Evaluation of residential consumers knowledge of wireless network security and its correlation with identity theft

This current quantitative correlational research study evaluated the residential consumers' knowledge of wireless network security and its relationship with identity theft. Data analysis was based on a sample of 254 randomly selected students. All the study participants completed a survey questionnaire designed to measure their knowledge of wireless network security, knowledge of residential wireless identity theft, and the actions they took to avoid being victims of wireless identity theft. Of the 254 respondents, 39 (15.4%) were victims of residential wireless network identity theft. This study used Pearson's correlation coefficients to compare the participants' (a) answers to a self-assessment of their own level of wireless network knowledge to the total score of wireless network knowledge questions, (b) knowledge of how to use and secure a wireless network to actions taken to avoid being a victim of wireless identity theft. The study used t tests to compare (c) the knowledge of wireless network users who have been victims of wireless identity theft to the knowledge of wireless network users who have not been victims of wireless identity theft. Wireless knowledge of rural/small town participants was compared with urban/suburban participants with a t test also. A significant positive correlation existed between the participants' self-assessments of their own level of wireless network knowledge to the total score, as well as between participants' knowledge of wireless network and the actions they took to prevent victimization. There was no significant difference between victims and non-victims on knowledge. One implication is for manufacturing industry leadership to find possible ways to secure the residential wireless network routers by default and not put consumers at risk for using a product that may lead to the loss of their identities.