Security Magazine logo
search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
Security Magazine logo
  • NEWS
    • Security Newswire
    • Technologies & Solutions
  • MANAGEMENT
    • Leadership Management
    • Enterprise Services
    • Security Education & Training
    • Logical Security
    • Security & Business Resilience
    • Profiles in Excellence
  • PHYSICAL
    • Access Management
    • Fire & Life Safety
    • Identity Management
    • Physical Security
    • Video Surveillance
    • Case Studies (Physical)
  • CYBER
    • Cybersecurity News
    • More
  • BLOG
  • COLUMNS
    • Cyber Tactics
    • Leadership & Management
    • Security Talk
    • Career Intelligence
    • Leader to Leader
    • Cybersecurity Education & Training
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Annual Guarding Report
    • Most Influential People in Security
    • The Security Benchmark Report
    • The Security Leadership Issue
    • Top Guard and Security Officer Companies
    • Top Cybersecurity Leaders
    • Women in Security
  • SECTORS
    • Arenas / Stadiums / Leagues / Entertainment
    • Banking/Finance/Insurance
    • Construction, Real Estate, Property Management
    • Education: K-12
    • Education: University
    • Government: Federal, State and Local
    • Hospitality & Casinos
    • Hospitals & Medical Centers
    • Infrastructure:Electric,Gas & Water
    • Ports: Sea, Land, & Air
    • Retail/Restaurants/Convenience
    • Transportation/Logistics/Supply Chain/Distribution/ Warehousing
  • EVENTS
    • Industry Events
    • Webinars
    • Solutions by Sector
    • Security 500 Conference
  • MEDIA
    • Videos
      • Cybersecurity & Geopolitical Discussion
      • Ask Me Anything (AMA) Series
    • Podcasts
    • Polls
    • Photo Galleries
  • MORE
    • Call for Entries
    • Classifieds & Job Listings
    • Continuing Education
    • Newsletter
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Store
    • White Papers
  • EMAG
    • eMagazine
    • This Month's Content
    • Advertise
  • SIGN UP!
Education:University

For Mobile Users, Positive Safety Messages More Effective Than Security Warnings

university_enews
April 1, 2015

Ratings of the security risks associated with smartphone apps affect users' decisions whether to install those apps, but information about the safety of an app is more effective than information about its risks, according to researchers from Purdue University.

The report, "Effective Risk Communication for Android Apps," was published in an issue of IEEE Transactions on Dependable and Secure Computing. The researchers examined the effects of including information about app permissions on users' decisions to install apps. They tested the effectiveness of including summary risk information and tested various methods of conveying that information to determine which approach was most effective.

Although most mobile systems have strong security measures in place, they often rely on users to make decisions that affect the security of the device, according to the authors. When users install apps, they may unwittingly give permission for malicious or intrusive apps to track their location and monitor their phone calls and text messages, including authentication messages used by secure sites. According to the researchers, users install these malicious apps without realizing the risks because they don't understand the permissions the app is requesting.

The researchers focused on the Android operating system, which includes more than 200 app permissions, many of which "do not make sense to the average user or at best require time and considerable mental effort to comprehend," according to information on the National Science Foundation site, which funded the project. While users pay some attention to permissions, they also consider average ratings, number of downloads and user comments. Higher quality apps tend to get higher ratings, and users tend to submit comments about the security and privacy of an app.

Current app permissions are designed for the app developers, rather than the users, but based on the results of their experiments, the researchers believe it would be more effective to display a risk score for each app because it would make the risk more obvious to users and provide an incentive for developers to reduce their use of personal information when developing apps. They also believe the inclusion of risk scores could increase user curiosity about security information and cause them to pay more attention to the warnings.

However, the researchers also found that people tend to pay more attention to safety information than risk information. The reason may be that users tend to base their decision to install an app on other positive information about it, such as the user ratings, number of downloads and user comments, so it follows that a positive safety rating is more compatible with the decision-making process than a negative risk rating.

Read more: http://campustechnology.com/articles/2014/10/30/for-mobile-users-positive-safety-messages-more-effective-than-security-warnings.aspx

KEYWORDS: campus safety security education

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
To unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024

    Security magazine's Top Cybersecurity Leaders 2024 award...
    Security Enterprise Services
    By: Security Staff
  • cyber brain

    The intersection of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is a valuable cybersecurity...
    Security Leadership and Management
    By: Pam Nigro
  • artificial intelligence AI graphic

    Assessing the pros and cons of AI for cybersecurity

    Artificial intelligence (AI) has significant implications...
    Technologies & Solutions
    By: Charles Denyer
Subscribe For Free!
  • Security eNewsletter & Other eNews Alerts
  • eMagazine Subscriptions
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Online Registration
  • Mobile App
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Security audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Security or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Crisis Response Team
    Sponsored byEverbridge

    Automate or Fall Behind – Crisis Response at the Speed of Risk

  • Perimeter security
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Why Property Security is the New Competitive Advantage

  • Duty of Care
    Sponsored byAMAROK

    Integrating Technology and Physical Security to Advance Duty of Care

Popular Stories

Pills spilled

More than 20,000 sensitive medical records exposed

Laptop in darkness

Verizon 2025 Data Breach Investigations Report shows rise in cyberattacks

Coding on screen

Research reveals mass scanning and exploitation campaigns

White post office truck

Department of Labor Sues USPS Over Texas Whistleblower Termination

Computer with binary code hovering nearby

Cyberattacks Targeting US Increased by 136%

2025 Security Benchmark banner

Events

May 22, 2025

Proactive Crisis Communication

Crisis doesn't wait for the right time - it strikes when least expected. Is your team prepared to communicate clearly and effectively when it matters most?

September 29, 2025

Global Security Exchange (GSX)

 

View All Submit An Event

Products

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

Security Culture: A How-to Guide for Improving Security Culture and Dealing with People Risk in Your Organisation

See More Products

Related Articles

  • Android phone

    Data of more than 100 million Android users exposed by mobile app developers

    See More
  • cybersecurity

    Indian e-Payments App Exposes More Than 7 Million Users in Massive Data Breach

    See More
  • More than 50% of Facebook Users Could Delete Accounts on May 31 over Privacy Concerns

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • 150 things.jpg

    The Handbook for School Safety and Security

  • Physical-Security-and-Safet.gif

    Physical Security and Safety: A Field Guide for the Practitioner

  • Photonic-Sensing.gif

    Photonic Sensing: Principles and Applications for Safety and Security Monitoring

See More Products
×

Sign-up to receive top management & result-driven techniques in the industry.

Join over 20,000+ industry leaders who receive our premium content.

SIGN UP TODAY!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • eNewsletter
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • X (Twitter)
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2025. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing