Title: Understanding user behaviour in coping with security threats of mobile device loss and theft

Authors: Zhiling Tu; Yufei Yuan; Norm Archer

Addresses: DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada ' DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada ' DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4M4, Canada

Abstract: Mobile devices have been widely used by people to meet their information processing and communication needs for both work and personal life. However, the loss and theft of these devices has created a new type of information security threat to the individuals as well as to the companies involved. Based on protection motivation theory (PMT), this study constructs a user behaviour model to empirically investigate the key factors that may affect end user behaviours in coping with mobile device loss and theft. The results suggest that user coping intention is influenced by user threat perception, coping appraisal, and social influence. The findings of this study contribute to information systems security research by addressing very important mobile security risks from a specific perspective and by revealing that the combined but not singular effects of perceived vulnerability and perceived severity influence user intention to cope with security threats.

Keywords: mobile devices; mobile device loss; mobile device theft; coping intentions; threat appraisal; coping appraisal; social influence; PMT; protection motivation theory; information security; user behaviour; information systems security; mobile security risks; perceived vulnerability; perceived threat severity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2014.064915

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2014 Vol.12 No.6, pp.603 - 623

Received: 06 Feb 2013
Accepted: 03 Sep 2013
Published online: 30 Apr 2015 *

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