Browser Update Practices in Households: Insights from Protection Motivation Theory and Customer Satisfaction

Web Browser is the most common tool used for surfing the Internet. With personal computer users growing by leaps and bounds, the use of browsers is also increasing at a similar rate. Outdated versions of browsers have security flaws and hence represent a significant threat to the cyber infrastructure. Yet many users do not keep their browsers updated. Given the fact that voluntariness of action characterizes personal computer users' security behavior, we argue that satisfaction derived from using the browser along with perceptions of threat severity and vulnerability play an important role in browser update intention. However, considering the inconsistency of household computer users' behavior, we posit that urgency plays a role in the browser update behavior. Using a combined model of Customer Satisfaction and Protection Motivation Theory along with positive and negative urgency as direct antecedents’ to behavior, we evaluate the important antecedents to browser update intentions.