Nudging online security behaviour with warning messages

Researchers tested the effectiveness of 9 different ways of warning users about cyber security threats. Making users aware of the steps they could take to minimise risk was effective in triggering more secure behaviour. Gain-framed messages, loss-framed messages and a message from a male anthropomorphic character triggered more secure behaviours. Interestingly, although the above interventions influenced behaviour, they did not effect participants’ self-reported knowledge of how to prevent cyberattacks.