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Study Shows People Too Hasty With Popup Warnings
SecurityProNews
Staff Writer
2008-09-24
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Student behavior in a study on popup warnings at North Carolina State University bodes ill for the rest of the population: most were so eager to remove popup obstacles to their tasks, they didn't care how they got rid of it. If in the wild, such impulsive behavior could have earned them some malware.
 | | Study Shows People Too Hasty With Popup Warnings |  |
While trying to complete search tasks set for them by researchers, the students were interrupted with various popup warnings. Some were facsimiles of local Windows operating system warnings, and others were decoys served from an exterior source with very subtle differences from the Windows warnings.
Ideally, a person would carefully examine the warnings, decide their origins, and then close the window if from external source rather than hitting the OK button. But 63 percent of the time the students clicked on the OK button, not taking the time to notice how the cursor arrow changed to a hand, usually a clear sign the popup was Internet-based.
The students viewed any popups as a distraction from their tasks and moved too quickly to eradicate them, showing that the general population has been conditioned to react this way toward popup warnings. If so, the public is opening itself up to viruses and spyware.
"This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the Web," says study co-author Dr. Michael S. Wogalter, professor of psychology at NC State.
Wogalter hinted that companies and other credible sources could incorporate unique features into their legitimate messages before dismissing it as easy to impersonate. Instead, he suggests computer learn to slow down and examine everything popping up on their screen carefully before clicking.
"Be suspicious when things pop up," he said. "Don't click OK - close the box instead."
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SecurityProNews is a daily online and email publication focusing on internet security issues.
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