Human Factors in Cybersecurity: A Cross-Cultural Study on Trust

Human error is one of the most prominent challenges facing cybersecurity today. Attackers manipulate people's natural inclination to make mistakes using social engineering tactics to exploit psychological vulnerabilities, gain trust, and access sensitive information. Trust plays a critical role in human interaction, both in the physical and digital realms, making it an attractive target for attackers. However, cultural backgrounds, which reflect individual and societal beliefs and values, are often overlooked in cybersecurity risk assessments, despite significantly influencing human behavior. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between trust and cybersecurity risks across diverse cultural groups. The study's findings could provide valuable insights into addressing and preventing human-related vulnerabilities by enhancing overall cybersecurity measures and examining cross-cultural differences in human behavior and their impact on cybersecurity risks. As human factors in cybersecurity become increasingly crucial, this study was performed to understand the differences in risky cybersecurity behaviors among various cultural groups and investigate the impact of different perceptions of trust on engaging in risky behaviors. The outcome of this research provides insights into the critical role cultural backgrounds play in shaping human behavior in the context of cybersecurity. The results of this study may have significant implications for enhancing overall cybersecurity measures by identifying and addressing human-related vulnerabilities that may be unique to specific cultural groups.