Communicating Cyber-Risk: How Exposure to Cyber-Attacks Impacts Support for Cyber-Protection Policie

Communicating Cyber-Risk: How Exposure to Cyber-Attacks Impacts Support for Cyber-Protection Policies | Appendix

Nadiya Kostyuk & Carly Wayne

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Abstract:

Cyber safety and security presents a unique challenge for societies because hackers need not defeat powerful armies to have an impact; they can gain access to sensitive systems by exploiting any weakness in the system. Often, this weakness begins with an average civilian ill-prepared to defend themselves against a cyber-attack. In order to address this new challenge, it is thus critical to understand more about how individuals assess cyber-risk and how this risk perception impacts their personal cyber-protective behaviors and support for new cybersecurity policies. Despite a growing number of cyber-attacks on individuals over the last few years, the literature that assesses these questions is scarce. To address this gap, we use a novel experimental study in the United States to examine the impact of exposure to different types of cyber-threats on personal online behavior and individuals’ support for various cybersecurity policies. We find that baseline concerns about cyber-attacks and knowledge about safe online practices are low. However, exposure to cyber-attacks personally relevant to the individual heightens risk perception and their willingness to engage in safer online practices. This study has important implications for how governments should communicate cyber-risk to their citizenry and educate them in the steps necessary to protect themselves – and their country – from cyber-attacks.

Discussants:

Joshua Kertzer (Harvard University)

Erik Gartzke (University of California San Diego)

Rachel Stein (George Washington University)

OPSC Coordinator:

Emily Hencken Ritter (University of California Merced)

Graduate Assistant:

Peter D. Carey II (University of California Merced)