Cybersecurity Behavior of Smartphone Users in India: An Exploratory Sequential Mixed Methods Approach

Abstract

India is experiencing tremendous growth in the smartphone market, and mobile data usage is increasing. As India moves towards a digital economy, it is required that the Indians securely access digital services. Hence, it is essential to understand smartphone users' attitude, behavior, and security practices in India. Limited research is available about smartphone users' cybersecurity behavior in India, as the majority of research in this domain is done in the western country. This article reports the results of an exploratory sequential mixed method design. The main patterns of the qualitative user study are: (1) interviewed users' are aware of cybersecurity threats; (2) interviewed users' are motivated to protect their smartphone and data but lack the ability to do so;(3) difference in security behavior of digital natives and digital immigrants. A quantitative user study further validated these patterns.