This work compares Android and iPhone users according to their security and privacy awareness whe... more This work compares Android and iPhone users according to their security and privacy awareness when handling apps. Based on an online survey conducted with over 700 German respondents (mostly university students) we found out that Android users seem to be more aware of the risks associated with the app usage than iPhone users. For example, iPhone users almost never consider the possibility of apps sending premium-rate SMS or causing other hidden costs. Furthermore, Android users more often mention security, trust and privacy issues as important factors when they decide to use a new app. We hypothesize that the cause of these differences they are likely to arise through differences in app market policies, in app review processes and in presentation of data usage by the apps.
Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, Apr 1, 2020
Browser fingerprinting as a tracking technique to recognize users based on their browsers' unique... more Browser fingerprinting as a tracking technique to recognize users based on their browsers' unique features or behavior has been known for more than a decade. We present the results of a 3-year online study on browser fingerprinting with more than 1,300 users. This is the first study with ground truth on user level, which allows the assessment of trackability based on fingerprints of multiple browsers and devices per user. Based on our longitudinal observations of 88,000 measurements with over 300 considered browser features, we optimized feature sets for mobile and desktop devices. Further, we conducted two user surveys to determine the representativeness of our user sample based on users' demographics and technical background, and to learn how users perceive browser fingerprinting and how they protect themselves.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Dec 22, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
We compare Android and iOS users according to their demographic differences, security and privacy... more We compare Android and iOS users according to their demographic differences, security and privacy awareness, and reported behavior when installing apps. We present an exploratory study based on an online survey with more than 700 German students and describe directions for further research.
Österreichische Zeitschrift Für Soziologie, May 27, 2019
ZusammenfassungLinks in Nachrichten können ein erhebliches Sicherheitsrisiko darstellen, da sich ... more ZusammenfassungLinks in Nachrichten können ein erhebliches Sicherheitsrisiko darstellen, da sich dahinter Schadsoftware oder Phishing-Versuche verbergen können. In der Soziologie wurde Phishing, im Gegensatz zur Informatik, bislang kaum untersucht. Mithilfe eines Feldexperiments (n = 1255) sowie einer standardisierten Online-Befragung (n = 716) werden zum einen die Reaktionen von Personen, die eine Nachricht einer nichtexistierenden Person mit einem Link über Facebook oder E‑Mail erhalten haben, empirisch durch multiple logistische Regressionsverfahren verglichen. Zum anderen wird der Versuch einer ersten theoretischen soziologischen Betrachtung mittels des Modells der Frame-Selektion unternommen.Es zeigt sich, dass 20 % der Empfänger auf E‑Mail-Phishing-Nachrichten reagierten; bei Nachrichten über Facebook liegt dieser Anteil mit 42 % fast doppelt so hoch. Generell reagieren neugierige Probanden eher auf die Nachrichten. Entgegen den Annahmen des theoretischen Modells klicken Personen, die der Nachricht mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenken, eher auf den Link. Das Wissen um mögliche Gefahren durch Anhänge von E‑Mails gepaart mit einer hohen Aufmerksamkeit führt in Übereinstimmung mit den theoretischen Überlegungen dazu, dass eher nicht angeklickt wird.AbstractLinks in messages can imply a significant security risk because they may contain malware or phishing attempts. In contrast to computer science, phishing has rarely been studied in sociology. Using a field experiment (n = 1255) and a standardized online survey (n = 716), reactions of people who received a Facebook or email message with a link from a non-existing person were empirically compared using multiple logistic regressions. Further, the frame selection model was used to propose a first theoretical sociological approach.The results showed that, for emails, 20% of recipients responded to phishing messages while, for Facebook, the percentage more than doubled, with 42%. In general, curious readers clicked on the link more often. Contrary to the assumptions of the theoretical model, people who pay more attention to the message are more likely to click on the link. In accordance with the theoretical model, knowledge about possible dangers via email attachments paired with high attention lead to non-clicking.
This work compares Android and iPhone users according to their security and privacy awareness whe... more This work compares Android and iPhone users according to their security and privacy awareness when handling apps. Based on an online survey conducted with over 700 German respondents (mostly university students) we found out that Android users seem to be more aware of the risks associated with the app usage than iPhone users. For example, iPhone users almost never consider the possibility of apps sending premium-rate SMS or causing other hidden costs. Furthermore, Android users more often mention security, trust and privacy issues as important factors when they decide to use a new app. We hypothesize that the cause of these differences they are likely to arise through differences in app market policies, in app review processes and in presentation of data usage by the apps.
Proceedings on Privacy Enhancing Technologies, Apr 1, 2020
Browser fingerprinting as a tracking technique to recognize users based on their browsers' unique... more Browser fingerprinting as a tracking technique to recognize users based on their browsers' unique features or behavior has been known for more than a decade. We present the results of a 3-year online study on browser fingerprinting with more than 1,300 users. This is the first study with ground truth on user level, which allows the assessment of trackability based on fingerprints of multiple browsers and devices per user. Based on our longitudinal observations of 88,000 measurements with over 300 considered browser features, we optimized feature sets for mobile and desktop devices. Further, we conducted two user surveys to determine the representativeness of our user sample based on users' demographics and technical background, and to learn how users perceive browser fingerprinting and how they protect themselves.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Dec 22, 2022
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY
We compare Android and iOS users according to their demographic differences, security and privacy... more We compare Android and iOS users according to their demographic differences, security and privacy awareness, and reported behavior when installing apps. We present an exploratory study based on an online survey with more than 700 German students and describe directions for further research.
Österreichische Zeitschrift Für Soziologie, May 27, 2019
ZusammenfassungLinks in Nachrichten können ein erhebliches Sicherheitsrisiko darstellen, da sich ... more ZusammenfassungLinks in Nachrichten können ein erhebliches Sicherheitsrisiko darstellen, da sich dahinter Schadsoftware oder Phishing-Versuche verbergen können. In der Soziologie wurde Phishing, im Gegensatz zur Informatik, bislang kaum untersucht. Mithilfe eines Feldexperiments (n = 1255) sowie einer standardisierten Online-Befragung (n = 716) werden zum einen die Reaktionen von Personen, die eine Nachricht einer nichtexistierenden Person mit einem Link über Facebook oder E‑Mail erhalten haben, empirisch durch multiple logistische Regressionsverfahren verglichen. Zum anderen wird der Versuch einer ersten theoretischen soziologischen Betrachtung mittels des Modells der Frame-Selektion unternommen.Es zeigt sich, dass 20 % der Empfänger auf E‑Mail-Phishing-Nachrichten reagierten; bei Nachrichten über Facebook liegt dieser Anteil mit 42 % fast doppelt so hoch. Generell reagieren neugierige Probanden eher auf die Nachrichten. Entgegen den Annahmen des theoretischen Modells klicken Personen, die der Nachricht mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenken, eher auf den Link. Das Wissen um mögliche Gefahren durch Anhänge von E‑Mails gepaart mit einer hohen Aufmerksamkeit führt in Übereinstimmung mit den theoretischen Überlegungen dazu, dass eher nicht angeklickt wird.AbstractLinks in messages can imply a significant security risk because they may contain malware or phishing attempts. In contrast to computer science, phishing has rarely been studied in sociology. Using a field experiment (n = 1255) and a standardized online survey (n = 716), reactions of people who received a Facebook or email message with a link from a non-existing person were empirically compared using multiple logistic regressions. Further, the frame selection model was used to propose a first theoretical sociological approach.The results showed that, for emails, 20% of recipients responded to phishing messages while, for Facebook, the percentage more than doubled, with 42%. In general, curious readers clicked on the link more often. Contrary to the assumptions of the theoretical model, people who pay more attention to the message are more likely to click on the link. In accordance with the theoretical model, knowledge about possible dangers via email attachments paired with high attention lead to non-clicking.
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