Innovating Security: Human-Centric Design and Trust in the Cyber Era

In the evolving domain of cybersecurity, the integration of digital systems in various facets of daily life has reshaped the landscape, making security not just a technical challenge but a deeply human one. Traditional cybersecurity models often lack consideration for usability, leading to increased risk from insecure behaviors and user dissatisfaction. As technology progresses, users encounter complex threats and are compelled to make multifaceted security decisions such as managing multi-factor authentication and understanding intricate privacy protocols. An overemphasis on technical robustness without parallel usability improvements results in frequent errors and decreased trust, highlighting a critical gap in current security practices.

This Research Topic aims to address this gap by reimagining security through a human-centered lens. The primary focus is on designing secure systems that are both robust in protection and intuitive for end-users. By aligning security mechanisms with human cognitive patterns and behaviors, this effort seeks to enhance user resilience against cyber threats while empowering them to confidently navigate digital landscapes. This initiative will explore the influence of human factors on security behaviors and test innovative mechanisms that transform security from a perceived hurdle to a seamless and trustworthy experience. The overarching goal is to cultivate a security culture where users are empowered, informed, and confident in safeguarding themselves and their information.

To gather further insights into developing user-friendly security systems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Usability challenges within cybersecurity solutions
- Security design for technologies like IoT, AI, and cloud platforms
- Understanding user mental models of security
- Personalization and adaptive security through AI
- Trust-building frameworks within user interfaces

This thematic exploration invites a wide range of theoretical, empirical, and applied contributions that advance the design of security systems catering expressly to user interactions and needs, promising to pave the way for a digital future where security integrates seamlessly with usability and trust.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Security Fatigue, User-Centric Design, Usable Security, Security by Design, Trust

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.