A study by researchers from the Universities of Guelph and Waterloo investigated how users determine the legitimacy of applications before installation. The study involved novice, intermediate, and advanced users evaluating a mocked-up Microsoft Teams interface. Participants, when primed to expect malware, accurately identified 88% of the malware samples. However, recognition of legitimate software was less successful, with only 62% accuracy, particularly for obscure applications. The findings suggest that while users can detect threats, they may misidentify harmless software due to heightened suspicion.
Researchers found that a majority of users, when primed to be suspicious, correctly identified 88% of simulated malware samples, reflecting their heightened awareness.
User accuracy in identifying legitimate software was significantly lower at 62%, particularly among more advanced users, who sometimes misidentified obscure legitimate programs.
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