Do we trust the internet? Ignorance and overconfidence in downloading and installing potentially spyware-infected software

The threat profile of spyware is increasing rapidly when we consider the pervasiveness of computing in everyday life. The surreptitious nature of spyware can lead to information mining, data theft and exploitation of stolen data. This article aims to explore the relationship between trust in the Internet and neglecting risks in downloading and installing free potentially spyware-infected software. This study found that trust can be viewed as an indirect function of ignorance and overconfidence through the mechanism of the calculated probability of risk. An enhanced model of trust, based on Li and Betts’ trust model has been proposed with two additional vectors. The inference drawn from the study is that in most users’ minds, the calculated or perceived risk is substantially less than the anticipated benefit of the software. The analysis shows that users trust the Internet when it comes to downloading and installing potentially spyware-infected software, although such nonchalant trust appears to be based on ignorance and over-confidence.