Are Warnings from Online Users Effective?: An Experimental Study of Malware Warnings Influencing Cyber Behaviour

The present research focused on increasing cyber security by reducing users’ likelihood of installing Trojan Horses: malware hiding inside attractive software. Social cognition research suggests that reading online security warnings in software reviews from other users could reduce the likelihood of installing malware. In Study 1, 43 computer users viewed 30 reviews of hypothetical games. Half the reviews were malware warnings. Ratings of the warnings’ strength were used to select strong and weak warnings for Study 2. In Study 2, 45 computer users viewed descriptions and reviews of real computer games. Results indicated that both the number and strength of malware warnings in reviews influenced the likelihood of installing a game: two warnings reduced ratings of installation likelihood more than did one warning; strong warnings reduced the ratings more than did weak ones. Implications and limitations of the findings for social contributions to influencing cyber behaviour are discussed. Are Warnings from Online Users Effective? An Experimental Study of Malware Warnings Influencing Cyber Behaviour