Drivers of information security search behavior: An investigation of network attacks and vulnerability disclosures

Abstract

More and more people use search engines to seek for various information. This study investigates the search behavior that drives the search for information security knowledge via a search engine. Based on theories in information search and information security behavior we examine the effects of network attacks and vulnerability disclosures on search for information security knowledge by ordinary users. We construct a unique dataset from publicly available sources, and use a dynamic regression model to test the hypotheses empirically. We find that network attacks of current day and one day prior significantly impact the search, while vulnerability disclosure does not significantly affect the search. Implications of the study are discussed.