Apparently, Google Chrome users like to live dangerously.
According to a recent study entitled Alice in Warningland: A Large-Scale Field Study of Browser Security Warning Effectiveness (conducted by Devdatta Akhawe of the University of California, Berkeley and Adrienne Porter Felt, a research scientist with Google), of all the major browsers, Chrome users are most likely to ignore and bypass messages warning them that a site may be potentially harmful.
You’ve probably seen these messages before. As you click a link to a new page, a giant warning comes across your browser, warning that the site you visit could possibly be full of malware and other malicious content. These are Chrome’s Phishing and Malware detection warnings:
Chrome users’ answer?
“Eh.”
While only nearly a quarter of Chrome users bypass malware warnings and only 18 percent pass on phishing warnings (on Windows machines), when it comes to SSL warnings, the clickthrough rate on Chrome exceeds 71 percent, which is really quiet alarming for a system that is supposed to deter and strike caution into everybody. The percentage is just as high for people using beta and developer versions. Call it bravado or skepticism, but something isn’t working here.
It is possible that web surfers are simply tired of seeing these messages pop up on their screen, especially when they visit sites they know are secure. The problem might not be in the messages themselves, but the frequency with which they appear and how easy it is to bypass them.
Mozilla has taken steps to prevent this security fatigue, along with making it a little harder to simply bypass the security warning. Chrome will present the same certificate on a page every time it loads, which has obviously led to some frustration and apathy.
So, are you someone who mostly ignores your browser’s security warnings?
Chrome Security Warnings – What do they mean?
In case you’re wondering what all the various warnings mean when you browse with Chrome, the folks over at Google have put together some easy to understand guides.
Permission Warnings – These would be warnings you typically see when you are trying to install an extension. These extensions must declare their intent on what they plan to do or help out with in regards to your browser:
The Security of Your Browser Themes
In the interest of browser security, it should be noted that all of Brand Thunder’s browser themes – whether they are for Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari – are all completely safe for installation. We take great pride in making sure every theme is free of any potential security concerns, which allows you to enjoy the great-looking themes full of the features you love.
Check Out These Other Recent Browser Security Studies:
- Study: Bug bounty programs provide strong value for vendors
- Reading This on IE or Safari? You’re Likely Paying More for Car Insurance – DailyFinance.com
- Distractions hurt grades, studies show – StudentMedia.uab.edu
- Chrome Users More Likely to Ignore Security Warnings – InformationWeek
- Google Chrome Users May Suffer From Attack Warning Fatigue: Study – CRN.com
