Examining the Factors That Influence User Information Security Behavior toward COVID-19 Scams

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, cybercriminals have capitalized on the situation and targeted online users. As a result, there has been a surge in the number of complaints related to new types of scams and fraud that have emerged during the pandemic. This study utilizes Protection Motivation Theory (PMT), Cultivation Theory (CT), and other constructs, including fear, attitude, general security awareness, general security orientation, subjective norms, openness, stress, and conscientiousness, to investigate the user information security behavior (ISB) against COVID-19 scams. The study gathered data from 423 internet users through a cross-sectional survey and used Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) to test the conceptual framework. The results indicate that stress, government social media, general security awareness, response efficacy, and attitude were all positive determinants of the users' ISB. The findings also highlight the impact of emotions, such as stress and fear, as well as government social media, on decision-making during a crisis. Additionally, the study found that the combined effects of the two threat appraisal factors on coping behaviors, which are mediated by fear, and the combined effect of the two coping appraisal factors on coping behaviors, which are mediated by attitude, were significant. However, the subjective norms on ISB did not show any variations and surprisingly, the study found that conscientiousness did not moderate the association between attitude and ISB.

Automated summary

This study investigates the user information security behavior against COVID-19 scams by utilizing Protection Motivation Theory, Cultivation Theory, and other constructs. The results indicate that stress, government social media, general security awareness, response efficacy, and attitude positively influence users' information security behavior. Emotions such as stress and fear, as well as government social media, also impact decision-making during a crisis. The study also found significant effects of threat appraisal factors and coping appraisal factors on coping behaviors, mediated by fear and attitude respectively. However, subjective norms did not vary in influencing information security behavior, and conscientiousness did not moderate the association between attitude and behavior.