Informational inequality: the role of resources and attributes in information security awareness
Information and Computer Security
ISSN: 2056-4961
Article publication date: 9 November 2023
Issue publication date: 17 April 2024
Abstract
Purpose
The rapid expansion of internet usage and device connectivity has underscored the importance of understanding the public’s cyber behavior and knowledge. Despite this, there is little research that examines the public’s objective knowledge of secure information security practices. The purpose of this study is to examine how objective cyber awareness is distributed throughout society.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on a large national survey of adults to examine the relationship between individual factors – such as demographic attributes and socioeconomic resources – and information security awareness. The study estimates several statistical models using weighted logistic regression to model objective information security awareness.
Findings
The results indicate that socioeconomic resources such as income and education have a significant effect on individuals’ information security awareness with richer and more highly educated individuals exhibiting greater awareness of important security practices and tools. Additionally, age and gender represent consistent and clear informational gaps in society as older individuals and females are significantly less knowledgeable about an array of information security practices than younger individuals and males, respectively.
Social implications
The findings have important implications for our understanding of information security behavior and user vulnerability in an increasingly digital and connected society. Despite the growing importance of cybersecurity for all individuals in nearly all domains of daily life, there is substantial inequality in awareness about secure cyber practices and the tools and techniques used to protect one’s self from attacks. While digital technology will continue to permeate many aspects of daily life – from financial transactions to health services to social interactions – the findings here indicate that some users may be far more exposed and vulnerable to attack than others.
Originality/value
This study contributes to our understanding of general user information security awareness using a large survey and statistical models to generalize about the public’s information security awareness across multiple domains and stimulates future research on public knowledge of information security. The findings indicate that some users may be far more exposed and vulnerable to attack than others. Despite the growing importance of cybersecurity for all individuals in nearly all domains of daily life, there is substantial inequality in awareness about secure cyber practices and the tools and techniques used to protect one’s self from attacks.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to the anonymous reviewers and editors for their helpful comments on earlier versions of this work.
Citation
Lyon, G. (2024), "Informational inequality: the role of resources and attributes in information security awareness", Information and Computer Security, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 197-217. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-04-2023-0063
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited