. Based on data from approximately 200 IT users, it was found that there are differences in security awareness and perceptions between light and heavy e-commerce users.