Informed Consent Form
You are invited to participate in a research study entitled Are Small Businesses Implementing Successful Strategies Against Phishing-Based Ransomware Attacks?. You were selected as a potential participant due to being a small business owner or IT provider for a small business in the US. Please read this form and ask any questions you may have before acting on this invitation to participate in the study.
This study is being conducted by Daniel Holton, a doctoral candidate at the University of the Cumberlands (UC), and has been approved by the UC Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Background Information:
The purpose of this study is to discover the effective strategies utilized in preventing phishing-based ransomware attacks. The study will involve approximately 200 participants.
Inclusion Criteria:
You can participate in this study if you:
§ Are at least 18 years of age
§ Own a small business in the US (or)
§ Are an IT provider in the US
§ Handle IT responsibilities in the US
Procedures:
If you agree to be in this study, you will be asked to complete a written survey, which should take approximately 30 minutes.
Voluntary Nature of the Study:
Your participation in this study is strictly voluntary. Your decision whether or not to participate will not affect your current or future relations with the University of the Cumberlands. If you initially decide to participate, you are free to withdraw at any time later without affecting those relationships.
Risks and Benefits of Participation:
There is no more than minimal risk associated with participating in this study, and there is no individual benefit to participation in the study. However, study findings may provide the overall benefit of helping to eliminate successful infections of ransomware.
In the event you experience stress or anxiety during your participation in the study, you may terminate your participation at any time. You may refuse to answer any questions you consider invasive or stressful.
Compensation:
There will be no compensation provided for your participation in this study.
Recording: There are no recordings for this survey.
Confidentiality:
Any data or records gathered from your participation will be kept private. Any identifiable data gathered will be coded to protect your identity. All surveys will be anonymous, and no identifiable information will be requested. In any report of this study that might be published, the researcher will not include any information that will make it possible to identify you. Research records will be securely stored on a password-protected computer and will be accessible only to the researcher and the researcher’s faculty advisors. Research records will be deleted three years after the study is completed.
Contacts and Questions:
The researcher conducting this study is Daniel Holton. The researcher’s faculty advisor is Segun Odion. You may ask any questions you have related to the consent to participation. If you have questions later, you may contact them via dholton71190@ucumberlands.edu or the UC Institutional Review Board (IRB) office at irb@ucumberland.edu.
Consent (Use for electronic survey)
I have read the above information, been given adequate time to consider the information, and understand my participation is voluntary, so I may stop participation at any point. I have asked questions and received answers. I consent to take part in this study and understand I can download a copy of the completed form.