How do Older Adults feel about engaging with Cyber‐Security?

Abstract

Older adults are increasingly a target for cyber‐attacks; however, very little research has investigated how they feel about engaging in protective cyber‐security behaviors. We developed and applied a novel card‐sorting task to elicit how older adults feel about protective cyber‐security behaviors and to identify the factors that impact their confidence in executing these behaviors. Nineteen task‐assisted interviews were conducted with UK older adults. A thematic analysis revealed that older adults see protective online behaviors as important, but their reasons for disengagement fell into three categories: I do not want to (essentially, because the costs outweigh the benefits), I do not need to (e.g. because it is not my responsibility), and I am unable to (which includes heightened anxiety about doing something wrong). Underlying confidence around engagement with protective behaviors was a function of three factors: personal competence (related to good computer self‐efficacy and relevant past experience), support (having a good network for information and advice), and demand (the effort of keeping up to date with the latest advice). Ultimately, we found that older adults are keen to protect themselves but are lacking appropriate support and we discuss implications for developers, researchers, and policy makers. This paper explores older adults' perceptions of common cyber‐security behaviors. We introduce an effective card sorting methodology for security elicitation in older adults. We apply this to identify reasons as to why older adults may not engage in security behaviors as well as identifying a number of reasons why older adults actively avoid engaging in security behaviors.

Exploring Age and Gender Differences in ICT Cybersecurity Behaviour

“…Despite many older adults being keen to adopt technology [7], a negative narrative prevails [8]. For example, research suggests that this user group may still lack confidence in their ability (or self-efficacy) to use their devices [9][10][11] and may show deficits in ICT skills and literacy [2,12,13], something often referred to as the "second level" of the digital divide (where access to information and communication technology [ICT] forms the first level [1]). However, some researchers have argued that rather than there being an age-related skill gap, older adults may simply underestimate their actual capabilities and knowledge [14].…”

“…As older adults now spend longer online, they in turn have become the latest target population for cyberattacks, with £4m lost by older adults in the UK between 2018 and 2019 [15]. However, research into age-related differences in cybersecurity posture and attitude is scarce [11,16], which means it is difficult to identify and mitigate age-specific issues.…”

“…Older adults show a reluctance to fully engage with cybersecurity behaviours, citing reasons including low selfefficacy and a lack of awareness [11]. They are also less likely to adopt security measures to protect against unauthorised access to their devices, e.g., personal identification number (PIN) or biometric protections [24].…”

Experiential Value of Technologies: A Qualitative Study with Older Adults

“…Cybersecurity is a major concern for older adults. There is fear that their technologies could be infected by malware and viruses, and their identity and personal information could be hacked [ 52 ]. Older adults who do not have a technical background or experience could find technical terminologies related to viruses difficult to understand [ 53 ].…”

“…This makes it difficult for them to invest in an appropriate anti-virus software. Those who have anti-virus software installed on their technologies find it difficult to understand the notifications, warnings, and messages [ 52 , 54 ]. Thus, there is a need to design anti-virus and anti-phishing software that is easy to install, update and understand.…”