The hidden threat of cyber-attacks – undermining public confidence in government

Bibliographic Data

ID12972302
AuthorsRyan Shandler (0000-0002-0931-2014, UF Health Shands Hospital, corresponding author), Miguel Alberto Gomez (0000-0001-8575-2188, Twitter (United States))
Year2022
Volume20
Issue4
Pages359-374
Publication date2022-08-18
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Information Technology & Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1933-169X • E-ISSN: 1933-1681
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/19331681.2022.2112796
OpenAlexW4293791072
LanguageEN
Citations received30
References cited67

This paper argues that the primary threat posed by cyber-attacks is not cataclysmic physical destruction - but rather more insidious societal risks such as reduced trust in government. To test this claim, we collect and analyze survey data in the immediate aftermath of a ransomware attack against a Düsseldorf hospital (n = 707). We find that exposure to cyber-attacks significantly diminishes public confidence among segments of the population who are exposed to the attack. Cyber-attacks exploit particular qualities of cyberspace that are directly tied to matters of public confidence, causing a precipitous drop in public trust. Second, we identify the psychological mechanism underpinning this effect, with anger and dread intervening in countervailing directions. Feelings of anger triggered by exposure to cyber-attacks amplify public confidence, while the more potent feeling of dread reduces confidence. Our findings verify that governments cannot rely on a unifying social-cohesion effect following cyber-attacks since the public is liable to perceive the authorities as incapable of defending against future threats. We conclude by discussing why escalating cyber-threats can cause severe social upheaval and reduce trust in democratic institutions, and discuss what constitutes exposure to the new generation of attacks in cyberspace

Anger · Computer security · Cyberspace · Exploit · Feeling · Government (linguistics · Internet privacy · Population · Sociology · The Internet · Computer Science · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access