Human behavior is a persistent and primary cybersecurity vulnerability. However, existing psychometric tools for assessing these factors are often fragmented, focusing on isolated aspects such as knowledge, compliance intentions, or organizational context, and lack a unifying theoretical framework. To address this gap, this study developed and pilot-tested the Cyber-behavioral Index, a novel multidimensional instrument to holistically assess human behavior. The scale operationalizes the CBS framework, comprising five latent dimensions: attitude and habits, perception and belief, social influence, digital influence, and trust in technology. Following a rigorous development process including expert review (n = 3) and cognitive pretesting (n = 10), a 33-item instrument was piloted with a sample of 231 participants. A pilot study was conducted to establish the initial psychometric properties of the scale, focusing on internal consistency and structural differentiation. The results demonstrated strong internal consistency for all five subscales (Cronbach’s α ranging from 0.775 to 0.848) and moderate interscale correlations (r = 0.345 to 0.432), supporting the scale’s reliability and hypothesized multidimensional structure. This study provides researchers and practitioners with a multidimensional instrument for advancing the psychological study of human-technology risk, moving beyond a narrow focus on technical proficiency.
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