Systematic Review on Cybersecurity Risks and Behaviours: Methodological Approaches

Abstract

This paper presents a systematic literature review regarding risk perception and precautionary behaviour related to cybersecurity. Objectives encompassed identifying issues related to methodological approaches, the studies’ operationalisation and other essential topics, highlighting significant gaps to be fulfilled in future investigations. The study included a search in the multidisciplinary databases of Science Direct, Web of Science, and the Scientific Repositories of Open Access in Portugal, focusing on publications after 2016. A total of nine articles were analysed. The review was developed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols’ research method. Also, publications were coded using the NVivo 12 software for synthesising the results. The small number of studies considered for analysis revealed that risk perception and precautionary behaviour concerning cybersecurity is still an under-explored study area. Furthermore, methodological gaps are highlighted for future works. Studies in the cybersecurity field provide a dataset for policymakers, directing efforts and predicting responses to digital technologies, making this subject matter highly substantial.