Computer security behaviors of home PC users: A diffusion of innovation approach

The rise of the Internet as a means of facilitating communication and commerce has increased the importance of security functionality employed by machines connected to the network. One of the factors driving the growth of Internet usage has been an increase in home users and always-on broadband connections to the World Wide Web. Home computers exist outside the typical managed security schemes employed in business networks, leaving the application and administration of security functionality to the end user. This study employs a Diffusion of Innovation framework to construct a model to explore factors that influence end user security functionality behaviors in an unmanaged network environment.;Five factors are identified as important antecedents; Suitability, Risk Awareness, Perceived Importance, Vendor based communication channel, and Subjective Norm. A survey based instrument analyzed using LISREL based structural equation modeling validated the research model. Information from the study provides an insight into the growing body of unmanaged machines connected to the Internet and the factors that influence the security behaviors of the users of these machines. Five factors were found to be statistically significant antecedents for home PC user behaviors in applying security controls.