A brick wall, a locked door, and a bandit: A physical security metaphor for firewall warnings

In this study, we employed an iterative process to design firewall warnings. We developed a visualized interface for a personal firewall, drawing from a physical security metaphor. We carried out a study to assess how comprehensible our proposed warnings are to users, and how they compare to text warnings based on those from a popular personal firewall in conveying risks and promoting safe behavior. The evaluation results demonstrate that our warnings enhance the comprehension of warning information, effectively communicate risks, and boost the probability of safe behavior. Additionally, they provide users with a deeper understanding of the functionality of a personal firewall and the implications of their actions.