Are users right in rejecting security advice? | Linux Today

Are users right in rejecting security advice?

Written By
Web Webster
Web Webster
Mar 17, 2010

[ Thanks to Golodh for this
link. ]

“Researchers have different ideas as to why people fail
to use security measures. Some feel that regardless of what
happens, users will only do the minimum required. Others believe
security tasks are rejected because users consider them to be a
pain. A third group maintains user education is not working.

“Herley offers a different viewpoint. He contends that user
rejection of security advice is based entirely on the economics of
the process. He offers the following as reasons why:

* Users understand, there is no assurance that heeding advice
will protect them from attacks.
* Users also know that each additional security measure adds
cost.
* Users perceive attacks to be rare. Not so with security advice;
it’s a constant burden, thus costs more than an actual attack.”


Complete Story

Web Webster

Web Webster

Web Webster has more than 20 years of writing and editorial experience in the tech sector. He’s written and edited news, demand generation, user-focused, and thought leadership content for business software solutions, consumer tech, and Linux Today, he edits and writes for a portfolio of tech industry news and analysis websites including webopedia.com, and DatabaseJournal.com.

Linux Today Logo

LinuxToday is a trusted, contributor-driven news resource supporting all types of Linux users. Our thriving international community engages with us through social media and frequent content contributions aimed at solving problems ranging from personal computing to enterprise-level IT operations. LinuxToday serves as a home for a community that struggles to find comparable information elsewhere on the web.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2026 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.