Locking the door but leaving the computer vulnerable: Factors inhibiting home users' adoption of software firewalls

Abstract

In the new era of a ubiquitously networked world, security measures are only as good as their weakest link. Home computers with access to the Internet are one of the weaker links as they are typically not as well protected as computers in the corporate world. Malicious actors can not only target such computers but also use them to launch attacks against other systems connected to the Internet, thus posing severe threats to data and infrastructure as well as disrupting electronic commerce. This paper investigates the factors that affect the use of security protection strategies by home computer users in relation to a specific, but crucial security technology for home – a software firewall. This paper proposes individuals' concern for privacy, awareness of common security measures, attitude towards security and privacy protection technologies, and computer anxiety as important antecedents that have an impact on the users' decision to adopt a software firewall. The results of our study suggest that attitude plays a more important role than perceived usefulness in shaping users' intention to use firewalls. We attribute this interesting finding to the non-functional nature of firewall systems that work best in the background with a complex relationship to users' productivity. Hence, the results add to our current understanding of Technology Acceptance Model vis-à-vis technologies that serve non-functional needs such as security. We then present a set of guidelines to home computer users, Internet Service Providers, e-commerce companies, and the government to increase home users' adoption rate of privacy and security protection technologies.

Introduction

The widespread use of personal computers and internet connections in the home today has profoundly changed the way individuals and society share information and conduct business. Yet, with this increased power has come an increasing concern for the security and privacy of information that is processed in the home computing environment. Even though a multitude of security and privacy protection technologies (such as software firewalls, anti-virus protection and proper browser settings) are available, a recent survey by America Online (AOL) has shown that a majority of individuals with a home internet connection do not use even simple protection strategies [3].

This apparent general lack of concern for computer security on the home front has big implications beyond the homes of the affected computer users. Compromised computers can be further employed by unscrupulous elements to not only steal sensitive information of the affected users, but also to launch attacks against legitimate business interests (e.g., distributed denial of service attacks) thus disrupting electronic commerce. Such computer crimes result in different types of losses. According to the Carnegie Mellon University's CERT Coordination Center, in 2004, 83% of organizations faced some type of loss due to electronic crimes, 56% experienced operational losses, and 25% experienced financial losses [9]. Due to the significance of these implications, protecting the security and privacy of home computers is of direct importance to both individuals and organizations.

Anti-virus protection, firewall and patches to cover security holes in critical software are perhaps among the top security mechanisms that a consumer can use to protect one's home computing environment. Of these security mechanisms, a firewall is considered the most effective in protecting computers and is the most widely used form of protection in businesses [9]. The aforementioned AOL survey [3] specifically indicated that among these security technologies, firewall is the least understood and least used in home computing environments. According to this survey, while more than 80% of respondents had anti-virus programs installed in their computers, only 37% had firewall solutions installed. One of the possible reasons for the low use of firewalls is the difficulty faced by individuals using and maintaining firewall applications when compared to keeping their critical software (such as operating systems and internet browser) and anti-virus protection up-to date. The relative difficulty of using the firewall and the low installed base in home environments provides the motivation for this research. Hence, this paper will specifically investigate factors that impact the adoption of firewalls by home computer users.

The next section briefly reviews the relevant antecedents that impact home firewall adoption. Section 3 develops the research model and presents the hypotheses. Section 4 describes research methods while Section 5 reports the results of the study. Section 6 discusses the significance of the results and explores further avenues of research. Finally Section 7 provides a summary of contributions to theory and practice.