Internet users are unable to distinguish between genuine pop-up warnings messages and false ones, a study at North Carolina State University has found. The study examined the responses of undergraduates to messages which popped up while they did other tasks on a PC. Seeing the pop-ups as a mere annoyance the majority clicked 'OK'. Fake pop-ups are a well-known vehicle for cyber-criminals to install harmful software on PCs.
"This study demonstrates how easy it is to fool people on the web," said co-author Michael Wogalter, professor of psychology at North Carolina State University. "Be suspicious when things pop up. Don't click OK - close the box instead," said Dr Wogalter." Participants were fooled by the fake messages 63% of the time, even when warned that some of what they would be seeing would be false.
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