It’s estimated that 90% of the time you’re ignoring the security messages that pop up on your screen. Of course, messages that do get your immediate attention are the ones when it’s too late. Those doing website repair will confirm that viruses and hacking are a major part of disregarding security measures and updating.
Rather than asking what’s wrong with you, the question to ask is what’s wrong with your brain?
Multitasking
Researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) in conjunction with Google Chrome engineers have narrowed it down to “dual task interferences.” Better known to you as multitasking. When your brain is engaged in one task and is trying to accommodate another task at the same time.
Some believe they function well at both tasks simultaneously. When there is a conscious decision to engage in two activities at the same time, the brain is switching back and forth between two tasks. Actually, neither task is getting one’s full attention.
However, there is another kind of multitasking that comes when you are engaged in one task and interrupted by another. Your brain is caught between the interruption vying for your attention and the original task.
BYU researchers scanned the brain activity of subjects given computer tasks in a fMRI (functional magnetic resonance image) machine.
“The experiment showed neural activity was substantially reduced when security messages interrupted a task, as compared to when a user responded to the security message itself.”
Not only was there a reduction neural activity, but it turns out that the timing of when a security message appears is also a critical factor.
74% ignored security messages that popped up when closing a web page window
79 % ignored security messages when watching a video
87 % ignored security messages when transferring a confirmation code
Jeffrey L. Jenkins, Bonnie Brinton Anderson, Anthony Vance, C. Brock Kirwan, David Eargle. More Harm Than Good? How Messages That Interrupt Can Make Us Vulnerable.Information Systems Research, 2016; DOI:10.1287/isre.2016.0644
Habituation
Additional research indicates another aspect of your brain’s failure to respond to security messages. That is the quality of unconscious “habituation.” The brain is so ingrained by the repetitive patterns and images of these security messages that it settles into a state of visual fatigue.
Here’s a personal example, I recently upgraded my laptop to Windows 10. I made all the adjustments and felt secure that everything was taken care of. A few weeks later, a series of pop-up messages start appearing saying AMD needs updating.
Since I had no idea what AMD referred to, I began to habituate to each new pesky message. The messages keep coming and I eventually Google it. Turns out it has something to do with bandwidth graphics, especially for gaming. Since I don’t do any gaming, I continue to ignore it.
Then a new message – “you have a computer error and download the AMD fix immediately.” ” What trouble am I in now?” So, everything stops while I search for the fix, fix it, and then wait to make sure the fix has been made.
My brain, like yours when you ignore security messages, has habituated. Yes, we know that we need to address this, but we’ll get around to it. Sometimes we even argue with ourselves that –
- it’s possibly disguised malware
- just another add-on that’s not needed
- can’t deal with it now, it will take too much time
- this isn’t relevant to me
- I’ll do it when the next message occurs
- I’ll catch the next upgrade when it comes along
For those whose job it is to keep our electronic devices security safe with new programs, updates, and warnings, they have to confront our brain’s unwillingness at times to pay attention to their messages.
Solutions for Inattention to Security Messages
To date, BYU researchers and Google Chrome engineers have come up with two solutions.
Security Messages Solution #1
First, is timing. Rather than sending out security messages in a random manner, they are trying to determine the best times when you are not preoccupied with a computer task. This could be when –
- you’ve finished a video
- a page is buffering waiting for the upload
- you’re ready to shut down from all website activity
Security Messages Solution #2
Second is a process to offset visual fatigue and non-response by creating “polymorphic images“. These are images that contain variations of the same messages within different design formats meant to catch your attention by the novelty of their design, patterns, and colors.
Both solutions show subjects under test conditions reduce their inattention responses to security messages. Now, whether that will work for the rest of us remains to be seen.
What security message does your brain ignore?
Resources
People disregard security warnings on computers because they come at bad times
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/08/160817142911.htm
Why do we ignore up to 90% of computer security alerts? Because we’re terrible at multi-tasking…
http://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/featured/security-alerts-multitasking/
MRIs show our brains shutting down when we see security prompts. This is your brain after repeated security warnings. Any questions?
Image: CCO Public Domain
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Hmm. Good question. I”m not sure I have any security messages that I ignore. I tend to deal with them right away, especially if they come from my AVG anti-virus program or my malware program.
I think you fall into the 1% that pays attention and responds. Lucky you.
My web guy tells me to pay attention to every update and have it scanned with my anti-virus program. It is inconvenient to sometimes have to deal with them but probably a necessary evil. Multi-tasking has a place for all business owners, but can easily be an ineffective way to think we are getting more done when we are just “multi-distracting”
Sounds like you’ve got a good web guy who’s got your back. Love your term of multi-distracting. That’s certainly a more accurate description.
Sometime I take note and follow up. I know that multitasking slows down my moving forward great post thank you xx
It’s a good thing that you make a note to follow up. It’s easy to forget and then find you have a bigger problem to deal with.
What a fascinating post Joyce! Very interesting 🙂 Thank you for sharing this information as it is always a good thing to know why we ignore those darn security messages……
Okay, so now you know why you ignore the security messages, but don’t ignore them for too long.
Fascinating information, Joyce. Amazing that our brains learn to tune out stuff we just don’t want to deal with.
Yes, our brains are very good at doing that. Unfortunately, we do need to pay attention when it comes to security. If not, our brains will be far more frustrated in the long run.
Oh my, this sounds a little too familiar! The messages that get my immediate attention include anything that pops up from my security software, and while it technically doesn’t qualify as a “message” I’m extremely cautious about opening emails from people I don’t know. I think the timing issue is valid, for example, I know that I’m far more alert in the morning than late afternoon. Definitely something to think about, and I for one will be a bit more watchful for those notices! Thanks Joyce. 🙂
You’re right Marquita about being cautious. If I suspect something is suspicious, I check it out by doing a browser search first. I also look at the url address to make sure it’s coming from one of my legitimate software providers.
interesting information. I tend to ignore the ones that I think COULD be Spam. If it looks official, I may stop what I am doing and at least google it or check with someone in IT.
There are so many ins and outs to understanding the workings of the computer and the web. Even with all the wonderful things it provides I do sometimes just want to shut everything down and go read a book!
Well said, Alene. I’m sure there are many of us who at times want to chuck it all with our computers.
So true, I often ignore the messages because they always start when you are in the middle of the delivery of a job, or on a tight schedule to deliver. They never come when you actually have time to shut off the computer… So perhaps these people should think about that. 😉
Katarina you’re so right. I find the same thing – they always come when you are in the middle of something important! But, they’re a necessary evil if we want to keep our computers safe.
I am really trying to stop multi tasking. I feel pulled apart and like I’m hanging together by threads when I do…
Security warnings are sometimes not dire, and it’s hard to know what needs to be attended to right away… I usually find out, tho ?
Thanks for commenting Kim. Unfortunately, it’s all something we have to deal with. As much as we all love to multi-task, it makes more sense to focus on one-thing-at-a-time, and the security warnings are a pain but a necessary evil to stay on top of things.
I have been guilty of both multi-tasking and habituation. And gotten burned by doing so. But good to know I’m not the only one.
Don’t worry Audrey, I’m sure more of us are doing this that we care to admit to.
I wish the security messages came with a rating. Like a 10 would be a “stop what you’re doing and fix this now or else” and a 1 being a “you can come back to this when you have time to do your other updates” type of urgency.
Hey. Jennifer that a great idea. It seems these messages always pop up at the most inopportune times and they think we drop everything to pay attention.
Ah yes… I am sooo working on the multi-tasking thing and trying to NOT get carried away with rabbit holes. Great tips
Kristen, happy to hear you’re working on the multi-tasking thing. As for rabbit holes, that’s harder, because you never know what you’re going to find.
Joyce,
This article was brilliant because i am the computer all day at work and home. I sometimes am Multitasking well most of the time. My brain is getting tired of all the noise and wants quiet. I can see how we ignore certain types of messages on the computer. Excellent Read.
Lori Englsih
Great comment, Lori. Some will crave peace and quiet to work in and others need the noise in the background. I could never understand how anyone could focus and function in a noisy environment. Anyway, the key is being able to pay attention to not only what you are doing, but be able to respond only to interruptions that are critical. And, I think we all need a plan for responding to security warnings.
I forward these to my web master who either handles it or disregards it. Before internet I was proud of my multitasking skills. I was a full time career mom & juggled many tasks, efficiently. Until I created an online business.
Roz, you raise a good point. There are parts of multi-tasking that women with families are very good at that always don’t translate well to a business. Also, by having someone else handle the intricacies of your site, takes a tremendous amount of pressure off of you.
I tend to ignore most security messages when I’m intent on what I’m doing. I used to pay more attention but, in a rush to deal with them, was caught up in some malware crisis which usually takes longer to sort out. If the message is persistent enough I make a note of it and then research how to handle it once I’ve finished my original task. I’ve learned to avoid multi-tasking when I’m doing anything on the computer as I end up in such a muddle when I do.
Tami, you’re right. Security messages are intrusive and having to respond and fix a problem can be time-consuming. So long as you don’t completely ignore the messages and set time aside for them, the more brain power you’ll have to use.
I have noticed that now windows 10 says, there is an update and the computer will update on your less busy time or something to that effect. Finally! Worst thing is when an update happens when you are in the middle of doing something else.
It seems they are trying to make updates less intrusive. But, I totally agree with you that when they pop-up when you’re doing something important puts you in a bind. Is it critical or can it wait? Hopefully, it can wait.
That is just fascinating and right on. I know that I ignore pretty much all of these. Multitasking doesn’t work well for me.
I think a lot of people jumped into multitasking thinking they would be more efficient. When you think of how much information we have access to and process these days, it’s amazing the human brain operates as well as it does. The brain just isn’t designed to multitask on the level of efficiency that people expect.
I ignore them all the time, Joyce. For the reasons you list! The malware issue really bothers me, and I’m not adept enough to know what’s real and what’s a scam.
Plus, I’ve learned what your research showed–I’m never effective when multi-tasking (even though I used to think I was 🙂
And my brain is not happy when “caught between the interruption vying for your attention and the original task.”
Love that!