Rethinking Connection Security Indicators

Authors: 

Adrienne Porter Felt, Robert W. Reeder, Alex Ainslie, Helen Harris, and Max Walker, Google; Christopher Thompson, University of California, Berkeley; Mustafa Embre Acer, Elisabeth Morant, and Sunny Consolvo, Google

Abstract: 

We propose a new set of browser security indicators, based on user research and an understanding of the design challenges faced by browsers. To motivate the need for new security indicators, we critique existing browser security indicators and survey 1,329 people about Google Chrome's indicators. We then evaluate forty icons and seven complementary strings by surveying thousands of respondents about their perceptions of the candidates. Ultimately, we select and propose three indicators. Our proposed indicators have been adopted by Google Chrome, and we hope to motivate others to update their security indicators as well.

Open Access Media

USENIX is committed to Open Access to the research presented at our events. Papers and proceedings are freely available to everyone once the event begins. Any video, audio, and/or slides that are posted after the event are also free and open to everyone. Support USENIX and our commitment to Open Access.

BibTeX
@inproceedings {197283,
author = {Adrienne Porter Felt and Robert W. Reeder and Alex Ainslie and Helen Harris and Max Walker and Christopher Thompson and Mustafa Embre Acer and Elisabeth Morant and Sunny Consolvo},
title = {Rethinking Connection Security Indicators},
booktitle = {Twelfth Symposium on Usable Privacy and Security (SOUPS 2016)},
year = {2016},
isbn = {978-1-931971-31-7},
address = {Denver, CO},
pages = {1--14},
url = {https://www.usenix.org/conference/soups2016/technical-sessions/presentation/porter-felt},
publisher = {USENIX Association},
month = jun
}
Download
Porter Felt PDF

Presentation Audio