Neurosecurity: Comprehending Security Messages

Authors

Zachary Vance, Brigham Young University
Bonnie Anderson, Brigham Young University

Keywords

security messages, comprehension, eye-tracking

College

Marriott School of Management

Department

Information Systems

Abstract

The comprehension of security messages can be a difficult task to decipher, as comprehension works through a series of stages. The four major steps in comprehension are attention, semantics, syntax, and pragmatics, as outlined by figure 1 below. Through the use of eye-tracking, we were able to focus on parts of security messages that inhibited understanding and make changes to ensure users were following through each step of comprehension and therefore making wise security decisions. Eye-tracking proved to be an excellent tool for comprehension as the data gives immediate measures of attention, with difficult words or phrases being stared at or reread multiple times compared to simple sentences.

Recommended Citation

Vance, Zachary and Anderson, Bonnie (2019) "Neurosecurity: Comprehending Security Messages," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2019: Iss. 2019, Article 135.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2019/iss2019/135