The application of behavioural thresholds to analyse collective behaviour in information security
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to perform an exploratory investigation into the feasibility of
behavioural threshold analysis as a possible aid in security awareness campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
Generic behavioural threshold analysis is presented and then applied
in the domain of information security by collecting data on the behavioural thresholds of individuals in a
group setting and how the individuals influence each other when it comes to security behaviour.
Findings
Initial experimental results show that behavioural threshold analysis is feasible in the context of
information security and may provide useful guidelines on how to construct information security awareness
programmes.
Practical implications
Threshold analysis may contribute in a number of ways to information
security, e.g. identification of security issues that are susceptible to peer pressure and easily influenced by peer
behaviour; serve as a countermeasure against security fatigue; contribute to the economics of information
security awareness programmes; track progress of security awareness campaigns; and provide a new
measure for determining the importance of security awareness issues.
Originality/value
This paper describes the very first experiment to test the behavioural threshold
analysis concepts in the context of information security