Researchers will investigate how chatbots can make us safer online

Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly common, also in Denmark, and the digital threats are not just aimed at businesses. As private individuals, we also risk being exposed to attacks when we move around the internet.

The likelihood of becoming a victim of a cyberattack is amplified by both low security levels and poor digital behavior. This is explained by Stefanie Sohn, Assistant Professor at the Department of Business and Sustainability, who is leading a new project to make Danes more digitally secure in their daily lives.

- Our individual behavior makes a huge difference in preventing cyberattacks, not only at work but also in our private lives. Therefore, it is important that we also consider a broader audience when developing tools to educate on digital security behavior.

Chatbot to inform about safety

In the project, which is supported by TrygFonden with ca. DKK 3 million, the researchers will investigate how chatbots can be used to get Danes to move around more safely on digital platforms.

One way the researchers will do this is by developing a special 'digital security chatbot' that provides users with information about good online security behaviour, for example by encouraging us to choose stronger passwords or remember to log out.

- Our basic focus is to empirically test a new strategy to get people to move more safely on the internet. We are investigating how an interaction with a digital assistant, i.e. a chatbot that proactively provides information about digital security, can make people behave more safely and make safer choices, says Stefanie Sohn.

Understanding human behavior

The project is a collaboration between researchers from social sciences, and computer science. The first step, according to Stefanie Sohn, is to understand the human behavior behind digital security and more specifically, what makes people interact with digital security chatbots.

- It's important that we understand what makes people interact with these chatbots to design the chatbots accordingly. This is essential because the whole premise is that the user wants to interact and not ignore the chatbot's advice and warnings.

- In the next step, we then develop a prototype of the chatbot, where we test the chatbot's effect on a number of test subjects and whether the chatbot has the ability to change individuals' digital security behavior both while they use it and afterward, she says.

Will also protect businesses

Ideally, in the future, the chatbot will be embedded in the user's browser, where it will appear on the screen with information about safe online behavior or potential threats. How the chatbot will work specifically depends on the experience gained from the project, emphasizes Stefanie Sohn.

However, she hopes that interaction with a chatbot will prove to have a positive effect on our digital security behavior. Because while there is often a focus on digital security among employees, there is a lack of knowledge about how we as citizens are encouraged to move more safely on the internet outside of work contexts.

- The basic premise of our project is that it is the individual who makes the decisions when traveling digitally. Even when you are employed somewhere, you are still an individual. Therefore, it can also help protect companies in the future as people become more aware of digital threats and the security measures they can take, concludes Stefanie Sohn.

This article is translated with the help of a translating tool