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Why People Ignore Computer Security Warnings

People disregard security warnings on computers because they come at bad times, study finds

Software developers listen up: if you want people to pay attention to your security warnings on their computers or mobile devices, you need to make them pop up at better times. A new study finds the status quo of warning messages appearing haphazardly -- while people are typing, watching a video, uploading files, etc. -- results in up to 90 percent of users disregarding them. Ref. Source 7h.

Warnings Security Computer Ignore People Why

I'm guilty of that. The one I ignore the most is the restart to finish update. Its annoying when I just started up to have to restart again.

Why People Ignore Computer Security Warnings Gaming Video & Issues Computer

People also disregard security warnings and updates because they also might be inpatient as well or they just don't have the time to go through all the necessary precautions. It would be annoying that while I am using my computer and it suddenly shuts down because it has an update to install.

Warnings Security Computer Ignore People Why

One thing that doesn't help is the fraudulent warnings, pop ups, and scarewares that might influence people paying attention to such security warnings.

As a Geek Squad Agent for online support, I have had countless calls from those either getting a scareware or perhaps getting a legitimate warnings and not sure what top do about it. Often, admittedly mostly senior, they are afraid of the results. Whether getting a virus or it otherwise messing up their computer.

Sure, it could be because of impatience or laziness but generally I find it can also be because of not knowing what will happen if they pay attention to it.

Warnings Security Computer Ignore People Why

A big problem is the fact that security warnings tend to give a lot of false positives. If its going to nag me every time I use an entirely legitimate program, of course I'm going to end up paying less attention to it.

Why People Ignore Computer Security Warnings

That can be annoying, having one's security or AV telling you that a program you know to be safe and from a trusted source being at risk or a threat.

Thankfully, most of the time,it is simply a message popping up asking if I am sure I want to download or run a particularly program. Yes, I am sure! Sighs.

Why People Ignore Computer Security Warnings

I run into this problem all the time as well. We get weekly notifications to restart our computers at work, which is super annoying, because we have to close and save everything and restart the computer or the warning will pop up every 30 mins until you do. On my personal computer, I have security and generally just go ahead and follow whatever directions it gives, but my wife likes to ignore it. I'll get on her computer or her phone and she'll have 100's of updates and it'll take hours to do. She then says that is why she doesn't do it, and I try to tell her that if she would just do it as it was needed, it wouldn't take so long to get through.

My mother-in-law also calls at least 1/week about some pop-up or scareware she finds telling her to install some program or all her files will be deleted. Luckily I have drilled in her head enough not to do any of that, and that I'll just take care of her computer 1/year when I come down for the holidays, but she still calls and wants to make sure.