Computer security impaired by legal users

Computer security has traditionally been assessed from a technical point of view. In this paper, we wish to adopt a cognitive standpoint and investigate some of the cognitive processes involved in computer security. One angle which is not considered very often is the active role played by legal users of systems in impairing the level of protection. In this paper, we thus attempt to highlight the cognitive processes underlying security impairments by legal users. This approach relies on the concept of trade-off. At the end of the paper, we propose a short usability-centered set of recommendations.