HOW PROTECTION MOTIVATION AND SOCIAL BOND FACTORS INFLUENCE INFORMATION SECURITY BEHAVIOR

Abstract

Digital technologies are ubiquitous, and the proliferation of attacks on information assets is a corollary of their ubiquity. Thus, information security (IS) appears to be a crucial issue for individuals and managers. While attempts to identify the factors that guide theinformation security behavior (ISB) of actors are not new, such identification remains more necessary and topical than ever. From this perspective, this empirical study contributes to a better understanding of the cognitive and socialization factors that influence ISB. Using a second-order hierarchical model with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), we test for the first time the applicability of protection motivation theory (PMT) and social bond theory (SBT) to the information security technology awareness (ISTA) and malware protection behavior (MPB) of 430 students. First, our results demonstrate that combining PMT and SBT produces a more robust model for analyzing ISTA and MPB compared to considering each of these theories separately. Secondly, ISTA partially mediates social bonds and protection motivation and thus, could be a root  security behavior. If we underline the preponderant role of involvement, the significant difference observed in the ISB of both genders is related to the strongest influence of females’ social connections on ISTA. In particular, this result is explained by more homogeneous effects of socialization factors for females than for males. We suggest that the design of ISTA programs and education should be better adapted to the different cognitive and socialization factors of individuals, notably with an  emphasis on social bonds and, more specifically, on involvement. We also provide detailed recommendations on how practitioners can improve individuals’ ISB.