The Influence of Mobile Operating Systems on User Security Behavior

Mobile security remains a concern for multiple stakeholders. Safe user behavior is crucial key to avoid and mitigate mobile threats. The research used a survey design to capture key constructs of mobile user threat avoidance behavior. Analysis revealed that there is no significant difference between the two key drivers of secure behavior, threat appraisal and coping appraisal, for Android and iOS users. However, statistically significant differences in avoidance motivation and avoidance behavior of users of the two operating systems were displayed. This indicates that existing threat avoidance models may be insufficient to comprehensively deal with factors that affect mobile user behavior. A newly introduced variable, perceived security, shows a difference in the perceptions of their level of protection among the users of the two operating systems, providing a new direction for research into mobile security.