Many studies of cyber security behavior treat behaviors as the result of conscious thought. But, most behaviors are automatic and occur without any conscious deliberation of the benefits and risks of the behavior. Psychologists call this automatic thinking System 1 cognition as opposed to the more deliberative System 2 cognition. Unfortunately, System 1 thinking has rarely been studied in the context of security behaviors. In this episode of Cyber Ways, we talk with Dr. Alan Dennis about his groundbreaking research on the role of automatic thinking in cyber security. 

Dr. Dennis is Professor of Information Systems and John T. Chambers Chair of Internet Systems at Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business. Dr. Dennis has written over 150 journal articles, with many of those published in top journals. He is Past President of the Association for Information Systems and also served as Vice President for Conferences. His many contributions to the field of information systems were recognized in 2012 when he was named a Fellow of the Association for Information Systems. In addition to his research and teaching, Dr. Dennis has been involved in several technology startups, including his current venture, Wisdom Springboard, which develops educational video games to help students learn analytics and cybersecurity.

Dennis, A. R., & Minas, R. K. (2018). Security on autopilot: Why current security theories hijack our thinking and lead us astray. ACM SIGMIS Database: The DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, 49(SI), 15-38.

Email vanslyke@latech.edu for a copy of the paper.

Intro audio for the Cyber Ways Podcast

Outro audio for Cyber Ways Podcast

Cyber Ways is brought to you by the Center for Information Assurance, which is housed in the College of Business at Louisiana Tech University. The podcast is made possible through a "Just Business Grant," which is funded by the University's generous donors.

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