2 research outputs found
Laptop Theft in a University Setting can be Avoided with Warnings
Laptops have become an indispensable asset in today's digital age. They often
contain highly sensitive information, such as credentials and confidential
documents. As a result, the value of a laptop is an accumulation of the value
of both the physical device itself and the cyber assets it contains, making it
a lucrative target for theft. Educational institutions have a large population
of potential victims of laptop theft. To mitigate this risk, we investigate
whether a simple warning sign can reduce the opportunity for potential
offenders. To this end, we have conducted an empirical study to observe the
prevalence of students/staff leaving their laptops unattended at a university
study hall at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, both with
and without a warning sign. We observed 148 out of 220 subjects leaving their
laptops unattended in just three weeks. The results also showed that without
the warning banner, 75.5% (83 out of 110) of subjects left their laptops
unattended and with the warning, only 59.1% (65 out of 110) of subjects showed
the same behavior, which is a significant reduction of 16.4%. In addition, a
qualitative analysis was performed on the responses of subjects who left their
laptops unattended after the warning banner was placed. The results showed a
mix of convenience, and a blind trust on the safety of the faculty. In
conclusion, a simple banner was effective in reducing the opportunity for
laptop theft. However, the percentage of laptops left unattended was still high
even after the introduction of the banner.Comment: The results in this paper are erroneous. Due to selection bias, the
results aren't actually statistically significan